Farmers in the province of Tarlac have received much-needed equipment that they can use in improving their production level and, as a result, generate more income.

Forty farm tractors amounting to P2,999,400 were recently given to three agrarian reform beneficiaries organizations (ARBOs) in the province.

The Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) identified the farmer groups as the San Agustin Victoria Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries Association in Victoria, Tarlac; Ginintuang Butil Farmers Association in San Juan de Mata, Tarlac City; and Mendez Communal Farmers Agriculture Cooperative in Lapaz, Tarlac.

A total of 213 farmers from the three organizations are expected to benefit from the farm equipment.

Provincial Agrarian Reform Program Officer II Raul Leonin said each machinery costs P999,800, with the funding coming from the DAR’s Climate Resilient Farm Productivity Support Program (CRFPS).

The CRFPS is geared toward the goal of building the resiliency of agrarian reform communities nationwide in order to enhance and sustain the agricultural productivity of farmers’ organizations. This will be achieved by increasing farmers' yield and income to uplift the lives of its members.

“The said ARBOs are beneficiaries of CRFPS’ Major Crop-based Block Farm Productivity Enhancement Project and this project aims to make agricultural lands become more productive and provide our farmers more crops to harvest,” Leonin said.

A signing of a memorandum of agreement and a trust agreement between the DAR and ARBOs also took place, thus guaranteeing the department that the project recipients were aware of their obligations and responsibilities in taking care of the farm tractors and how all the members of the organizations would benefit from the machinery.

“We made sure that our farmers were thoroughly trained on how to properly operate and maintain the tractors, as we also insured the machineries under the Philippine Crop Insurance Corporation,” Leonin said.