AgNor coop gets multi-purpose building
By Gil
E. Miranda
BUTUAN
CITY, Mar. 15 -- The San Isidro Upland Farmers Multi-Purpose Cooperative
(SIUFMULCO) assisted through the Department of Agrarian Reform’s (DAR) of
Agusan del Norte is the latest recipient of newly constructed Multi-Purpose
Building (MPB) worth P857-thousand to help abaca farming-sector in Agusan del
Norte.
The MPB
was implemented through the DAR’s Project COnVERGE (Convergence on Value-Chain
Enhancement for Rural Growth and Empowerment), under the provision of value-chain
equipment and facilities.
SIUFMULCO
is the lead group, with 23 participating ARBOs operating within the
clustered municipalities of Tubay, Jabonga, Kitcharao, Santiago (TUJAKITSAN)
agrarian reform communities.
Provincial
Agrarian Reform Program Officer II (PARPO II) Andre B. Atega said that the MPB
will provide in various ways including marketing and agricultural services from
the coop’s abaca value chain business enterprise.
Project
ConVERGE Provincial Coordinator Annelyn R. Chan said that aside from MPB,
several projects have had already distributed a package of support services
intended for SIUFMULCO and its 23 participating ARBO members.
“Under
the project, the provision of value-chain equipment and facilities were also
distributed which includes 17-stripping machines, 3-digital weighing scale,
1-truck scale, 1-hauling truck, and 2-shed houses since the program started
from 2017,” Chan said.
She
said the coop and its members are also the recipients of abaca suckers, organic
fertilizer, nursery, stripping machines, abaca technology training,
farm-to-market road, among others, distributed to the clustered areas as part
of the project package of support services.
She noted
that the interventions benefitted 5,819 abaca-farmers comprising 2,173 Agrarian
Reform Beneficiaries (ARBs) and 3,646 Small-Holder Farmers (SHF).
SIUFMULCO
General Manager Leonila Mila was delighted since taking advantage of the
project interventions. She said the abaca business enterprise of SIUFMULCO has
become profitable that resulted in the increase in the abaca farmers' income by
47% and a 35% increase in gross value of production. (DAR Agusan del Norte/PIA
Agusan del Norte)
DAR AgNor inks
partnership with LGU of Cabadbaran City
By Gil
E. Miranda
BUTUAN
CITY, Mar. 15 -- A Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) signing between the Department
of Agrarian Reform (DAR) of Agusan del Norte and the Local Government Unit
(LGU) of Cabadbaran City for the launching of Farm Business School (FBS) and
signing of Memorandum of Understanding for Enhanced Partnership Against Hunger
and Poverty (EPAHP) were conducted in Brgy. Avancena, Cabadbaran City recently.
PARPO
II Atega appreciated the pro-active support from the LGU of Cabadbaran City led
by City Mayor Judy C. Amante.
Atega
noted that ABFMPC is one of the successful DAR-assisted cooperatives in the
province whose members are composed of 105 Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries
(ARBs).
Mayor
Judy Chin-Amante, in her message, recognized the DAR’s effort and in
partnership with different stakeholders helping together to implement this
intervention.
Mayor
Amante vowed to support and help the group's undertakings to raise the living
standard of the agrarian reform beneficiaries.
OIC-Chief
Ellen J. Torralba, of PBDD said that the project is in partnership with the LGU
of Cabadbaran City, Agricultural Trainings Institute (ATI), Department of Trade
and Industry (DTI), and the Avancena Beneficiaries Farmers Multi-Purpose
Cooperative.
She is
hopeful that this project will be a successful one, making the ABFMPC a
producer of fruits and vegetables in the city in addition to their rice
trading.
Meantime,
MARPO-Cabadbaran Joseph Torralba revealed that 70 percent of ABFMPC members
were engaged in palay farming and 30 percent in upland farming.
He said
that the FBS is a 25-session on-site training focused on capability building
for good agricultural practices while the EPAHP assists in collective production
and access greater value in the market chain aspect.
Sergio
Baguhin, chairman of ABFMPC, has lauded the DAR-Agusan del Norte for the
project that will significantly improve their production and income.
The ABFMPC is engaged in a milled rice business enterprise with marketing tie-ups with the city government of Cabadbaran for its social amelioration program. (DAR Agusan del Norte/PIA Agusan del Norte)
