DAR vows to distribute remaining CARP lands

MANILA, Philippines - The Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) has vowed to distribute the remaining 100,000 hectares of land in Eastern Visayas to farmer-beneficiaries before the end of the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program with extension reform (CARPer) in 2014.

DAR regional director Eliasem Castillo said there are 91,093 hectares up for distribution to identified farmer-beneficiaries in the region.              

Out of the 490,240 hectares covered by agrarian reform in the region, the DAR-Eastern Visayas has already distributed 399,155 hectares of agricultural lands to the agrarian reform beneficiaries, Castillo said.

Among the undistributed lands, 84,000 hectares are truly workable and only 6,689 hectares are problematic, and Castillo said they are exhausting all means to distribute them to the landless and deserving farmers.              

“Land distribution is our utmost priority until 2014 so that after that period we can concentrate on extending support services to our farmers,” Castillo said.               

He said CARPer does not just end in land distribution because agrarian reform is a continuing government program to eradicate poverty in the countryside.

Castillo said CARPer aims to improve the lives of farmers through tenure security, increased income, job security and beefing up their organizations in terms of organizational, financial and enterprise capacities.              

Meanwhile, Castillo said the DAR-Region 8’s P19-million road project in Daram, Samar is making a huge impact in the local communities, especially the West Daram agrarian reform community (ARC).

The ARC is a convergence zone of barangays for the delivery of support services such as infrastructure projects, livelihood and financing programs.              

Daram Mayor Lucia Astorga said the 3.7-kilometer farm-to-market road, connecting the barangays of Mayabay and San Roque, provides farmers with easier access to bigger markets to sell their products.

The road project is implemented under the Agrarian Reform Community Project phase II funded by the Asian Development Bank.

Eastern Visayas has 166 ARCs in 125 municipalities and 1,060 barangays.