ADB commits support to DAR projects

MANILA, Philippines - The Asian Development Bank has committed to support projects of the Department of Agrarian Retorm (DAR).

DAR Secretary Rafael Mariano said a representative of the ADB, country director Jiangfeng Zhang, recently paid a visit and pledged to continue the bank’s assistance to cover more agrarian reform communities (ARCs) in Mindanao.

Zhang said the ADB would continue its partnership with the DAR even with the final stage of the second phase implementation of the Agrarian Reform Communities Project (ARCP2).

Zhang said ARCP2’s six-year intervention has helped the DAR construct around 126 roads, five irrigation facilities, eight potable water systems and 27 post-harvest facilities.

Under ARCP2, Zhang said more than 18,000 agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs) were given access to credit, 3,349 ARBs adopted agri-production technology and more than 27,000 jobs were generated from the construction of infrastructure projects.

The ARCP2 has a total project cost of P8.6 billion which provided for the construction of infrastructure facilities and livelihood programs for ARCs, mostly in Bicol, Visayas and Mindanao regions.