Penal facilities in Nueva Ecija have agreed to become direct buyers of the produce of local farmer organizations for the purpose of meeting their daily food requirements, the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) said on Wednesday, May 19.
Agrarian Reform Secretary Brother John Castriciones said this partnership between the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) and the agrarian reform beneficiaries organizations (ARBOs) of the province will help stop the farmers' overdependence on unscrupulous traders who only shortchange them.
"This is a great opportunity for our farmer-beneficiaries because this will help prevent them from falling prey to deceitful middlemen who buy their products at a bargain price," Castriciones said.
The memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the DAR and the BJMP was signed during the awarding of land titles to farmer-beneficiaries in Talavera, Nueva Ecija where a total of 159 land titles covering 99 hectares were distributed.
Castriciones said the link up between the BJMP and farmers groups' officials is part of the national government's efforts to curb hunger and poverty.
Talavera Mayor Nerivi Santos-Martinez, for his part, expressed her deep appreciation to the DAR's initiative, saying it will help increase the income of her farmer-constituents.