20,000 farmers seen to benefit from P3.37-B solar power project in M’danao

Some 20,000 farmer-beneficiaries from 40 agrarian reform communities (ARCs) in Mindanao will soon have access to solar electrification following the funding provided by Spain for the implementation of the Solar Power Technology Support (SPOTS) project in Mindanao.

The SPOTS project was earlier launched by President Arroyo with P3.37-billion total project cost covering 15 provinces and is being implemented by the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR).

Following the launching of the SPOTS, RP Solar España asked Agrarian Reform Secretary Roberto M. Pagdanganan and Undersecretary for Support Services Jose Mari B. Ponce to visit Spain and familiarize themselves with the solar technology and discuss plans for future technology and market development.

The BP Solar España is the biggest solar plant in the world contracted to provide consultancy and technical services for the SPOTS project. It highly promotes the improvement of life in remote communities of developing countries through integrated, large scale sustainable development projects, enabled by solar power.

Pagdanganan bared that their trip to Spain gave them the opportunity to have a side trip to Rome and Italy to convene with the director-general, president and other key officials of the Food Agricultural Organization (FAO) and International Federation for Agricultural Development (IFAD). These are funding agencies which DAR has existing bilateral agreements.

The projects envisions to create energy refuge for remote barangays in the covered ARCs. These are also the barangays belonging to the 5th and 6th class municipalities, which do not have easy access to basic social services.

The ARCs covered by the SPOTS project are located in the provinces of Zamboanga del Norte, Zamboanga del Sur, and Zamboanga Sibugay, Misamis Oriental, Davao del Norte, Davao del Sur, Davao Oriental, Compostela Valley, South Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat, Cotabato, Agusan del Norte, Agusan del Sur, Surigao del Norte and Surigao del Sur.

ARCs are composed of farmers in clusters of barangays earlier awarded by DAR with land titles.