SAGAY City, Negros Occidental – Farmer-members of the Mirasol Development Corporation Agrarian Reform Cooperative (MDCARC) were once on the brink of losing the land that they were tilling until they sought assistance from Land Bank of the Philippines (LANDBANK).
Through the help of the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR), MDCARC availed of the Agrarian Production Credit Program (APCP) with LANDBANK which allowed them to continue with the production of their sugarcane farms.
“Malaki ang pasasalamat namin sa LANDBANK at sa DAR kasi kung wala sila, baka wala na ‘yung lupa namin. Baka napunta na sa malalaking haciendero,” said MDCARC chairman Arnold Lapuhapo.
Established in 2014, MDCARC had an initial member of 134 small farmers who pursued their claim for agrarian reform coverage for the almost 40 hectares of agricultural land from its former owner-corporation.
The DAR first assisted MDCARC in 2012 to capacitate them and prepare them for their land ownership, as well as the requirements of APCP availment, which eventually paved the way for LANDBANK to approve their P4.0M-credit line under the APCP in 2014 to finance their sugarcane cultivation and production.
Aside from farming support, Lapuhapo said that APCP was also key in uplifting the lives of their farmer-members saying, “Maraming nagbago talaga. Dati nung meron pa kaming amo hindi namin naranasan magkaroon ng benepisyo at yung Pasko namin mahirap na mahirap. Ngayon, ‘yung mga benepisyo namin at Pasko ay nakakaluwag na.”
At present, MDCARC now owns almost 110 hectares of land dedicated to sugarcane farming. They are also building on the gains that they achieved from being an APCP availer by diversifying the coop’s business to microfinancing, poultry farming, and sand and gravel production, all for the benefit of their farmer-members.
“Ipinagpatuloy namin ‘yung pagpapalago sa coop namin para sa mga susunod na taon ay pataas nang pataas na lang ang aming assets at income,” Lapuhapo added.
The APCP is a joint venture of DAR and LANDBANK, which aims to achieve sustainable crop production and increase the income of agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs) and their households through the provision of credit and capacity building assistance.
Aside from APCP, LANDBANK also promotes other programs for the benefit of the ARBs. As the financial conduit of the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP), the bank is involved in determining the land valuation and compensation for all lands covered under CARP, and the issuance of Certificate of Full Payment and Release of Real Estate Mortgage to ARBs.
Last year, LANDBANK also partnered with DAR to introduce the Accessible Funds for Delivery to Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries (AFFORD-ARBs) Program which provided loans to finance the production of rice, corn, high-value crops, as well as farm implements. Outstanding loans for this Program in 2019 reached P100.86 million, which was availed by 523 farmer-borrowers and a cooperative.
Meanwhile, the bank and the Department of Agriculture (DA) are jointly implementing the Socialized Credit Program under the Sugarcane Industry Development Act (SCP-SIDA) for individual sugarcane farmers, block farms, and common service centers. In 2019, SCP-SIDA loans amounted to P111.37 million, assisting 992 farmers.
For more information, log-on to LANDBANK’s official website at https://www.landbank.com/agrarian-operations or call the Bank’s Agrarian Services Group at (02) 8-405-7363, or visit the nearest LANDBANK Lending Center located nationwide./PN
