At least 30 agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs) from Polangui, Albay are ready to become farmer-entrepreneurs, or “negosyanteng magsasaka” after graduating from the Farm Business School (FBS) of the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) in their town.

In an interview on Thursday, Niriza Barquilla, DAR-Albay assistant information officer, said, “The 30 members of Gamot, Luya, and Dalogo Farmers Association (Galuda FA), engaged in rice coffee, muscovado sugar, ‘kalamay’, coco jam, and pili production, completed the 25 sessions of the program and graduated on Wednesday.”

She said the FBS program is in line with President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. and DAR Secretary Conrado Estrella III’s aim to improve the livelihood of farmers by improving their knowledge and skills in entrepreneurship and farm business management.

In a statement, engineer Maria Eugenia Alteza, DAR-Albay provincial agrarian reform program officer II, said in the vernacular: “I am very pleased with your progress. I hope you can maintain your interest in farming, take good care of your land, and continue to improve it.”

He said the department will always support and assist the FBS graduates in their undertakings to develop their production and skills.

Bob Razon, Galuda FA president, said the program changed their perspective on farming and the belief that it is not profitable.

“Dakulaon na pasalamat sa DAR ta kung mayo ang DAR, mayo ang Galuda. Dae natatapos ang intervention ninda since start kang GALUDA. Dae sinda nagpapabaya kung ano ang maitatabang sa mga asosasyon (We are very grateful to DAR because we wouldn’t be here with them. They have been supporting us since Galuda started. They are committed to providing valuable assistance to all associations and cooperatives),” he said.

Meanwhile, in Guinobatan, also in Albay, 19 cacao farmers received skills training on post-harvest management and processing practices, which is seen to help to uplift the cacao industry in the province and empower the farmers to produce higher-quality cacao products.

Alteza underscored the importance of inter-agency collaboration in supporting agrarian reform beneficiaries, particularly those impacted by recent calamities such as Super Typhoon Carina, which severely affected the Bicol region. (PNA)