FARM MACHINERY SUPPORT. The PHP1.34 million rice miller harvester was handed over by the Department of Agrarian Reform to the New Mataoroc Farmers Irrigators Association Inc. in Minalabac, Camarines Sur, on May 20, 2026. The group and another agrarian reform beneficiary organization in Camarines Sur have begun earning additional income after receiving a total of PHP2.9 million in farm machinery under DAR’s Major Crop-Based Block Farm Productivity Enhancement program on the same day. (Photo courtesy of DAR-Camarines Sur I)
LEGAZPI CITY – Two agrarian reform beneficiary organizations (ARBOs) in Camarines Sur have begun generating additional income after receiving farm machinery worth PHP2.9 million under the Department of Agrarian Reform’s (DAR) Major Crop-Based Block Farm Productivity Enhancement (MCBFPE) program, the agency announced Friday.
During a joint ceremonial machinery turnover on May 20, the Mambalite Palangon Farmers Agriculture Cooperative (MPFAC) in Barangay Mambalite, Libmanan, received a rice combine harvester worth PHP1.34 million and drum seeders amounting to PHP149,745.
Within three days, the cooperative, composed of 120 members cultivating 105 hectares of rice land, has already generated PHP49,887 in income from the machinery’s use.
For its part, the New Mataoroc Farmers Irrigators Association Inc. in Barangay Mataoroc, Minalabac, also received a PHP1.34 million rice combine harvester and a PHP149,845 water pump.
The association, which has 158 members cultivating 237 hectares, has also recorded more than PHP34,000 in income.
Ricardo Garcia, DAR Camarines Sur I Provincial Agrarian Reform Program Officer II, encouraged the farmer groups to sustain partnerships with government agencies, cooperatives and support institutions to further strengthen their enterprises.
“Development does not end with the receipt of machinery. The opportunities for our organizations will continue to expand if we continue to coordinate with various agencies and organizations,” Garcia said in a statement.
Both organizations are also expected to receive additional farm inputs through the MCBFPE project in the coming days.
Meanwhile, the DAR and the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) are helping agrarian reform beneficiaries in Camarines Sur improve their dried fish products through skills training and enterprise development initiatives to expand market opportunities.
Members of the Catabangan Proper Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries Organization Inc., in Ragay, Camarines Sur, recently completed a training on dried fish processing focused on advanced techniques in product preparation, quality control, packaging and presentation.
Garcia said the initiative aims to help ARBOs transform local products into higher-value goods that can compete in broader markets.
“Through value-adding activities, we want to help increase the value of their products and open more livelihood opportunities for their communities,” he said.
The group is expected to showcase its improved dried fish products at upcoming local trade fairs and market linkage activities supported by DAR and BFAR. (PNA)