MANILA, Philippines - The Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) has announced that the Japanese government recently funded a P4.4-billion comprehensive package of support services project benefiting around 70,000 agrarian reform beneficiaries in 216 barangays in Mindanao.
The DAR said the project, dubbed as Mindanao Sustainable Agrarian and Agriculture Development (MINSAAD), funded under the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), also aims to improve the living conditions of more than 400,000 residents in 12 settlement areas in Central, Northern and Southern Mindanao.
MINSAAD director Nasser Musali said the project is designed to increase agricultural productivity, product value and the income of agrarian reform beneficiaries and other small-scale farmers through agricultural infrastructure and other capacity-building support.
The comprehensive package of support services involves the construction of farm-to-market roads, bridges, irrigation and potable water systems, among others, as well as providing technical assistance and linking the farmers with financing institutions.
Musali said the project is funded by a P3.3-billion JICA loan complemented with P1.1-billion counterpart fund from the Philippine government.
“The project is a colossal challenge and it requires inter-agency and multi-sectoral cooperation,†he said.