BAYOMBONG, Nueva Vizcaya (PIA) - - The Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) recently handed small delivery trucks to cooperatives in Villaverde and Bambang towns.

Provincial Agrarian Reform Officer Rustico Turingan said the two small delivery trucks worth P570, 000 were given to  Greeners Multi-Purpose Cooperative (GMPC) in Bambang town and Villaverde Development Cooperative (VILDECO) in Villaverde, town.

He said the project  is part of the government's Enhanced Partnership Against Hunger and Poverty (EPAHP), which aims to intensify the fight against hunger and reduce poverty across the country.

Turingan said the project also  seeks to collaborate with various government and private organizations in order to provide and extend direct marketing connections and access for Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries Organizations (ARBOs) to purchase their products directly.

“The DAR through the provision of a small delivery vehicle, will contribute to the cooperative's marketing mechanism and, as a result, address the problem they face in marketing their farm produce, allowing them to sustain their enterprise operation and reap increased economic benefit not only for the cooperative, but also for the farming community in the area, “ he said

Turingan said the small delivery trucks are  expected to benefit 60 smallholder farmers.

“The ARBO will assist farmer-members in marketing their produce to walk-in buyers and will continue to supply institutional buyers for this project,” he said. (OTB/BME/PIA NVizcaya)