MANILA, Philippines - The Department of Agrarian Reform on Tuesday announced that it handed to 989 farmer-beneficiaries land titles in Payao, Zamboanga Sibugay.
The DAR said regional director Julita Ragandang led the distribution of certificate of land ownership awards to beneficiaries with the help of Agrarian Reform Community Project, a foreign-assisted project funded by the Asian Development Bank.
Ragandang said the properties distributed, covering 1,489 hectares of agricultural lands are located in the barangays of Binangonan, Calape, La Fortuna, Lumapanac, Nanan, Kulasian and Kima.
Ragandang said that aside from the parcels of land, DAR will also provide infrastructure projects to make the land roductive.
"At present, farm-to-market roads and communal irrigation system are under construction and some roads are under rehabilitation," she said.
"The identified area for this project in the municipality of Payao is around 600 hectares. In the meantime, only 100 hectares will be utilized for cacao production for the initial implementation of the project,"Ragandang added.
Ragandang said that support services like provisions of farm machines such as threshers, tractors and reapers, and rice-duck farming will be given to beneficiaries in the barangays of Bulawan, Guiwan, Kulasian and La Fortuna.
"These farm implements cost P22.2 million and will benefit 808 farmer beneficiaries of Zamboanga Sibugay," she said.