JICA pours P6.8 B for agri projects

MANILA, Philippines - The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) is donating P6.8 billion for various agrarian reform pro­jects in 136 agrarian reform communities (ARC) nationwide.

The Foreign Assisted Pro­ject and Support Office (FAPSO) of the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) said P50 million is allotted for each ARC.

Yukihiro Kawahara, FAPSO team leader, said the projects for each ARC consist of farm-to-market roads, post-harvest facilities, irrigation system and potable water facilities under Phase 3 of the Agrarian Reform Infrastructure and Support Project (ARISP).

Kawahara said at least three ARCs – Lacong in San Gabriel, La Union; Pao Sur in San Fernando City, La Union; and Upper Tumapac in Burgos town, also in La Union; are covered by ARISP 3 which is set for completion in 2014.

A recently completed pro­ject was the Lacong farm-to-market road worth P30 million.

Kawahara said that ARISP 3 also seeks to combat poverty incidence by increasing the family household income by 30 percent. “From the average annual income of P60,000, we aim for each family to earn at least P78,000.”

Criteria were set for a particular ARC to be covered under ARISP. These include completion of land tenure component or at least it is already 75-percent complete; it should have not yet received foreign assistance for any project, and those that are classified as fourth and fifth class municipalities.