The Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) Antique provincial office on Monday said it targets to distribute the remaining 40 hectares of land covered by the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP) this year.

“The remaining land for distribution is in the towns of Hamtic, Sibalom, Patnongon and Bugasong,” said DAR Antique provincial head Florentino Siladan in an interview.

He added that the distribution of the remaining 40 hectares would make the province as Land Acquisition and Distribution (LAD)-free.

DAR Antique has already distributed 51,000 hectares of land since 1972 up to present with 16,000 beneficiaries, he said.

Of the total area distributed, 1,500 hectares were turned over to their beneficiaries in 1972 under the Land Reform Program.

“Bulk of the land distributed was under the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program starting 1988 up to now,” he said.

Florentino added that under CARP, 49,500 hectares of land were already distributed.

“With the remaining 40 hectares of land there would also be 40 beneficiaries,” he said.

One beneficiary will be able to receive one hectare of land to be cultivated with rice, corn, and other agricultural products for their living.

Meanwhile, DAR regional director Shiela Enciso, who was in Antique last Jan. 20 for the distribution of the support facilities to three Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries Organizations (ARBOs), said the remaining lands for distribution are those that are problematic.

“Some of these lands have problems with the notice of coverage, survey and are untitled,” she said.

Meanwhile, DAR has turned over three hauling trucks as support facilities to three Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries Organizations (ARBOs) in the province considering that Antique is almost finished with its land distribution.

“The hauling trucks are subsidies of DAR to the ARBOs so that they would something to use to transport their agricultural products,” she said.

The recipient ARBOs were the Barbaza Farmers and Irrigators Association (BFIA) in the Municipality of Barbaza under the Linking Small Holder Farmers to Market project, Sta. Ana-San Joaquin Agrarian Reform Cooperative (SASJ-ARC) in the Municipality of Pandan as Component 1 of the ARBold Move Project, and the Tigmamale Agrarian Reform Cooperative (TARC) in Municipality of Valderrama under the Agrarian Reform Community Connectivity and Economic Support Services project. (PNA)