2 gov’t institutions ink deal for farmers

THE Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) in Negros Oriental and Negros Oriental State University (Norsu) signed an agreement on Agrarian Reform Community Connectivity and Economic Support Services (Arccess) last April 2 at 1:30 p.m. at the Norsu main campus in Dumaguete City.

Provincial Agrarian Reform officer Stephen Leonidas said the project is designed to transform agrarian reform beneficiaries to entrepreneurs by providing them support services that will increase their net income and farming capabilities.

Agrarian Secretary Virgilio de los Reyes said that through Arccess, DAR will teach agricultural technology and business development to farmer organizations and provide farm equipment and machinery to improve and increase their yield.

Arccess is a partnership of the Commission on Higher Education, Department of Science and Technology and Technical Education and Skills Development Authority.

This inter-sectoral partnering initiative has two major components. The first is to organize and develop agrarian reform beneficiaries’ (ARBs) organizations into viable and sustainable agri-enterprises. The second is the provision by the DAR to the organized agri-enterprises of shared common facilities (SCF) such as farm implements and other production and processing equipment and machineries.

Under the memorandum of agreement, Norsu will provide agricultural and agribusiness instruction, research and extension activities to the farmer beneficiaries.