Volume 14 No. 10 October-December 2015 8 Pages

Regional Farmers Forum Cum Microfinance Held in Zamboanga PeninsulaMORE THAN 200 farmer-beneficiaries fromthe three provinces of Zamboanga PeninsulaRegion joined the recently concludedRegional Microfinance cum Farmers’ Con-vention.

The event, which carries the theme “Em-powering Farmers on Productivity andAgri-Enterpreneurship Towards SustainableRural Development,” was held on November 17-18, 2015 at Zamboanga del Norte Conventionand Sports Center in Dipolog City.

It was the first farmers’ convention initi-ated by the Department of Agrarian Reform(DAR) which seeks to enhance the knowledgeof the farmers and their means of accessing theexisting support services of the various govern-ment agencies as well as increase their householdincome and contribute to rural economy.

In an interview, DAR IX RegionalDirector Engr. Felix Aguhob explained that theconvention will help the farmers to have accessto different farming technologies as well as link

them to the market as the focus of the forum is onagri-enterprise development.”Region IX hasplenty of successful coops, and through these

coops, ARBs were able to avail of various pro-grams of the government,” he said.

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Regional Director Engr. Felix B. Aguhob ( 3rd from left) distributes token to one of the invited speakers during theFarmers Forum. Others in photo were ( from left) Assistant Directors Atty. Ramon E. Madronal Jr. and Engr. Agnes Y.Maata.

DAR turns over P2M worth commonservice facilities to ARBOs

THE DEPARTMENT of Agrarian Reform has recently turned-over two com-mon service facilities (CSF) amounting to P2 million to the Agrarian ReformBeneficiaries Organizations (ARBOs) as part of the continuing project imple-mented by the department in the municipality of Siocon in Zamboanga delNorte.

“Today marked another livelihood opportunity for the farmer benefi-ciaries as the common service facilities are now turned-over to THE ARBOs”,DAR Regional Director Felix B. Aguhob said.

The identified ARBOs That each will bebenefited with one unit of 4-wheel drive 35 horsepower tractor amounting to P 1,000,098.00 each includeAl Micubo Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries Association (ALMARBAS) andS. Cabral Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries Association (SCARMARBAS).

Continue on page 3The two units four-wheel drive tractors turned-over to the ARBOs of Siocon,Zamboanga del Sur.

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60 farmers in Zamboanga Sibugay are proud FFS graduatesTHIRTY FARMERS from thetown of Naga and 30 othes fromthe town of Titay in ZamboangaSibugay province are now proudgraduates of the Farmers’ FieldSchool (FFS) after they finishedthe required hands-on trainingand acquired the knowledge andskills needed in the High ValueVegetable Production using theNatural Farming System Tech-nology (HVVP-NFST).

The FFS is an approach tobuilding capacity of farmerswhere school is without walls assessions take place in the fieldsof the part icipating farmerswherein they observe, analyze,experiment, consult and identifysolutions among themselves,when confronted with problems.

The intervention to farmerswas implemented under the De-partment of Agrarian Reform’sPartnership Against Hunger andPoverty (PAHP) program in part-nership with the East West SeedsPhilippines and the Local Gov-ernment Unit (LGU) Interestedmembers of the recipient Agrar-ian Reform BeneficiariesOrganizations (ARBOs) weretrained to produce organic veg-etables to cater to the needs ofthe feeding program for Daycarechildren aside from supplying thebasic commodities in the localmarket, thus, generating addi-t ional income to vegetablefarmers or producers.

Inspired by the result of theproject, Provincial Agrarian Re-form Program Officer II Atty.Judith Patriarca-Mantos stressedthat the intervention gave aware-ness to the farmers on thebenefits of organic vegetablefarming.

She lauded the graduateswho, according to her, havebravely undertaken the risks justto be involved in the undertak-

ing.DAR IX Assistant Regional

Director Engr. Agnes Maata, whogave the confirmation to thegraduates and handed the certifi-cates, hoped for a continuousadoption of organic farming in thelocality. “More than the LGU, it’sthe community or the people whocan greatly contribute to povertyreduction”, Maata said when sheemphasized the financial benefitsthat could be derived by the farm-ers from the project.

Prior to the graduation rites,a harvest festival was held whereDAR personnel and the farmersharvested and sold the vegetableproducts to residents and otheractivity spectators.

In a span of five months, thefarmers were trained and taughtsix modular courses which in-clude fundamentals on naturalfarming system throughsustainable agriculture, pre-estab-lishment stage, seed to seedlingstage, vegetative stage, reproduc-t ive stage, harvesting andpost-harvesting stage.

In her test imony, IsidraAdolfo, one of the graduates fromNaga, recalled the hardships shehad gone through during theimplementation of the project.

“Many times did I think of back-ing out and withdrawing but thesupport of the projectimplementors motivated me tokeep going”, she said. Now, sheis reaping the fruits of her sacri-fices saying that per experience,organic vegetables are more sale-able that those which arechemically produced.

The separate graduation cer-emonies cum harvest festival wereheld on October 21, 2015 andOctober 23, 2015 in Titay andNaga towns, respectively. Also

present in the momentous activi-t ies wereDAR-PBDD ChiefAnthony Teves, East West SeedCo. Inc. Technical Transfer Man-ager Dr. Roberto Acosta, DSWDIX Nutrition Program Coordina-tor Jocelyn Gonzaga, NagaMayor Gemma Adana, TitayMayor Maria Esperanza CorazonRillera, LGU-Titay Administra-tor Gil Rillera, PAHP PointPerson Marilou Acedo, theMARPOs, MAOs and MSWDOsof Titay and Naga, barangay of-ficials and some DAR staff.

DAR IX Assistant Regional Director Engr. Agnes Y. Maata together with the Farmers’Field School graduates.

Regional Farmers Forum CumMicrofinance Held in Zamboanga PeninsulaContinued from page 1

During the conduct of thetwo-day activity, the resourcespeakers from the different govern-ment agencies shared andexplained their existing programsand projects and even answeredqueries fromthe participants.Among the speakers were AdelizaGabalfin of BARBD, SRI’sAdelberto Baniqued, Anna Ayingand Ernie Camacho of DA, Alex

Haducana of FIDA, CeledoniaPalomar of PCA, Oliver Santos ofDTI and LBP’s Vinicius Hamoy.

Five cooperatives which haveattained the level of developmentand maturity were likewise giventhe opportunity to share with theother coops their practices and ex-periences .

Also in attendance wereDipolog Mayor Evelyn Uy,Zamboanga del Norte Provincial

Agriculturist Celsa Gayawa,DAR IX Assistant Regional Di-rectors Engr. Agnes Maata andAtty. Ramon Madronal, ChiefAgrarian Reform Program OfficerFloripes Lagutin and the Provin-cial Agrarian Reform Officers,Municipal Agrarian Reform Pro-gram Officers, ARPOS and staffof the DAR Provincial Offices ofZamboanga Sibugay, Zamboangadel Norte and Zamboanga del Sur.

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DAR turns over P2M worth commonservice facilities to ARBOs

Continued from page 1Provincial Agrarian Reform

Program Officer II MohammadDassan J. Adju said that the CSFsprovided to the ARBOs is one inter-vention under Agrarian ReformCommunity Connectivity and Eco-nomic Support Services(ARCCESS) implemented by DAR

through cooperatives. He added thattrainings had been conducted to theARBOs on how to properly utilize thesaid facilities.

ARCCESS is an alternative ru-ral development approach whereinsupport services provided by DARare delivered to selected farmer or-ganizations.

DAR Farmers Graduate on System of Rice IntensificationEIGHTY FIVE farmers recentlygraduated on System of Rice Inten-sification (SRI) program offered bythe Department of Agrarian Reform(DAR) consecutively held in themunicipalities of Siocon andSirawai in Zamboanga del Norte.

DAR Regional Director FelixB. Aguhob said that the SRI gener-ates hope and new possibilities forincreasing crop yields of the farm-ers. He emphasized that he islooking forward to hard work anddedication from the farmers as it isa tool towards success.

Implemented under the Agri-Enterprise Developmentcomponent of Agrarian ReformCommunity Project2 (ARCP2), the

System of Rice Intensification is afive-month training program whereorganic farming and proven agricul-tural practices are taught to farmers.

In celebration of the gradua-tion rites and the success of theirbountiful harvest, the MunicipalAgrarian Reform Office (MARO)in collaboration with the local gov-ernment organized a harvest festivalto show-off the abundant result oforganic rice production throughSRI.

“I am truly impressed by thisproject, my gratitude to DAR-ARCP2 for the new farmingtechniques with extensive learningopportunities that help farmer ben-eficiaries substantially increase

their rice production,” said SioconMayor Julius Lobrigas.

Meanwhile, Sirawai MayorGamar A. Janihim said that by SRIwill not only benefit yield and in-come for the farmers but alsopromotes good health.

On the other hand, ProvincialAgrarian Reform Program OfficerII Mohammad Dassan J. Adjuspearheaded the distribution of 480mallard ducks amounting toP96,000 to the two municipalities.Some 240 heads were distributed toSirawai and the other half to Siocon.

The mallard ducks, locally knownas “itik” are known to be benefi-cial in the course of SRI as it willcontrol pests in the rice fields.

In addition to the key speak-ers, other personalities presentwere Rizzel B. Villanueva, Provin-cial Agrarian Reform Officer I,Chief Agrarian Reform ProgramOfficer Alfonso Tan, ARCP2 AEDCoordinator Leonesa Alpha, Mu-nicipal Agrarian Reform OfficerRose Hornejas and SRI Consult-ants Adelberto Baniqued andRoberto Verzola.

Regional Director Engr. Felix B. Aguhob (5th from left), SRI Consultant AdelbertoBaniqued (2nd from left), PARPO II Mohammad DassanAdju (4th from left), andother guests during the SRI graduation.

DAR on ITEMATHE DEPARTMENT of AgrarianReform (DAR) conducted the In-formation Technology – EnabledMaturity Assessment (ITEMA) to ahundred functional and operatingAgrarian Reform Beneficiary Orga-nizations (ARBOs) in fifty fouragrarian reform communities(ARCs) from October 13 toNovember 10, 2015 inZamboangadel Sur.

Provincial Agrarian Reform Of-ficer (PARPO) II Arturo N. Soria saidthat the Agrarian Reform Commu-nity Level of DevelopmentAssessment (ALDA) is the tool usedby DAR to assess the ARCs’ level ofdevelopment since 1996. Howevermany changes transpired renderingthe ALDA tool outdated and inappro-priate.

After the conduct of ALDA Re-view Workshops in 2014 it was foundout that the assessment tools, both forthe ARBOs and the ARCs needsenhancement.The Policy and Plan-ning Service (PPS) with the guidanceof an Impact Evaluation and Statis-tics Consultant conceptualized theITEMA. This was formerly the Or-ganizational Maturity Assessment(OMA) for ARBOs under ALDA.

Program Beneficiaries Devel-opment Division (PBDD) Chief

Engr. Josephime G. Sisican addedthat the ITEMA for ARBOs utilizesmobile phones with uploaded ap-plications designed by anInformation Technology Consult-ant. Among the advantages of thissystem are : a.) data gathering isfasterb.) data gathered is more ac-curate and c.) manipulation of datais prevented because of its geo tag-ging feature. This assures that thedata are indeed gathered in the fieldwhere the ARBOs are located. Thesystem also allows picture takingand uploading of supporting docu-ments like the ARBOs’ Books ofAccounts thus, making the dataverifiable.

Sisican also explained thatITEMA removed the provincial en-coding and regional data processingwhich took two months. The datagathered by the enumerators are en-coded directly in the mobile dataentry system and can be immedi-ately uploaded to Department ofAgrarian Reform Central Officewhere the data basing, processingand generation of summary tablesand ARBOs’ profiles are done. TheITEMA results are more fitting pa-rameters as one criteria of whetherand what type of foreign projectswould be provided to ARBOs.

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The community-managed potable water supply and sanitation project in Barangay Canuto Enerio in the town of Gutalac in Zamboanga del Norte (CEARBEMCO) has a totalproject cost of P140,000. The turning-over of responsibilities is from DAR headed by PARPO II Mohammad Dassan J. Adju to the local government represented by MayorOnesimo Coma, Jr. and CEARBEMCO as the end user.

Turn-over ceremony and MOA signing of concreting and construction. The concreting of 1.733km farm-to-marketroad in Barangay Damit and construction of concrete drainage line canal in Poblacion Bayog in Zamboanga delSur with the presence of DAR Regional Director Felix B. Aguhob, ARDO Agnes Yanez Maata M, PARPO II ArtSoria, PBDD Chief Engr. Josephine Sisican, MARPO Nenita Cabrido Gallego, Mayor Leonardo Babasa Jr. , otherlocal government officials and DAR personnel.

REGIONAL MICROFINANCE CUM FARMERS’ CONVENTION. November 17-18, 2015. Zamboanga del NorteConvention and Sports Center in Dipolog City

Photos taken dFacility (SSF)other organizin ZamboangDTI synchronunder the formis the concretlaboratory tessoon. PBDD represented D

Ribbon-cuttinunit (4WD) trwith direct bunder DAR -(ARCCESS).

Ribbon-cuttin1 unit of (4wARCCESS wZamboanga d

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during the launching of the Department of Trade and Industry’s Shared ServiceF) for Ipil Market Vendors Multi-Purpose Cooperative (IMAVEMCO) and 4zations in Zamboanga Sibugay last November 24, 2015 at Tiayon in Ipil townga Sibugay. The project was launched as the DTI’s contribution in the DAR-nization. On the part of DAR, the agency has given the project to IMAVEMCOmer’s Village Level Processing Center Enhancement Project (VLPCEP) whichting of the cooperative’s drying area for its noodles and an amount for thesting of its products and which said projects are set to be turned-over anytimeChief Anthony Teves and PMAO/VLPCEP Point Person Carol Maruhomadil

DAR in the said launching activity.

DAR officials convene for a planning workshop highlighting the programs for implementation in the provinceto include Agrarian Production Credit program, DAR-CRS (Catholic Relief Services),Community-ManagedPotable Water Supply and Hygiene; and Convergence of Value-Chain Enhancement for Rural Growth andEmpowerment.

Ribbon-cutting, blessing, turn-over and MOA signing of 3 units corn husker sheller and 1 unit (4WD) tractor,3 (5HP) with disc, plow, trailing harrow and trailer under DAR-ARCCESS worth P1, 353, 420 in Barangay.Upper Dimorok, Simata in Molave town in Zamboanga del Sur.

ng, blessing, turn-over and MOA signing of 1 unit corn husker sheller and 1ractor, 3 (5HP) with disc, plow, trailing harrow and trailer worth P1,212,420eneficiaries of 1, 709 arbs in Midsalip town in Zamboanga del Sur. This is Agrarian Reform Community Connectivity and Economic Support Services

ng, blessing, turn-over and MOA signing of 3 units of corn husker sheller andwd) tractor, 3 (5hp) with disc, plow, trailing harrow and trailer under DAR-worth P1,353,420 in Barangay Upper Dimorok, Simata in Molavetown indel Sur.

Year-end coop assessment and team building.

Farmers’ field school graduation and harvest festival.

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175 PAMANA Projects Turned Over to Zamboanga del Sur FarmersTHE DEPARTMENT of AgrarianReform IX turned over 175projects worth P52.5 million un-der the Payapa at MasaganangPamayanan in Agrarian ReformAreas (PAMANA - ARAs), PhasesI and II to 166 Barangay Peoples'Organizations (POs) in the six mu-nicipalities of Dinas, San Pablo,Labangan, Dimataling, Aurora andTabina in Zamboanga del Sur.

DAR IX Regional DirectorEngr. Felix B. Aguhob said that59,780 farmers, comprising of20,000 households with an esti-mated145,000 population woulddirectly benefit from the projectswhich included Multi – PurposeBuildings (MPBs); Multi Purpose(MP) / Solar Dryers; MP DryingPavements; Stilt Dryers; SeaweedFarming; Irrigation Rehab; Farmto Market Road (FMR) Rehabs;Fish Shade; Day Care Centers;Health Centers; Improvement ofPotable H2O Systems; MP Pave-

ments, Tire Paths, Drainage Canals,H2O Tank and Pipe System, IntakeBox and H2O Pipe System and Res-ervoir.

Aguhob said that we the farm-ers are blessed because onlyRegions IX, X and XI are recipi-ents of the program among 16regions nationwide. He also saidthat the projects serve as DAR’slegacy to the public under thePAMANA-ARA program in agrar-ian reform areas.

The six municipal mayorswhose municipalities were recipi-ents of the program expressed theirgratefulness to PAMANA-ARA andDAR and to the local governmentunit teams for the projects grantedto their barangays. Through theseprojects we were able to establishedpeace and sow the “seeds of peace”in our conflict stricken municipali-ties. The projects will also spurdevelopment and promote lastingpeace and order.

Present during the turn-overceremonies were , DAR Central Of-fice Chief for ProgramDevelop-ment Services Teresa Baul,PAMANA – ARA National Coor-dinator Jerry Pascua, DAR officialsand personnel headed by RegionalDirector Engr. Felix B. Aguhob,

THE DEPARTMENT of AgrarianReform (DAR) in ZamboangaSibugay conducted a seminar onbasic accounting for 9 coops fromOctober 29 to 30, 2015 at CS Hotelin Ipil town in Zamboanga Sibugay.

Entitled “Basic Accountingfor Non-Accountants,” the seminarwas held as a compliance under theDAR-CDA Capacity DevelopmentProgram.

The participating coops includethe Kinaugalingong Paningkamot saMaayong Panglawas Multi-PurposeCooperative (KPMPMPC),Nazareth Women’s Association,Nanan Integrated DevelopmentMulti-Purpose Cooperative(NIDMPC), Sulo Agrarian ReformBeneficiaries Multi-Purpose Coop-erative (SARBEMCO), Ipil MarketVendors Multi-Purpose Cooperative(IMAVEMCO), Makilas IntegratedMulti-Purpose Cooperative(MIDMPC), all from Zamboanga

9 coops learn basic accounting

Sibugay, the Malandi PatalonZamboanga City Agrarian ReformAssociation (MAPZACARA) andLumayang Agrarian Reform Ben-eficiaries Organization (LARBO)of Zamboanga City, and the UnitedWorkers Agrarian Reform Benefi-ciaries Multi-Purpose Cooperative(UWARBMPC) of Isabela City,Basilan.

According to Mr. RomulusPerez, DAR-Zamboanga SibugayCapDev Point Person, the seminaris the 8th of the fourteen mandatorytrainings covered under the programfor which the participating coops arerequired to attend. Perez said that thenine cops were chosen to capacitatethem since they are the recipientsof the on-going programs andprojects of DAR.

Ateneo de Zamboanga Univer-sity Professor Dr. Josephine Dajuelaserved as the lecturer of the two-dayseminar. (JLC, DAR-ZS Info Section)

Mayors Belman Mantos of SanPablo, Basilio Vidad of Dinas, GregDayondon of Tabina, Atty.Dorotheo Boen Cabahug of Aurora,Haniel Baya of Dimataling andMarlon Valenzuela of Dimatalingwho spearheaded the activities intheir respective municipalities.

Some members of the nine cooperatives, attending Basic Accounting Seminar

Farmer beneficiary Eustaquio Gunong shows off his Certificate of Land OwnershipAward (CLOA) handed by Municipal Agrarian Reform Program Officer Amando G.Alama.

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THE DEPARTMENT of AgrarianReform (DAR) recently con-ducted a farmer para-legalformation towards effective part-nership in agrarian reformprogram implementation inZamboangadel Norte. This wasparticipatedin by 28 participantscoming from various municipali-ties in the province.

Provincial Agrarian ReformProgram Office II Moh.Dassan J.Adju said that the farmer para-le-gal training program is aneffective tool in assisting the DARmunicipal offices in fast trackingthe acquisition and distribution oftarget landholdings under theComprehensive Agrarian ReformProgram (CARP).

DAR connects with farmer leaders through para-legal trainingThe objective of the training

is to assist organized farmers andfarm workers in resolving the te-nurial issues and other agrarianrelated concerns through a con-tinuing formation programconsisting of trainings and up-grading of farmer para-legals.

It also aims to strengthen thepartnership engagement betweenand among community agrarianreform stakeholders, farmer para-legals and local implementers.

The participants expressedgratitude to DAR for the oppor-tunity to understand the issuesaffecting program implementa-tion in the community and beinvolved in the fast tracking ofland acquisition and distribution.

To assist the municipal officers in CARP implementation, a Para-Legal Training wasconducted to some farmers.With the participants is Regional Director Engr. Felix B.Aguhob (center).

DAR turns over P7.8-M farm-to-market roadTHE DEPARTMENT of AgrarianReform (DAR) turned-over theP7.8-million 1.7 kilometer stretchof concrete farm-to-market road(FMR) in Barangay Damit inBayog town in Zamboanga delSur.

This FMR is funded by theJapan Bank of International Coop-eration (JBIC) under the DARAgrarian Reform InfrastructureSupport Project Phase III (ARISPIII).

Mayor Leonardo Babasa, Jr.said he is grateful for the FMR asthis eases the transport of the farm-ers’ produce from their farms to themarket. Babasa also acknowledgedthe valued role of the DAR officialsalong with the presence of SanPablo Mayor Belman Mantos.

Meanwhile, DAR IX Re-gional Director Felix B. Aguhobsaid that the government thru DARis mandated to deliver support ser-vices like FMRs, among others, toease the ferrying of the goods of theAgrarian Reform Beneficiaries andother farmers from their lands to the

market. “This also lessens the traveltime for such transports and supportsthe well – being and health of thefarmers” he said.

Moreover, Provincial AR Pro-gram Officer Arturo N. Soria ishappy of the unity and support of thebarangay populace. “I value yourcooperation and industry for the

completed FMR on to the progres-sive development of your placewhich I hope will be sustained tillthe next generations”, PARPO Soriastressed.

Also present and recognized fortheir contribution to the success ofthe FMR completion and turn – overwere Asst. Regional Director IX

Engr. Agnes Y. Maata, DAR ZDSProgram Beneficiaries Develop-ment Division Chief Engr.Josephine G. Sisican, ARISP IIIProvincial Coordinators Engr.Nestor Ermac, May Christine V.Bomes, Ruby Flor G. Consolacionwith Jinky O. Asadil and KorinaSoriano assisting.

Regional Director Engr. Felix B. Aguhob (4th from right) during the turn-over of the P7.8 million farm-to-market road in Damit,Bayog, Zamboanga del Sur. Also in photo were Assistant Regional Director Engr. Agnes Y. Maata (5th from right ) and PARPO IIArthuro Soria (6th from right)

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EDITORIAL STAFFEditors-in-ChiefGLORIA M. SARACHO

MA. SOCORRO C. REAMBONANZAAssistant Editor

SUZETTE T. LOTAContributing Editors

SHANIE P. JACINTOLAILANIE VIC S. VALDEZ

ARNETTE COMIQUEJOHN LLOYD CABABAT

Editorial ConsultantsENGR. FELIX B. AGUHOB

Regional DirectorATTY. RAMON E. MADROÑAL, JR.ARD for ADMIN. & Legal Services

ENGR. AGNES Y. MAATAARD for LTS/TASS

For inquiries, please write or call theDAR Regional Office IX,

Veterans Avenue Extension,Zamboanga City

Telephone No. (062) 955-2155Email add: dar_reg9@yahoo.com.ph

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Farmer organizations sign for P26-M cacao contract deal

THE DEPARTMENT of AgrarianReform (DAR) in partnership withKennemer Foods International(KFI) and the Land Bank of thePhilippines (LBP) embarked on aP26 million contract growing dealto boost the cacao production inthe municipalities of Siocon andBaliguian in Zamboanga delNorte.

“Through the contract grow-ing scheme that intends to providealternative and sustainable sourceof increased income and farm pro-ductivity through cacaoproduction, I am positive that ca-cao would come as a bloomingindustry in Region IX,” DAR Re-gional Director Felix B. Aguhobsaid.

Provincial Agrarian ReformProgram Officer II (PARPO)Mohammad Dassan J. Adju men-tioned that the ARBO recipientsinclude A.L. Micubo Agrarian Re-form Beneficiaries Association(ALMARBAS) and S. CabralAgrarian Reform Beneficiaries As-sociation (SCARBAS) in Sioconand Kauswagan Agrarian ReformBeneficiaries Multi-Purpose Coop-erative (KARBEMCO) inBaliguian.

DAR-KFI-LBP tripartite part-nership through AgrarianProduction Credit Program (APCP)has allocated more than P16M forcacao plantation and production inSiocon. It has set a target to plantcacao in 229 hectares of land in the

agrarian reform communities(ARC), while the municipality ofBaliguian has 138.5-hectare withmore than P 9 Million fund alloca-tion also for cacao production.

LBP will finance the cacaoproduction while DAR will assistthe cooperatives in the submissionof loan requirements to LBP.

KFI is a producer and marketerof food and agricultural products.It specializes in growing and trad-ing of high-quality agriculturalcrops, especially fermented cacaobeans. The company has been of-fering a long-term growing programfor farmers who are interested inplanting cacao.

Under the KFI contract-grow-ing program, farmers are provided

with planting materials, inputs,trainings, on-going supervisionand consultation and a guaranteedbuy-back of the harvest at a pricelinked to the world price.

PARPO I Rizzel B.Villanueva quipped that DAR willcontinue to provide proper inter-vention and support to the cacaofarmers.

DAR-KFI-LBP extending financial through loans to cacao farmers in Siocon town in Zamboanga del Norte. This was headed byDAR IX Regional Director Engr. Felix B. Aguhob (5th to right), PARPO II Mohammad J. Adju (4th to right), PARPO I Rizzel B.Villanueva (3rd to right), LBP Account Officer Perry Valtazar( center ), with the ARBO officers and LGU officials.