TARLAC CITY — Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) recently launched the Farm Business School (FBM) program in
Barangay Bacabac, Camiling town.
The program seeks to equip farmers with entrepreneurial skills in effectively managing their farm produce and optimize their profitability.
“Farmer-participants will undergo 25 sessions for four months where they will learn the business side of agriculture using their own local environment as the FBS program takes the school to the farmers,” Provincial Agrarian Reform Program Officer Ileona Pangilinan said.
“The learning process will be interactive as the farmers will learn from each other. The facilitators will be there to teach and develop their capacity in running a profitable farm business by honing the farmers into becoming better farm managers and entrepreneurs that can respond to business and market requirements,” Pangilinan added.
A total of 43 farmers belonging to the Bacabac Farmers Producers’ Cooperative (BFPC) and Bacabac Gintong Ani Farmers’ Association, Inc. (BGAFAI) are enrolled in the program.
They are joined by three other Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries’ Organizations (ARBOs) in the area during the duration of the FBS namely Ablang-Sapang Multi-Purpose Cooperative in the town of Moncada and Golden Pance 125 Multi-Purpose Cooperative and First Progress Agricultural Cooperative of Ramos town.
Building up the capabilities of ARBOs in handling and marketing their farm products is among the priorities of DAR under the administration of President Duterte.
It is a collaboration of DAR with Department of Trade and Industry, Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Training Institute, and municipal government of Camiling.
Last year, Mabulod Green Farm Producers’ Cooperative in Sula, San Jose town became the first beneficiary of the FBS when DAR Tarlac piloted the program.