The Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) through Project ConVERGE conducted a site validation for the proposed pre-post harvest facility (warehouse) of the lead Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries Organization (ARBO), the Southern Agusan Seed Producers Cooperative (SASEPCO) at Poblacion Trento.
Engr. Evangeline Hanginan and Engr. Maria Eleonor Uy of the Regional Project Management Office, together with Rural Infra Coordinator Engr. Randy Dapar of the Provincial Project Management Office spearheaded the validation.
Prior to the validation was a meeting at the Municipal Hall Conference Room with the Cluster Project Operations Team (CPOT), Municipal Agrarian Reform Program Officer (MARPO) Engr. Ulpiano Ohiman Jr. together with the Local Government officials, the Municipal Planning and Development Officer Porferio Salubre Jr. and his team, Municipal Agriculturist Norma Dela Cruz, Engr. Deolita Abadillo and the BOD members of SASEPCO, Marilou Gabotero, Teresita Perez and Mary Jane Ytac.
“We already allocated a budget amounting to P7.2-M as our counterpart for this project,” Salubre said as the LGU’s commitment on cost-sharing. The said amount was purposely intended for the proposed Farm-to-Market Road, which will directly benefit the farmers and reduce their hauling costs thereby uplifting the farmers’ well-being and reduce poverty incidence of the Municipality.
Also part of the LGU’s commitment to support the implementation of the project is to formulate the Detailed Engineering Design (DED) and Program of Works (POW) which has a scheduled workshop on October 9-13, 2017.
Engr. Hanginan expressed her thanks for the assurance of the Local Government unit in helping them realize the project. “I am very thankful for your willingness to share the said amount even though the proposed Farm-To-Market Road has yet to be validated,” she said.
The warehouse has an estimated cost of P4 million that will house the multi-pass rice mill and re-circulating batch mechanical dryer.
SASEPCO was very grateful for the construction of new warehouse and the realization of other value chain equipment. “Thank you to DAR and for this project, for giving us this opportunity with the support of the Local Government Unit of Trento,” said BOD member Marilou Gabotero.
“Who knows, we will become successful rice entrepreneurs someday, which will make us compete in the global market,” she added. (Rechel D. Besonia & Jovy Alamban, Provincial Project M&E/KM Support Staff- Project ConVERGE/DAR-Agusan del Sur/PIA-Agusan del Sur)
