Surigao Norte Agrarian organizations to supply farm produce to jails, hospitals
By DAR-Surigao del Norte
SURIGAO CITY, Surigao del Norte,
June 23 -- Three agrarian reform beneficiaries organizations (ARBOs) in Surigao
del Norte have forged marketing contracts with government institutions under
the Enhanced Partnership Against Hunger and Poverty (EPAHP) project through the
provincial office of the Department of Agrarian Reform (DTI) in Surigao del
Norte.
The San Pedro Agrarian Reform
Beneficiaries Cooperative (SPARBECO) of Alegria town has recently renewed its
marketing contract with the Caraga Regional Hospital (CRH).
Under the said contract SPARBECO
will supply the hospital with 10 sacks of well-milled rice every week for one
year.
Dionesia M. Gonzales of SPARBECO
said that they are happy that CRH has renewed agreement and continued its
patronage of their well-milled rice and it meant that they will have a sure
additional income for their farmer-members and the cooperative as a whole.
Meanwhile, the Mabini Agrarian
Reform Beneficiaries Cooperative (MABARBECO) of Surigao City forged a deal with
the provincial office of the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) in
the province for the former to provide the latter assorted vegetables for its
detainees for a period of one year.
MABARBECO chairperson Resituto B.
Tenazas, Jr. was delighted and said the agreement came at the right time, they
do not have to worry anymore about where to sell their farm produce because
they have a ready market.
The Villaflor Agrarian Reform
Beneficiaries Association (VARBA) of Gigaquit town has also signed a one-year
contract with the BJMP in Surigao City to source food from
farmer-beneficiaries and supply their facility with assorted vegetables
also.
Jenita P. Larong, chairperson of
VARBA, thanked the management of DAR Surigao Norte for providing them the said
opportunity even if their organization is still very young.
“This contract served as a challenge
for us to apply all the skills and learnings that we have acquired from our
Farm Business School,” Larong said.
On her part, DAR-Surigao del Norte
Provincial Agrarian Reform Program Officer Maria Elizabeth L. de Guzman said
the marketing agreements with the ARBOS and the institutional buyers will
definitely help the agrarian farmers by boosting their household incomes while
at the same time improving the provision of food in their detention centers and
hospital.
Under EPAHP project, the DAR aimed
to partner with different government agencies to provide assistance to its
assisted agrarian organizations and farmer-beneficiaries through direct market
linkages and access to programs and funding. (Daryll M. Tumbaga,
DAR-SDN/PIA-Surigao del Norte)
