TABUK CITY, KALINGA – On the sidelines of the distribution of Certificate of Land Ownership Award (CLOA) to beneficiaries here on Thursday, the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) launched close to P11 million worth of projects for beneficiary organizations.
The projects include the P6 million Sugar Block Farms project to be implemented in Pasil and Pinukpuk, the P3.6 million Linking Smallholder Farmers to Markets (LinkSFarM) program in Tabuk City, and the P1.2 million Partnership against Hunger and Poverty project covering Pinukpuk, Tanudan, and Pasil. In total, it is the biggest share of approved projects in the Cordillera according to DAR Undersecretary Rosalina Bistoyong.
Bistoyong said that the ultimate goal of the said projects is to cut out the intervention of middlemen, thus maximizing profit and increasing productivity of farmers.
Bistoyong said that various projects are in the pipeline for Kalinga: a P34 million irrigation project under the Agrarian Reform Support Project (ARSP), the P3 million San Juan irrigation project to be implemented by the National Irrigation Administration (NIA), a P625 thousand filtration facility under DAR’s climate resilient farm productivity project, and a P2 million irrigation project in Uma, Tinglayan.
Led by Secretary John Castriciones, DAR also turned over three mechanical driers, seven coffee pulpers, and two coffee grinders worth a total of P890,000 to the Kajchilan Multipurpose Cooperative, a Kubota tractor to the Macutay Sadiri Credit Cooperative, and a P2.3 million McCormick four-wheel driver tractor to two beneficiary organizations in Pinococ, Pinukpuk.
By Iryll Sicnao