‘Agri graduates’ get farmlands from DAR

To help create a new breed of Filipino farmers and boost PH's agricultural productivity

On Feb 15, 2021

DAR Secretary John Castriciones is shown turning over the land title (CLOA) to a fresh graduate of an agri-related course in a simple ceremony last February 5, 2021. Giving out farmlands to agriculture graduates is now part of the government's land reform program to boost productivity and help create a new breed of Filipino farmers (DFAR photo).

FORTY four fresh graduates of agricultural courses became the first beneficiaries of the government’s expanded agrarian reform program to help boost the country’s agricultural sector by encouraging the country’s youth to go into farming.

Appearing last February 12, 2021, at the regular ‘Meet the Press/Report to the Nation’ media forum of the National Press Club (NPC), Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) secretary, John Castriciones, said the simple turnover ceremony of land titles (certificate of landownership awards, CLOAs) to the recipients was held last February 5, 2021

He noted this is the first time the government, thru DAR, gave free lands to agricultural graduates to also help the country’s “ageing sector.” Presently, Castriciones noted, the average age of the estimated 11 million Filipino farmers is 57.

Castriciones said one study showed the country may face a shortage of farmers if the agricultural workforce would not be replenished while the number of students in agricultural courses was declining yearly by 1.5 percent for lack of incentive to practice their profession.

“I believe that this incentive of awarding them lands will make the fresh graduates harness the farm lots they will receive since these will serve as their “farm laboratories” on which they could apply the theories and best practices that they learned from their schooling and that would benefit millions of Filipinos in ensuring food security,” Castriciones said.

The official further noted the distribution of lands to agricultural graduates is allowed under RA 6657, or the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP), passed by Congress in 1988.

Presently, the government is eyeing to distribute some 230,000 hectares of government-owned lands (GOLs), which is separate from the 520,000 hectares of private lands covered by CARP.

Thirty of the country’s newest farmers are graduates of the Cagayan State University (CSU) while 14 were from the Busuanga Pasture Reserve (BPR) in Busuanga, Palawan.