Block farming gives Aquino’s family control over Luisita–KMP

CITY OF SAN FERNANDO—The sugar block farming, which the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) is promoting among the more than 6,000 soon-to-be beneficiaries of lands in Hacienda Luisita in Tarlac, allows the family of President Aquino to “maintain control of the estate,” a sugar farm leader said.

“It is another scheme by the DAR to perpetuate the Cojuangco-Aquino family’s control over the lands,” Antonio Flores, secretary general of the Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP), said in a statement on Sunday.

According to DAR Undersecretary Jerry Pacturan, sugar block farming is “a joint-program of the DAR, DA (Department of Agriculture) and SRA (Sugar Regulatory Administration) that seeks the consolidation of support services for small sugar farms in order to obtain economies of scale.”

The scheme was discussed in an information drive held in 10 villages in Hacienda Luisita from May 23 to 25 by the DAR and by representatives of the DA, SRA, National Dairy Authority, Land Bank of the Philippines and Agricultural Training Institute.

“The block farms, between 30 and 50 hectares each, will be managed as one farm so that the activities in the small individual farms are aligned and implemented according to the plans of the whole block,” Pacturan said in a statement.

But Flores said controlling the cycle of production is “tantamount to controlling the lands.”

Pacturan clarified that in block farming, the ownership of each small farm is maintained and respected.

“Agrarian reform beneficiaries will not lose their land titles, and will only be helped by a farm manager who shall take charge of the operations of the block farm,” he said.

Government estimates that sugar production would increase from 99 to 147 bags per hectare using the new scheme.

Launched in January 2012, sugar block farming has been piloted in 16 farms in Albay, Antique, Batangas, Bukidnon, Capiz, Davao del Sur, Iloilo, Leyte, Pampanga, Negros Occidental, Negros Oriental and Tarlac.

Pacturan said the beneficiaries could also avail themselves of DAR’s Agrarian Reform Community Connectivity and Economic Support Services (Arccess).

This comes with professional services for organizational, financial and enterprise management, common service facilities such as farm equipment, and access to credit and insurance facilities.

Pacturan said those who would not adopt sugar block farming and Arccess “may still avail of other support services for diversified cropping, vegetable production and cattle-raising.”

Flores said the DAR should comply with the Supreme Court ruling that “the policy on agrarian reform is that control over the agricultural land must always be in the hands of the farmers.” Tonette Orejas, Inquirer Central Luzon