By Leilani S. Junio
MANILA, (PNA) – The Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) has allocated P1-billion credit facility in the various regions of the country under the national government’s Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP).
DAR Secretary Virgilio de los Reyes said that the 1-billion Agrarian Production Credit Program (APCP) aims to provide agrarian reform beneficiaries more access to credit assistance as a help in boosting crop production and improve economic growth to the sector.
Delos Reyes said total of P300 million was allocated to Negros Occidental which hosts the most contested program to distribute big plantations and landholdings to farmer-beneficiaries of the government’s agrarian reform program.
He added that APCP spares the farmers from falling easy prey to loan sharks.
Mila Flores, officer-in-charge of the DAR-Negros Occidental North, said that they are still in the process of updating data on the total recipients of this credit facility in the province.
“In the APCP program, the farmers were given the opportunity to make a good start and make their acquired farm lots productive,” she explained.
She added that the credit assistance wants to curb the practice of pawning and/or selling farmlots by the farmer-beneficiaries.
She added that one reason before why most farmers usually pawned their lots were the problems with lack of enough money to cultivate them which the APCP is trying to address and create a pathway out of rural poverty.
The credit assistance is also spiced with free insurance package to spare the farmers of any financial obligations for damages that they may incur on their farms as a result of natural calamities.
The insurance package is not only meant to safeguard the farmer-beneficiaries from the possible onslaught of pests and strong typhoons, but it also provides all members of the recipient agrarian reform beneficiaries organizations (ARBOs) and their families P50,000 insurance coverage each in case of death or accident.
It may be recalled that President Benigno S. Aquino III launched the P72.11 billion Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP) in October 2011 to step-up economic growth through the implementation of now, fast-disbursement projects that are benefitting the people.
The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) said the funds for the DAP were sourced from unused appropriations in the 2010 and 2011 national budgets.