The Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) distributed over PHP 3.3 million worth of farm machinery to 175 Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries (ARBs) in Apayao on March 20, 2025.
The distributed equipment includes tractors with rotavators, corn seeders with trailers, standalone corn seeders, rotary tillers, brush cutters, water pumps, knapsack sprayers, and heavy-duty hand tractors. These are expected to cut down labor costs, improve farm efficiency, and raise overall yields.
“Kung ano ang itinanim, siyang aanihin. Ngayon tinatamasa na ng anim na ARBOs sa Apayao ang bunga ng kanilang pagsisikap. Ang maliliit nilang sakripisyo ay nagbunga ng tagumpay,” Provincial Agrarian Reform Program Office Atty. Penelope de Ausen said.
The program is part of DAR’s push to modernize farming among Agrarian Reform Beneficiary Organizations (ARBOs) and to address the ongoing challenges like the lack of access to modern agricultural tools. DAR aims to make their farming practices more competitive and sustainable by equipping ARBs with these machines.
Years of manual labor and inefficient practices have limited their productivity and for many yApayao farmers, this is a turning point. With better tools, the hope is that farming becomes empowering.
According to the DAR, this will not be the last. The agency is committed to closing the gap between traditional farming and modern agriculture. By Michelle Acantilado
