27/06/2026
READ: The Department of Agrarian Reform has acknowledged the accomplishments of Agrarian Reform Beneficiariesโ Organizations (ARBOs), emphasizing that these successes inspire more farmers to pursue their goals.
The DAR event โSharing of Success Stories of ARBOsโ was held on June 18 at the Sports Complex in Labo town, attended by 37 cooperatives and associations from Camarines Norte.
โYou should be proud; you are not merely farmers but entrepreneurs and potential multimillionaires. This is entirely achievable,โ said DAR Undersecretary Rowena Niรฑa Taduran in her greeting to the ARBOs.
In her address, Taduran highlighted that the agency has consistently implemented programs to empower ARBOs over the years, focusing on land tenure, capacity-building, organizational development, farm equipment and machinery, access to credit support, infrastructure, and market linkages.
โWhen the government and farmers collaborate, development becomes attainable, but challenges still exist,โ she said.
โIssues such as market access, lack of capital, impacts of climate change, the need for modern technology, and the pursuit of resilience remain,โ she added.
Taduran encouraged the ARBOs to view challenges not as obstacles but as opportunities to enhance their programs and services.
She emphasized the importance of continuous dialogue, stronger partnerships, and responsive interventions to bridge existing gaps and ensure that no ARBO is left behind.
โOur goal is to build empowered, resilient, and self-sustaining ARBOs that will contribute to food security and the rural development of our communities,โ she added.
Ave Brizo, treasurer of the San Lorenzo Ruiz Farmersโ Cooperative from San Lorenzo Ruiz town, shared their success story. The cooperativeโs primary sources of income include trading pineapples and coconuts, truck rentals, and the production and marketing of coconut seedlings.
โWe are deeply grateful to the DAR, Department of Agriculture (DA), and the Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA) for providing technology training, technical assistance, delivery vehicles, marketing support, farm equipment, farm inputs, and livelihood grants,โ Brizo said.
She said that they are currently constructing a coconut oil processing facility, funded with P50 million under the PCAโs Coconut Farmers and Industry Development Plan.
According to her, their assets have grown from a mere P16,500 at their establishment to over P7.6 million, and their membership has expanded from just 41 members in 2016 to 271.
Chairman Ramon Iligan of the Daguit Agrarian Reform Cooperative (DARC) in Labo shared their achievements, highlighting their main products: dried gabi (taro) leaves, coco vinegar, and cacao chocolate.
He said that DARC has been in the dried gabi business for almost seven years, supplying their products to HP Supermarkets in Daet and region-wide to LCC.
โDAR provided us with a gabi dryer, which was followed by a solar-powered mechanical dryer from the Department of Labor and Employment,โ he said.
โIt has allowed us to save on electricity costs, while the Department of Trade and Industry assisted us with product development and securing FDA (Food and Drug Administration) approval,โ he added.
Iligan also mentioned that they have constructed a processing building worth P1.9 million, funded by a grant from DAR, and the cooperative now holds P1 million in assets.
Meanwhile, Nieva Avellana, vice chairperson of the Caayunan Multi-Purpose Cooperative in Basud, shared that their cooperative focuses on pineapple processing, coconut seedlings, and truck rentals.
Their membership has grown to 326 since their organization in 1996, she said.
โDespite the challenges our cooperative faced due to mismanagement, we managed to recover and have now achieved high production of pineapple by-products, secured a wider market, created employment opportunities, and engaged active members,โ Nieva stated.
She expressed gratitude for the projects provided by various government agencies, which played a significant role in their recovery from losses. (PIA5/RManlangit)
