CABANATUAN CITY (PIA) — The Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) Nueva Ecija has partnered with the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), the Department of Science and Technology (DOST), the local government unit (LGU) of Gabaldon, and Nagkaisang Gabay sa Bayan ng Gabaldon, Inc. to establish a Noodle Processing Center in the province.
Through its Program Beneficiaries Development Division under the Village Level Farm-Focused Enterprise Development (VLFED), DAR formalized the partnership through a memorandum of agreement.
Under the agreement, DTI and DOST will provide expertise in product development, quality upgrading, and production streamlining to make noodles competitive and standards-compliant in the market.
Gabaldon LGU, for their part, committed complete support for the project, noting opportunities for job creation and promotion of local goods.
This effort seeks to equip agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs) with value-adding facilities, technical support, and market access to strengthen their enterprises, boost productivity, diversify income, and support local economic growth.
DAR Provincial Agrarian Reform Program Officer Eden Ponio stressed the value of inter-agency collaboration apart from land distribution alone to empower ARBs.
She added the project aligns with the agency’s ongoing push for sustainable livelihoods through enterprise development.
DAR Nueva Ecija, through this partnership, continues fulfilling its mandate to improve ARB lives through sustainable, inclusive, and enterprise-driven development.
The agency noted that setting up the Noodle Processing Center supports VLFED goals by providing ARB organizations a practical platform for agri-enterprise growth.
In addition, it showcases how national agencies and local partners are working together to build resilient, market-oriented rural communities. (CLJD/MAECR, PIA Region 3-Nueva Ecija)
