Thursday, November 13, 2008

(SCBI) recently signed a memorandum of understanding for the Sugarcane Bio-E Project (Sugarcane Production for Bioenergy) in San Carlos City, Negros Occidental. Sugarcane Bio-E is a supply contract arrangement where Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries (ARBs)/farmers or their organization, with assistance by DAR, supply sugarcane as feedstock to SCBI through the BIOMASS Resources Incorporated (BRI), said Aileen Alaban, information officer of the DAR in Negros Oriental. The project components are as follows: social preparation/organizational development of ARBs/farmers; sugarcane production and marketing arrangement; production credit and other support services, she said. This project covers: (1) individual ARBs and farmers certificates of land ownership award (CLOA) or similar instruments, like leasehold contracts, issued by DAR and in possession of their lands; farmers who are neither ARBs nor potential ARBs but with titles to their farms in agrarian reform communities (ARCs) or within the ARC connectivity areas; farmer beneficiaries of Integrated Social Forest Program (ISFP) and Community Based Forest Management (CBFM) holding stewardship awards under DENR (2) Cooperatives and associations those approved by Board of Directors or general membership and at least 2/3 vote of general membership. Present during the signing were San Carlos Mayor Eugenio Jose V. Lacson; Luis O. Villa-Abrille, president, SCVI; DAR Assistant Secretary for Operations Dominador Andres; Rogelio Debulgado, president, BIOMASS Resources, Inc.; DAR VII Regional Director Rodolfo T. Inson; Provincial Agrarian Reform Officer II-Negros Oriental Grace B. Fua; AREDP Gomer Tumbali; Roy Bautista, Municipal Agrarian Reform Officer of Canlaon City; Hanani Quijote, Municipal Agrarian Reform Officer of Vallehermoso; DARMO Canlaon development facilitator Daisy Geonson and AREDP coordinator Engr. Emma Gumalo. According to Alaban, under the said program, the DAR commits to provide necessary training for beneficiaries on production technology in partnership with BRI, strengthening organization, financial, enterprise and entrepreneurial development and management. The agency will also establish a Project Management Office to oversee the implementation of the project, formulate implementation policy guidelines and through the PMO, screen, identify and select qualified ARCs and ARBs, farmers and their organizations. It shall also assist beneficiaries and organizations in securing financing from government funding institutions and other sources; mobilizing all units and instrumentalities to assist in provision of logistical support, i.e., link with suppliers of fertilizers, chemicals and other inputs including service providers in land preparation, hauling and harvesting, and ensure that ARB areas are not forest lands cleared for participation in this project. © Philippines News Agency