P17B insurance protection for ARBs provided by DAR and PCIC

Quezon City, Philippines, September 17, 2022 - The insurance protection plan is contained in the joint program called the “Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries-Agricultural Insurance Program (ARB-AIP).” The ARB-AIP will benefit over 224,000 ARBs or members of their households who are actually cultivating around 330,000 hectares of land and engaged in raising some 30,700 farm animals, who are eligible for insurance premium subsidy.

From these ARBs, there are estimated 99,580 rice farmers tilling 178,801 hectares;  37,772 corn farmers cultivating around 72,506 hectares; and about 85,760 commercial crop farmers cultivating around 78,633 hectares. Nine hundred twenty four (924) farmers raise 30,742 animals.

Each eligible ARB shall have access to protection cover up to three hectares (maximum award per CARP beneficiary) and up to three types of insurance coverage only which is good for two cropping seasons.

The Department of Agriculture (DA), through the Philippine Crop Insurance Corporation (PCIC), has partnered with the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) to provide some P17.1 billion worth of crop insurance protection to agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs) over the next two cropping seasons.

The insurance protection plan is the first such collaboration between two of the country’s main rural development agencies and the biggest group plan ever issued by the DA-PCIC. It aims to provide the ARBs a safety net against fortuitous events caused by climate change, also crop pests and diseases.  

Additionally, beneficiaries will be provided protection against loss of limbs or life under its Accident and Dismemberment Security Scheme. To qualify, the program beneficiaries must be participants of key DAR programs, such as the Agrarian Reform Connectivity andEconomic Support Service (ARCCESS), Agrarian Production Credit Program (APCP), Credit Assistance Program for Program Beneficiaries Development (CAP-PBD) and Microfinance Capacity Development in Agrarian Reform Areas. DAR will identify the eligible beneficiaries.

DAR will put up the premium subsidy worth P1B from the DAR-GPS for Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries. Of the amount, P533.78M will be allocated for rice farmers, P385.82, corn farmers, P79.09M for high value crop farmers, P1.31M for livestock. The premium cost for the individual farmer’s life and limb coverage amounting to P5.43M would come from interest income of the DAR-Government Premium Subsidy (DAR-GPS) Fund.

For its part, DA-PCIC will provide the insurance cover worth some P17.07B from which some P4.94B will be reserved for rice, P2B for corn, P2.35B for commercial crops, P13M for livestock, and some P7.77B for the individual farmer’s life and limb.

In cases where the insured risks happens, the DA-PCIC will pay out damage claims from these beneficiaries within 20 days, less than the 60-day reglementary period. This is made possible by the ISO-certified systems and processes established by the DA-PCIC.

Depending on the extent of damage and the cost of farm investment, the farmers may receive payments for damages worth P39,000 to P52,000 per hectare for inbred and hybrid rice, respectively;  P28,000 and P40,000 for every hectare of open-pollinated and hybrid corn, respectively;  and  up to P50,000 for life and limb. These are various indemnity figures for commercial crops and animals as there are many types of crops and animals involved.

Link: DAR-PCIC orientation (on Facebook page)

Cagayan PARCCOM-PCIT to accelerate CARP implementation and monitor flagship projects

      The Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) Provincial Office of Cagayan-Batanes kick started the year with a joint Provincial Agrarian Reform Coordinating Committee (PARCCOM) and Provincial CARP Implementing Team (PCIT) meeting on January 26, 2018 in Tuguegarao City, Cagayan wherein the representatives of the member-agencies presented their agency thrusts in so far as CARP implementation is concerned.

     The National Irrigation Adminstration (NIA) reported on current irrigation projects in Cagayan and on the P2.696-billion Chico River Pump Irrigation Project, an electric motor pump driven irrigation which will service 8,700 hectares of agricultural land benefitting 4,350 farmers in 21 barangays in Cagayan, Kalinga and Apayao. The project is expected to provide an incremental net income of up to P42,273 per hectare a year from the farmers’ previous P28, 952 per hectare annual income without the irrigation. It will be able to provide around 7,580 jobs during the implementation period and around 8,700 people will have permanent jobs when completed and becomes operation in three years. 
      The Department of Science and Technology (DOST) introduced new technologies on fertilizer production made from carrageenan, a substance extracted from red and purple seaweeds abundant along the coastal town in Cagayan province, consisting of a mixture of polysaccharides. It is traditionally used as a thickening or emulsifying agent in food products. Carrageenan as a growth enhancer offers an array of benefits that result in improved productivity. When used properly, it makes the rice stem stronger improving rice resistance to logging. It becomes resistant to rice ‘tungro’ virus and bacterial leaf blight resulting to increased harvest by farmers. 
      The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) also presented the various ongoing activities for promotion and marketing of agrarian reform beneficiaries’ products the Shared Service Faciities (SSF) being distributed to qualified farmers' organizations. 
       The Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR), Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and the Register of Deeds (ROD) also reported on their activities for the acquisition and distribution of lands covered by CARP, among many others. One highlight of the meeting is the joint efforts of the member-agencies which resulted to the resolution of specific legal and factual issues facilitating the acquisition of the hundreds of hectares of farmlands located in the Solana-Piat boundary. Other equally important issues and concerns on CARP implementation were likewise resolved during the meeting.      Representatives from KilusangPagbabago,  namely, Mr. Nathaniel Gumangan, Public Relations Officer, KP-Cagayan Valley and Mr. Napoleon Baltazar, Program Director, KP-Cagayan Valley also briefly discussed Malacanang Executive Order No. 9, Series of 2016 regarding the mandate to promote Participatory Governance as a way of empowering the agrarian reform beneficiaries and other farmers among others. In addition, the role of the Kilusang Pagbabago in monitoring government programs and projects was also emphasized. 

    The Joint PARCCOM-PCIT is pursuant to the provisions of Executive Order No. 406 that mandates certain departments and agencies to review, evaluate and align their programs and projects in order to integrate them into the major thrusts of the CARP.  EO No. 406 also directs the DAR to accelerate the agrarian reform beneficiaries' development through the provision of economic and social infrastructure support.

      The PCIT is composed of the Department of Agriculture, Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Department of Public Works and Highways, Department of Transportation andCommunication, Department of National Defense, Department of Justice, Department of Budget and Management, Department of Trade and Industry, LandBank of the Philippines and Land Registration Authority.

      Section 44 and Section 45 of RA 6657 mandated the creation of a Provincial Agrarian Reform Coordinating Committee (PARCCOM) in each province, composed of a Chairman, who shall be appointed by the President upon the recommendation of the EXCOM, the Provincial Agrarian Reform Officer as Executive Officer, and one representative each from the Departments of Agriculture, and of Environment and Natural Resources and from the LBP, one representative each from existing farmers’ organizations, agricultural cooperatives and non-governmental organizations in the province; two representatives from landowners, at least one of whom shall be a producer representing the principal crop of the province, and two representatives from farmer and farmworker-beneficiaries, at least one of whom shall be a farmer or farmworker representing the principal crop of the province, as members: provided, that in areas where there are cultural communities, the latter shall likewise have one representative.

      The PARCCOM shall coordinate and monitor the implementation of the CARP in the province. It shall provide information on the provisions of the CARP, guidelines issued by the PARC and on the progress of the CARP in the province.

      The PARCCOM is the provincial counterpart of the Presidential Agrarian Reform Council (PARC) Executive Committee (ExCom) and the partners of the PARC Secretariat. The PARC is the highest policy-making body in implementing agrarian reform laws. The PARCOMM are tasked with the coordination and monitoring of the programs and activities implemented by the agrarian reform program implementing agencies at the field level.

DARPO Cagayan-Batanes PARO II Engr. Arthur Faeldon addressing the members of the PARCCOM-PCIT.

DENR-PENRO reporting on their agency's thrusts and programs under CARP.

Open forum on the member-agencies 2018 thrusts and programs

The Register of Deeds addressing issues pertaining to registration of land titles and deeds.

Representatives from the Kilusang Pagbabago-Cagayan Valley discussed matters on Participatory Governance.

Activities in the Cooperative Sector were presented with more requests for support services facilities being considered. 

New technology on the production of Carrageenan based soil enhancer by DENR

Presentation on the concerns of private sector representatives

DAR builds Solar Pump Irrigation System in ARCs in Cagayan province

The Department of Agrarian Reform Provincial Office of Cagayan-Batanes (DARPO Cagayan-Batanes) has provided funds thru its DAR Central Office, for the construction of the initial three (3) solar pump irrigation system in Cagayan province with technology provided by the Department of Agriculture-Bureau of Soil and Water Management (DA-BSWM). The project costs approximately P877,500.00 per site.

The Solar Pump Irrigation System project will provide solar panels and control accessories that will generate solar energy. Submersible water pumps will draw water from an underground source into concrete water tanks as storage,  and the water from the storage tank shall flow into the vegetable farms through pipes. 

The three pilot sites for the solar pump irrigation systems are located in Agrarian Reform Communities (ARCs), specfically: (1) San Esteban Farmers Cooperative in the Eastern Alcala Agrarian Reform Community (Eastern Alcala ARC) in the municipality of Alcala; (2) Lasvinag Multi-Purpose Cooperative in the Lasvinag Agrarian Reform Community (Lasvinag ARC) in the municipality of Gattaran; and (3) Nabbotuan Multi-Purpose Cooperative in the Furaban Agrarian Reform Community (Furaban ARC) in the municipality of Solana. 

On December 18, 2017, an Operation and Maintenance Seminar was conducted to prepare the Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries Organizations (ARBO) members to be able to properly operate and maintain the facilities with a site visit to familiarize the participants with the system.

The Solar Pump Irrigation System resolves the vegetable farmers’ water supply challenges specially with today’s devastating effects of climate change. When operational, they can utilize the systems to provide water to irrigate their vegetable farms, household water supply, livestock raising, etc. The construction of solar pump irrigation systems in the pilot sites are expected to be completed by the end of January 2018 and will be turned over to the ARBO immediately after completion.  

Solar panels provide energy to run the water pumps in vegetable farms with no access to electricity. 

A training on the operation and maintenance was conducted for the recipient-operators of the project. 

Members of the three ARBO-recipients of the project in Cagayan undergo training on operation and maintenance. 

Unlimited water for vegetable farmers through the solar pump (submersible) irrigation system. 

 

ARBOs in Cagayan province granted P8.6M APCP loan

There are at least five agrarian reform beneficiaries’ organizations (ARBOs) in Cagayan province who have applied for loan services from the DA-DAR-LBP Agrarian Production Credit Program (APCP) to finance crop production that will expand agri-enterprise and livelihood projects of their members.

Three of these ARBOs’ applications have been approved as of June 2014, namely: (1) Bical-Baliuag ARB MPC in CABICA Agrarian Reform Community (ARC), Penablanca, Cagayan with a total loan release of P3,300,000.00 for agricultural production loan on corn production benefiting 54 member-ARBs; (2) Caagaman ARC Multi-Purpose Cooperative in Caagaman ARC, Aparri, Cagayan with a loan release of P1,300,000.00 for agricultural production loan on rice production benefiting 60 member-ARBs; and (3) Aparri Valley of Jothbath MPC in Seabreeze ARC, Aparri, Cagayan with a loan release of P4,000,000.00 for agricultural production loan on rice production benefiting 130 member-ARBs.

The other ARBOs who have similarly applied for loan under the APCP but are still awaiting the approval thereof are: Bugnay MPC in the Sabung ARC, Tuao, Cagayan with a loan application of P3,000,000.00 for agricultural production loan on rice production to benefit 54 member-ARBs and Cabayabasan Farmers Cooperative in Nueva Segovia ARC, Lallo, Cagayan with a loan application of P1,500,000.00 to benefit 58 member-ARBs.

According to data earlier disclosed by Mr. Virgilio M. Acasili, Provincial Agrarian Program Reform Officer II (PARPO II) of Cagayan-Batanes provinces, only 57% of farmers have access to credit from financing institutions; that one in three ARBs in ARCs is in need of credit; that new ARB organizations may still not qualify under CAP-PBD and LBP regular lending program; that some ARB organizations still require organizational strengthening to make them credit worthy; and that for these reasons the DA, DAR and LBP have to pool resources and expertise to help ARBs access affordable credit, development assistance and marketing support. 

Sometime in 2012, PresidentBenigno S. Aquino, in line with his commitment to ensure ample support for Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries (ARB instructed the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) to release P1.0 billion to the Department of Agriculture (DA) for the nationwide implementation of the Agrarian Production Credit Program (APCP).

The release was made chargeable against the 2012 General Appropriations Act and is in accordance with a five-year Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) signed by the DA, the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR), and Land Bank of the Philippines. It will provide much-needed credit assistance to farmer-beneficiaries under the agrarian reform program.

Under the MOA, the DA will place the P1-billion fund with Land Bank, P300 million of which will be allocated exclusively for Negros Occidental. The total fund will be used to support the credit requirements of ARBs or ARB household members for their individual or communal crop production projects including  agri-enterprise and livelihood activities.

Through the program, the DA will provide basic support and services, such as marketing assistance and technology packages to qualified ARB organizations (ARBOs). Meanwhile, DAR will be at the helm of identifying eligible ARBs or ARB household members to Landbank. The agency will also provide parallel institutional development assistance to participating ARBOs to help them graduate them to regular lending programs.

DAR will also provide capability-building assistance to beneficiaries, as well as professional management services and facilities support, including those for farm equipment, postharvest facilities, and storage, among others.

This capacity-building program is tailored for new and existing ARBs who are yet to avail loans. Adopting a more lenient set of policies and procedures in extending credit, APCP is the vehicle through which financial and technical services shall be delivered to ARBs consisting mainly of credit provisioning and capacity building to ARB organizations.

               Under this program, ARBs in organizations within the top 21 high LAD provinces shall be able to develop their knowledge and competencies in engaging and managing agri-enterprises, as well as upgrade their skills on financial management thereby enhancing their credit worthiness or bankability. /cds

Three Cagayan Valley towns into Sugarcane Block Farming

Planning workshop of DAR and ARB
coops for block sugar faming

The Sugarcane Block Farming project is currently being implemented by the Department of Agrarian Reform provincial office of Cagayan wherein small farms owned by agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs) in sugar-producing areas are being consolidated to increase the ARBs’ profitability through ‘block’ farming. Provincial Agrarian Reform Program Officer II (PARPO II) Virgilio M. Acasili said the implementation of the project is pursuant to the Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) signed between and among the Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA), Department of Agriculture (DA) and the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR). Under the MOA, the DAR will shoulder the cost of farm tractors and business development services. The DA will cover the development of irrigation facilities and the improvement of farm-to-mill roads while the SRA will shoulder the cost of agri-technology and overall management of the block farms.

At least two (2) municipalities in Cagayan province are preparing to engage in sugarcane block farming to increase profitability and  also a way of preparing our ARB-sugar farmers against the effects of competition resulting from the implementation of the free trade agreement within the ASEAN region by 2015,  when the tariffs on agricultural goods can be as low as five percent to even zero.

The demand for sugar is continuously rising due to the increasing requirements for production of bioethanol (from sugar) and in power cogeneration which uses sugarcane waste called bagasse. Presently, energy companies are allowed to import bioethanol to supply their needs as local production cannot meet the current demand. Bioethanol made from sugarcane consumes the least amount of energy and emits the least amount of greenhouse gas, which means it is one of the most earth-friendly power sources.

The local sugar industry’s biggest competition is the entry of cheaper sugar from Thailand and is considered as a real threat that can affect local production and pull down domestic prices to the prejudice of local farmers. Sugar from the Philippines is still being exported with the United States as its major market. According to the SRA, sugar exports will soon include India, Korea, Indonesia and the Middle East.

Sugarcane block farming will happen in the municipalities of Solana and Tuao, all in the south-western part of Cagayan province where large tracks of lands are planted to sugarcane that provide the raw materials for the Cagayan RobinaSugar Milling Company (CARSUMCO) in Sto. Domingo, Piat, Cagayan. Also included in the project is Cabagan town in Isabela province. 

Under the block farming system, small farms of agrarian reform beneficiaries with areas of less than 10 hectares will be consolidated and integrated into 30-50 hectares through various schemes such as contracting, joint venture, partnership and sharing.

The block farms will be managed as one farm so that activities in the small individual farms are synchronized to the plans of the whole block, Hence, resources including farm workers, equipment and financing, could be utilized more efficiently. Although the farms are operated as a block, the ARB remains as the absolute owner of their farm, they will not lose ownership of their land titles. The block farms will be managed by their farmers’ organizations or cooperatives who will be assisted by a farm manager hired and supervised by the SRA.

Block farming is the consolidation of small farms to help increase productivity and to widen the scale of sugar production. ARBs are encouraged to organize themselves into cooperatives to make their farm operations more cost-efficient which will result to lesser cost of production resulting to more profitable per unit area. It is a support services program intended for the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP) beneficiaries.

The government is targeting to have at least 100 sugarcane block farm sites by 2015. The average sugar cane yield per hectare is currently at 60 tons but this can be increased to 70-80 tons per hectare through farm mechanization and improved production process.

Under the block farming system, DAR provides all that the farmers will need such as farm inputs, new farm techniques and common service facilities that consists of a mechanized tractors and a hauling trucks, etc.  These inputs and farm equipment will  be provided as grants to the farmers’ cooperatives being the conduit between DAR, etc and the farmer-beneficiaries who are parties to the project.

           According to studies conducted by SRA, the program can help increase their sugar cane production from 99 to 147 bags of sugar per hectare, which could be translated to a possible increase in income of about P39, 000 for the farmer-beneficiaries. /cds 

DOST, DAR, DA, et. al., sign Convergence MOU

SMX Convention Center. On the occasion of the celebration of the National Science and Technology Week (NSTW) at the SMX Convention Center in Manila, the cabinet secretaries (and  undersecretaries) from the Departmentof Science and Technology (DOST), Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR), Departmentof Agriculture (DA), Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), Department of Health (DOH), Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), Department of Tourism (DOT), Department of Social Welfare and Development and Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) met and signed today a Convergence Memorandum of Understanding on Community-Based Sustainable Livelihood and Development Enterprises in the Countryside.

The Memorandum of Understanding on Convergence would move together the agencies involved and unite their efforts and activities with DOST to provide a combination of multiple services, programs, projects, technologies, and provide access to other developmental interventions that will promote sustainable development and access to programs such as DOST’s Small Enterprise Technology Upgrading Program (SET-UP), among others. The DOST SET-UP is a more focused program of assistance for small and medium enterprises (SMEs). SET-UP is a nationwide strategy to encourage and assist SMEs to adopt technological innovations to improve their operations and thus boost their productivity and competitiveness.           This is of special interest to the DAR's agrarian reform communities (ARCs) project where agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs) are transforming themselves into being farmer-entrepreneurs and agrarian reform beneficiaries organizations (ARBOs) are now engaging into economies of scale through modernization under the DAR-ARCCESS program and the block sugar farming, among others. 

            This year’s NSTW theme is “Science, Technology and Innovation: The Road to a Smarter Philippines,” emphasizes the role of science and technology in improving the peoples’ future through DOST’s projects and services that will further socio-economic development through DOST’s technologies such as the Advance Materials Testing Laboratory (ADMATEL) which is the testing facility for the nation’s semiconductor industry; Automated GuidewayTransit (AGT) system (currently in use at UP-Diliman), an alternative transportation system; PROJECT NOAH as a tool to address climate change; DOST’s Certified Seed Production Program for the agricultural sector;  and other Internet Communication Technology (ICT) driven tools to make the business process outsourcing (BPO) industry more competitive.

The NSTW runs from July 23-27, 2013 (Tuesday until Saturday) at the SMX Convention Center, SM Mall of Asia, Pasay City and will showcase the latest innovations, interventions and inventions of Filipino scientists, engineers and various works by the entire scientific community. /christiandsales