Pangasinan farmers receive seed aid

THE Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) said it has distributed vegetable seeds to thousands of farmers in Pangasinan as part of efforts to support agricultural production amid the energy crisis.

In a statement on Monday, DAR said 3,725 agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs) received a total of 16,502 packs of vegetable seeds. The assistance was coursed through 113 agrarian reform beneficiary organizations (ARBOs) across the province’s six congressional districts.

The distributed seeds include varieties of ampalaya (bitter gourd), eggplant, red hot chili, string beans, tomato, and okra, which the agency said are climate-resilient and suitable for sustaining food production and generating additional income.

The agency said the initiative is part of the “Restoring the Livelihoods of ARBs in Agrarian Reform Communities Affected by Typhoons Nando and Opong” project, funded through the Agrarian Reform Fund.

DAR said the seed assistance aims to help farmers manage rising input costs and continue planting despite economic and energy constraints.

“Despite the challenges posed by the state of national energy emergency, the DAR is doing everything in its power to assist our ARBs and ARBOs,” Pangasinan Provincial Agrarian Reform Program Officer Charlotte F. Lasmarias said in the statement.

She added that the agency is coordinating with other government offices, including the Land Transportation Office, Philippine Carabao Center, and Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, for additional support to farmers. — Vonn Andrei E. Villamiel