Friday, October 31, 2008 [ manilatimes.net ]
Agrarian Reform Secretary Nasser Pangandaman said Thursday the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) was able to distribute 7.2 million hectares of land to some 4.5 million farmers over the past 20 years, much of it through the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP).
“This record posted the highest number of land transfer [in hectares] in the history of agrarian reform all over the world,” Pangan–daman added.
Pangandaman also said that through the CARP, some 1,976 agrarian reform communities (ARCs) were developed into self-sufficient localities.
The department adopted the ARC development strategy to optimize the provision of development interventions from agrarian reform stakeholders, because of the very limited budget allotted to agrarian reform.
The department also has a tie-up with the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) to implement agrarian reform projects where the farmers are the beneficiaries.
Two of the projects already completed are the Western Mindanao Community Initiatives Project and the support for the indigenous cultural communities and the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) in the zone of peace within the agrarian reform communities.
Under the Western Mindanao project, some 16,000 indigenous farm and fisherfolk families as well as rebel returnees in Zam–boanga del Norte, Zamboanga del Sur and Basilan were provided small enterprise and credit development assistance to increase cash crop and fishery production.
The IFAD, in support of the department’s peace initiative, also gave $750,000 to develop the areas covered by the special zone of peace and development by integrating ex-combatants belonging to the MNLF into these programs.
More agrarian projects
The department is also implementing the Northern Mindanao Community Initiatives and Resource Management Project to reduce poverty in the provinces of Misamis Oriental, Agusan del Norte, Agusan del Sur, Surigao del Norte and Surigao del Sur.
The Northern Mindanao pro–ject is ongoing until 2009 and would benefit 58,000 poor households who live along the upland and coastal areas in 73 agra–rian communities.
Besides these projects, the department also granted some P222-billion worth of loans to 4.1 million small farmers and fisherfolks for their agricultural and agribusiness programs. Credit programs amounting to P9.34 billion was also provided to 934,939 farmer-beneficiaries and their organizations.
Pangandaman also expressed the agency’s gratitude to Pope Benedict XVI for supporting the continued implementation of agrarian reform to promote the right of the farmworkers.
In June, the House of Representatives approved the extension of the land acquisition and distribution provisions of the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program and called on Congress to enact a definitive bill on agrarian reform on or before December 31, 2008.-Ira Karen Apanay
