DAR-Cagayan launches two Agrarian Reform Community (ARC) Clusters

The Departmentof Agrarian Reform (DAR) in Region 02, specifically, the DAR provincial office of Cagayan-Batanes formally launched two Agrarian Reform Community (ARC) clusters, that is, (1) Cagayan South ARC Cluster and the (2) Cagayan Grains Central ARC Cluster, on December 20, 2016 in a ceremony held at the Auditorium of the Lighthouse Cooperative in Tuguegarao City attended by no less than DAR Secretary Rafael “Ka Paeng Mariano and other officials of the national government agencies, LGUs, and around four hundred (400) members and leaders of civil society organizations operating in the province of Cagayan.

An ARC is a barangay or cluster of contiguous barangays within a municipality where majority of the CARP-covered lands have been awarded to a critical mass of Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries (ARBs). The ARC development approach was adopted in 1993 as the primary strategy of the DAR in rationalizing the use of government resources in delivering services to the ARBs. The Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries Organizations (ARBOs) play a vital role as conduits of various interventions to transform it into a hub upon which development processes revolve.

Launching of two ARC Clusters by DAR Sec. Rafael "Ka Paeng Mariano 

ARC Cluster development builds on the strength of the ARCs with high level of development which may serve as integrator for ARCs with lower development levels and in complementation with other ARCs and non-ARC barangays within and/or outside the municipalities for an identified common development goal. Connectivity provides for the establishment of correlation between and among the enterprises developed to strengthen and complement the ARBOs’ economic activities.

There are nine ARCs within the Cagayan South ARC Cluster composed of: NASUERTECA ARC in Amulung, Malaueg ARC in Rizal, MADOVILLA ARC in Piat, CACABLAY ARC, SALAMIN ARC, SABUNG ARC in Tuao, Western Solana ARC, FURABAN ARC in Solana and the ROBA ARC in Enrile, all in the province of Cagayan.

Lined up activities and projects for the Cagayan South ARC Cluster include: integrated crop, livestock and aquaculture production; processing and marketing with rice, corn and sugarcane as major products; establishment of rice mill/corn mill; establishment of livestock auction market; and development of inland aquaculture ponds. Support industries include: feedmill, organic fertilizer production, small scale livestock and Free-range chicken raising, processing of sugarcane by-products, vegetable and HVCC production, processing and marketing, and Tilanggit processing.

Four Enterprise Models will be implemented in the cluster for the following commodities : Model I- Integrated Rice Production and Marketing System; Model II- Village Level Livestock Raising and Marketing; Model III- Enhanced Sugarcane Production through Block Farming; and Model IV-  Aquaculture Development

The Cagayan Grains Central Cluster, on the other hand includes ten ARCs: SAMANADA ARC and Nueva Segovia ARC in Lallo; Sunrise ARC, TANASICATCU ARC and LASVINAG ARC in Gattaran; Eastern Alcala ARC and Greenfields ARC in Alcala; Evergreen ARC, NALASBANGCA ARC and Insan-As-Viba ARC in Baggao, all in Cagayan.

Slated projects and activities for the Cagayan Grains Central ARC Cluster include: integrated Grains and Livestock Production, Processing and Marketing with rice, corn and livestock as major products; establishment of three primary enterprises to process the major products; rice mill, feed mill and meat processing. Major support industries include: rice and corn production; large cattle, small ruminants and free-range chicken raising; and organic fertilizer production.

Three Enterprise Models will be implemented in the cluster proposed to provide market for its products: Model I-  Integrated Grains Production, Processing and Marketing; Model II- Feed mill; and Model III- Village Level Meat Processing.

To establish major agri-enterprises and support businesses wholly owned by the ARBOs as initial hub enterprises that shall encourage the emergence of other support and/or corollary enterprises.

The ARCs within the cluster will function as producers of palay and corn. The proposed mill shall be the primary market that will process the grains into its various marketable form.  The ARCCESS project in SAMMANADA ARC will play a major role as primary production area.  Its ARBO (NCMPC) shall assume leadership in production.  Sunrise, TANASICATCU, LASVINAG and Nueva Segovia ARCs shall be expansion areas, especially on organic rice due to proximity.  NALASBANGCA, Insan-As-Viba, Evergreen and Greenfields ARCs shall be secondary production areas.  The Cagayan Grains Central ARC Cluster shall manage the rice/feed mills.  The ARBOs will serve as buying stations of the mills.  Milled rice will be primarily marketed in the cluster with the ARBOs again serving as bigasan centers.

The Meat Processing Center shall gather its stocks from the individual as well as ARBO-based production in the cluster. The feedmill shall process by-products from the grains mill and the sugar mill incorporating discards from the aquaculture business, complemented by fish refuse from local public markets.  Feeds shall be marketed through the ARBOs, as retail centers.  Consequently, because most raw materials are locally sourced, feed prices are expected to be lower than commercial counterparts.

Organic fertilizer production shall be undertaken, either individually or collectively.  Products shall be collected by the federation, refined and repacked before distributed to the different ARBO outlets.  Refined fertilizer mixed with humus and especially packed shall be marketed as growing soil. 

"Let us protect the rights of farmers." -DAR Secretary Rafael V. Mariano 

The Development Objectives for the ARC Clusters are: To increase family farm income by 20% at the end of 2020; To increase productivity of major commodities by 30%  every 2 years; To enhance market linkages for major commodities with value-added quality and make the ARBOs competitive with its ASEAN neighbors; To strengthen the organizational and economic functionality of ARBOs thru coop Federation; To  make accessible to ARBs the economic and social infrastructures thru rehabilitation and construction by the end of 2020; To improve and enhanced  production  and processing technologies on rice, corn, sugarcane and other crops; and To establish major agri-enterprises and support businesses wholly owned by the ARBOs as initial hub enterprises that shall encourage the emergence of other support and/or corollary enterprises.