Agrarian reform beneficiaries sell lands

• Source:http://www.sunstar.com.ph/zamboanga/local-news/2016/05/15/agrarian-reform-beneficiaries-sell-lands-473736
• Sunday, May 15, 2016

By Bong Garcia (Sunnex)

A TOP official of the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) confirmed that there are farmer-beneficiaries who have sold the lands the government awarded to them through the agrarian reform program.

DAR-Zamboanga Peninsula Regional Director Felix Aguhob said about 1,000 farmer-beneficiaries have sold their lands from May 2015 to April 2016.

He said the figure was based on the number of transfer orders he have signed during the period.

The lands are already in the process of transfer or transferred to the buyers, he added.

Aguhob said the farmer-beneficiaries who sold their lands have been disqualified from the government’s agrarian reform program.

He said the agency is screening the buyers to determine if they are qualified to avail of the program and willing to continue the unsettled amortization of the previous farmer-beneficiaries.

Each of the farmer-beneficiaries of the agrarian reform program is awarded an average of 1.6-hectare of land to be amortized in 30 years.

The amount of monthly amortization depends on the price of lands awarded to them.

Aguhob said they are providing assistance to discourage the farmer-beneficiaries from selling the lands awarded to them.

The assistance includes the provision of farm equipment and livelihood to include the construction of farm-to-market roads.