The Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) distributed various livelihood assistance worth PhP12.45-million to 498 agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs) in Binalonan, Pangasinan to augment their income and improve their yield.
DAR Secretary Brother John Castriciones led the distribution of various agricultural livelihood assistance to the ARBs, who each received one sack of inbreed seed, four bags of 14-14-14, four bags of 45-0-0, five bags of organic fertilizer, two bags of foliar fertilizer, and three bags of 16-20-0.
The livelihood assistance, implemented under the Convergence on livelihood assistance for ARBs project (CLAAP), was provided to the ARBs after they attended extensive training to improve their yield and quality of produce.
“The government is here to continuously help the farmers. We want their lives to improve and be comfortable, even during this time of the pandemic,” Brother John said.
Pangasinan provincial agrarian reform program officer II Maria Ana B. Francisco said that last year, CLAAP focused on providing goats to the ARBs as a source of their livelihood. A total of 453 ARBs from the 10 municipalities and one city in Pangasinan benefitted from that project. For the year 2020, CLAAP focused on palay production and marketing.
“In 2019, our ARBs have undergone training, which introduced them the benefits and rewards of goats raising as a source of livelihood. In this program, 906 live goats were awarded to 453 beneficiaries. Each farmer beneficiary was also given medicine and vitamins for the goats,” Francisco disclosed.
Francisco said that based on the DAR-Pangasinan’s monitoring report, ARB-recipients successfully raised and reproduced more than 75% of the goats.
The CLAAP is a brainchild of DAR Undersecretary for Support Services Office Emily Padilla, in partnership with the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) for the purpose of augmenting the household income of the ARBs. # # # (Public Assistance and Media Relations Service, Department of Agrarian Reform)
