At least 48 agrarian reform beneficiaries in Tinambac town, Camarines Sur province expect a boost in their farming operations after the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) provided them with PHP238,000 worth of farm machinery and equipment (FME) this month.

In an interview on Thursday, Paula Lorenz Rodriguez, DAR Camarines Sur development facilitator, said the assistance was given through the Sustainable Livelihood Support for Disaster-Affected Areas (SLSDAA) project that aims to enhance long-term agricultural productivity.

“The agriculture support consisted of a motorized hauler, a hauling cart, and a rototiller that will benefit the ARBs who are members of the Sagrada Farmers and Farmworkers Association (SAFFA),” she said.

Rodriguez said agrarian reform beneficiaries in other areas of Camarines Sur will also receive farm machinery and equipment.

In a statement, officer-in-charge (OIC)-Provincial Agrarian Reform Program Officer engineer Rodel Martirez said the distribution of the FME is in line with the directive of DAR Secretary Conrado M. Estrella III to provide modern equipment to the ARBs.

He said the farm equipment will greatly aid the farmers in their coconut production especially when transporting their products to the market and delivering them from the farmers’ houses to the consolidation area which is approximately three kilometers away.

“They could only deliver three to four sacks of copra before using pamaba or carabao sleds, but with the hauling cart and motorized hauler, they can now deliver up to 12 sacks of copra,” Martirez added.

Jimmy Galvan, president of SAFFA, expressed gratitude to DAR and other government agencies for their continuous assistance.

He also affirmed SAFFA’s commitment to maximizing the use of the newly acquired equipment to improve agricultural productivity. (PNA)