DIPOLOG CITY, SEPT. 18(PIA)
- - The Department
of Agrarian Reform (DAR)-Zamboanga del Norte (ZaNorte) has recently inked a
Memorandum of Agreement(MOA) with three
Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries Organization(ARBOs) in the province for the
Agrarian Reform Community Connectivity and Economic Support Services(ARCCESS).
Ms.
Anjanette V. Nemiaga, DAR-ZaNorte Information Officer said the contracting
ARBOs include the Guinles Farmers Multi-Purpose Cooperative (GUIFAMUCO); the
San Miguel Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries Multi-Purpose Cooperative (SMARBEMCO);
THE Joaquin Macias Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries Multi-Purpose Cooperative
(JMARBEMCO), with DAR-Zamboanga del Norte represented by PARO II Virgilio L.
Alcomendras.
ARCCESS
which addresses the Agrarian Reform Community (ARC)-ARBOs needs of production
assets is a creative support services approach with two-pronged objectives –
the Agricultural Productivity and Agri-Enterprise Development.
The
program intends to achieve economies of scale in agricultural production by
organizing the important facets of land preparation, harvesting, logistics, and
marketing in order to reduce the cost of inputs, improve production
efficiencies, and increase productivity, and income of Agrarian Reform
beneficiaries.
ARCCESS
also considers the capacity, capital and equipment requirements of different
crops and commodities such as rice, corn sugar, coconut, banana, cassava, fruit
trees and high yielding crops.
The
program operates on two major interventions. First, is the delivery of Business
Development Services (BDS) to ARB Organizations through the development of
Community-Based Enterprise Organizers (CBEOs); and the second, the provision of
farm equipment and machineries of Common Service Facilities (CSFs) to ARB
Organizations. The DAR will finance the provision of equipment and facilities
and the cost of BDS and CBEO engagement.
“However,
no matter how efficiently crafted the intervention is, without the support of
stake holders and key players, particularly the ARBOs and the ARBs, other
farmers, LGUs and other development-oriented institutions, success maybe an
illusive objective. Hence, this MOA signing is a significant step of
partnership towards ARC Development,” Nemiaga said. (JPA/ATR/PIA9-Zambo Norte)