The Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) is working on the enhancement of the government’s crop insurance program to ensure the 100 percent coverage of agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs) nationwide.
To enhance the insurance coverage of crops, DAR has led a two-day virtual learning session last Aug. 12-13 for the improvement of its risk mitigation assistance to farmer-beneficiaries under the Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries-Agricultural Insurance Program (ARB-AIP).
The session was attended by 43 central and field officials and staff of DAR and Philippine Crop Insurance Corp. (PCIC).
The PCIC is DAR’s partner in the provision of insurance under the ARB-AIP, which covers farmers’ crops damaged by diseases, pest infestation, and natural calamities, such as typhoons, floods, drought, tornado, earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions.
Bureau of Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries Development OIC-Assistant Director Acmad Calaca said the goal of the learning sessions include the tracking down of the periodic accomplishments on the insurance coverage of ARBs nationwide.
It also aims to firm up targets for the year and in the next two years. It also includes resolving related issues and concerns on limited enrolment of ARBs in the Registry System for Basic Sectors in Agriculture (RSBSA) that affect the free insurance coverage of the beneficiaries.
Calaca said that only ARBs listed under the RSBSA could avail themselves of the insurance program.
He noted that the learning session is also intended to help overcome the challenges brought by the pandemic -- one of them is the difficulty in updating the list because of the restrictions in movement due to the community quarantine.
Undersecretary Emily Padilla said DAR and PCIC are working hard to ensure that 100 percent of the ARBs would be covered under ARB-AIP and enable them to access timely support interventions from other partner-organizations.
“This program provides insurance protection to agricultural producers against loss of the crops on the account of natural calamities, plant pests and disease, and other perils. It is our duty and our mission to protect the economic lives of our program beneficiaries,” Padilla said.