DAR Chief lays down 9 primary goals for the next 6 years.
Agrarian Reform Secretary Conrado Estrella III had set nine land reform goals), which were selected and presented to the most recent cabinet meeting of President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr.
“These primacies that we have crafted are aligned with the President’s national goal of improving the lives of the farmers,” Estrella said.
“I have also included the services of other government agencies to help us in elevating the welfare of farmers. This convergence of support will surely benefit not only the agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs) but all farmers in the country,” Estrella added.
His goals:
1. Intervention on land tenure problems: The DAR will coordinate and provide technical assistance in creating a law excluding amortization costs and interest payments in order to release farmers from debt.
Aggressive and full-scale parcellation program and eventual issuance of individual titles to ARBs under the Support to Parcelization of Lands for Individual Titling (SPLIT), DAR reported.
The President's executive order (EO) on the moratorium of payments for amortization fees and interests on ARBs is what the DAR is relying on. The EO will lessen the financial strain, and the farmers may utilize the money for other agricultural ventures.
2. Agrarian justice delivery: the DAR will appoint more lawyers to assess ongoing cases, carry out quick actions and improve its legal monitoring system.
3. Interventions for support services: The DAR will increase the amount of fertilizer and other agricultural supplies it delivers. Additionally, credit aid, capacity development, and marketing support will be provided.
4. Intervention for medical expenses: The DAR will request subsidies from the Department of Health (DOH) and include coverage for ARBs as participants of its Medical Assistance for Indigent Patients program (MAIP).
5. Intervention for educational expenses: The DAR will contact the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) to request that the Unified Student Financial Assistance System for Tertiary Education (UniFAST) cover the children of ARBs.
6. Intervention for technical skills: Funding for farm schools will be provided by the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) in order to teach farmers in a scientific method to farming.
7. Intervention for farm-to-market roads: To provide roads for agrarian reform communities) (ARCs), the DAR will collaborate with the Departments of Agriculture (DA) and Public Works and Highways (DPWH.
8. Intervention for diversified income sources: For ARBs to increase their revenue, DAR will encourage them to raise livestock in coordination with the National Dairy Authority (NDA), Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI), Philippine Carabao Center (PCC), Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), and TESDA will provide skill training in addition to the DA providing livestock to ARBs.
9. Intervention for irrigation: DAR will partner with the National Irrigation Administration to provide irrigation to ARBs and ARCs since the absence and lack of irrigation is a major reason for farmers’ low productivity.
Estrella said the formulation of strategic plans for the implementation of agricultural reform over the course of the following six years will be guided by his priority goals.
“In six years, I will push the DAR to achieve self-sufficiency for ARBs, progressive agrarian cooperatives, and sustainable and resilient ARCs,” Estrella said.
Of 743,800 ARBs, 80 percent are with improved productivity and income; 85 percent, or 7,800 agrarian cooperatives, with established and stable viable business operations managed by the ARBs; and 80 percent, or 1,300 ARCs, with improved business ecosystems and connectivity, he said, are the goals the department aims to achieve.
“I am confident that with these nine priority goals the workforce of the department will do its best to implement programs and projects that will hasten land distribution, delivery of support services, and improve the economic lives of farmers,” Estrella said.
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