DAR hosts expo of ARB products

By: Glazyl Y. Masculino

BACOLOD City – The Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) in Negros Occidental 2 celebrates the 31st anniversary of the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (Carp) by highlighting products of different Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries Organizations (ARBOs) in the province.

Provincial Agrarian Reform Program Officer Teresita Mabunay said the products are displayed and sold at the Agrarian Agripreneurial Expo in Fiesta Market of Ayala Malls Capitol Central here. It runs until June 30.

DAR is also linking with the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) for the development of the products, its packaging and marketing of the products.

 

Some of the products for sale are fresh mangoes, fresh buko, babana, virgin coconut oil, turmeric and ginger brew, calamansi juice, squash chips, muscovado sugar, coco sugar, vinegar (sinamak), coco vinegar, ground coffee, cacao, and assorted pastries.

The products on display and for sale are manifestations that they are doing good with their farming and with the lands they are toiling, for them to be able to develop projects like these, Mabunay said.

the ARBOs which joined the Expo are Santa Rita Multi-Purpose Cooperative, Hacienderos Agrarian Reform Cooperative, Cabacungan Integrated Social Forestry Farmers Association, Minoro Isabela Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries Association, Estela Agrarian Reform Cooperative, and Casal-agan Agrarian Reform Cooperative.

Mabunay is hoping to make the Expo a yearly activity to engage many ARBOs in this kind of activity.

“We are actually calling on the different ARBOs to join in this kind of DAR activities,” Mabunay said, as she urges the ARBOs to develop more products and market them in the Expo.