The Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) has renewed its partnership with the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) to enable the members of agrarian reform beneficiary organizations (ARBOs) to regularly supply agricultural products to the jails nationwide as food requirements of persons deprived of liberty (PDL)
Atty. Milagros Isabel Cristobal, Undersecretary for Support Services Office, who led the signing of the marketing agreement, said the activity is implemented under the Partnership Against Hunger and Poverty (PAHP), a government initiative which aims to promote food security, lessen poverty, and mitigate hunger by 2030.
Cristobal said the PHAP’s objectives include increase in farm productivity income, ensure food security, and mitigate levels of malnourishment in rural communities.
The project, which started in 2016, converges the essential services of the DAR, Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and Department of Agriculture (DA) to benefit the poor, with technical support from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and World Food Programme (WFP).
On December 9, 2019, a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was signed by the DAR with other government agencies, including the BJMP. Through the expanded PHAP, the project was able to ensure stable markets for the products of agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs) and their organizations as it facilitated partnerships in terms of marketing the ARBs and ARBOs products and services to various institutional buyers like the BJMP.
“This move of inviting other government agencies to partner with the DAR is aligned with President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr.’s national goal of improving the lives of the farmers,” she said.
She said that from 2019 to the 1st quarter of 2023, the ARBOs under PAHP were able to generate a total gross sales of P1,515,744,785.34 nationwide.
“For the 1st quarter of 2023, the PAHP Program has involved a total of 239 ARBOs which contributed to the total sales of Php 77,706,627.32,” she said .
Because of the success of this program, the DAR decided to continue implementing it under Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries Development and Sustainability Program (ARBDSP).
“The PAHP will continue to link ARBs and ARBOs to direct buyers, as DAR maintains and continues to establish good relationships with its existing institutional partners, such as the BJMP, “ Cristobal said.
Ruel S. Rivera, Acting Chief, BJMP Jail Chief Superintendent (JCSUPT) said: “This activity is a manifestation of our continuous commitment to achieve inclusive growth and poverty reduction by supporting our local farmers.”
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