By Noel Y. Punzalan
COTABATO CITY, July 14 (PNA) — Two government agencies have joined hands in an effort to make Sultan Kudarat an investment friendly province and provide jobs and livelihood to agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs), officials said Monday.
To start with, the provincial offices of the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) and the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) had conducted over the weekend an agribusiness investment forum for ARBs
In a statement, Rodolfo Alburo, Sultan Kudarat provincial agrarian reform program officer (PARPO), said the forum was primarily aimed to generate trade and investments in the province so that more ARBs can benefit with the entry of investors in Sultan Kudarat.
Alburo said 13 out of 19 agrarian reform beneficiary organizations in the entire province have participated in the forum held at the provincial capitol in Isulan town.
Alburo said DAR Secretary Gil de los Reyes has ordered DAR provincial offices to increase the number of ARBs engaged into agribusiness venture arrangements.
He said Sultan Kudarat is rich in resources as far as land areas, skilled labor and peace and order condition is pretty good making it investment friendly.
Sultan Kudarat Gov. Suharto Mangudadatu has been urging investors to pour in capital to help the province while earning them profits.
Mangudadatu said peace and order is not a problem in Sultan Kudarat and it has all the needed requirements for investment. What is lacking is capital, he told reporters.
Sultan Kudarat, aside from rice and corn, leading producer of high value crops such coconut, rubber, pineapple, coffee, cacao, cassava, banana, rubber and other marine products. (PNA)