Corn farmers in Alamada, North Cotabato, are expected to increase productivity and income after the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) turned over a corn mill machine to the town’s Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries (ARBs) on Monday.

The beneficiary of the corn mill worth PHP285,000 was the Polayagan Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries Cooperative.

“The assistance is part of DAR’s program to boost the community’s post-harvest processing capacity and improve the livelihood of ARBs in the area,” Provincial Agrarian Reform Program Officer (PARPO) II Evangeline Bueno said in a statement Tuesday.

Bueno said the corn mill was provided through the DAR’s Climate Resilient Farm Productivity Support Project (CRFPSP)-Sustainable Livelihood Support, as part of the agency’s ongoing effort to improve agricultural productivity.

During Monday’s turnover program, DAR-North Cotabato officials and the beneficiaries signed a memorandum of agreement and trust agreement, formalizing the cooperative’s management and utilization of the equipment.

Chief Provincial Agrarian Reform Program Officer Emelita Mayol underscored the importance of proper equipment management and collective responsibility in ensuring the sustainability of the project.

“Through this machinery, we also aim to help you (ARBs) increase your income by reducing transportation costs and saving valuable time,” Mayol said in her speech. She further noted that with the corn mill, farmers no longer need to bring their harvest to distant and privately owned milling facilities.

Cooperative chairperson Brian Torres expressed joy about the DAR intervention they had long awaited.

“This machinery is a major help to our cooperative, especially in speeding up and improving the efficiency of corn milling, since corn is one of the main products in our area,” he said during the program. (PNA)