The Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) on Thursday handed over certificates of land ownership award (CLOA) to 349 agrarian reform beneficiaries in Benguet Province.
DAR Secretary John Castriciones led the distribution of 379 CLOAs covering 362 hectares of lots to qualified beneficiaries from seven municipalities in Benguet.
A farmers cooperative in Barangay Alno, La Trinidad was also granted a solar power irrigation system worth P800,000 to ensure a sufficient water supply for almost 15 hectares of agricultural land and to boost the productivity of around 200 farmers.
Barangay Alno is one of the primary sources of cut flowers supply for the National Capital Region (NCR).
Councilor Arthur Shontogan said the distribution of CLOAs will be followed by the provision of support services, financial and technical assistance, and machinery.
Prior to this, DAR had already established alternative livelihood projects and microfinancing activities in the province to support small farmers affected by climate change. The assistance was worth over P4 million. – Report from PTV Cordillera/AG-jlo
