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COTABATO CITY — To optimize farmers in cultivating healthy crops and produce higher yields, the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Agrarian Reform (MAFAR) has provided more farming machinery and agri-inputs to Moro Islamic Liberation Front-Bangsamoro Islamic Armed Forces (MILF-BIAF) farmers in Lanao del Sur.
MAFAR is one of the 15 primary governance organs of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (BARMM)
On July 17-18, local farmers from Brgy. Dilausan, Ditsaan-Ramain, who belong to Moro Islamic Liberation Front-Bangsamoro Islamic Armed Forces (MILF-BIAF) communities, benefited from the provision of the farming inputs as part of the BARMM Government of the Day’s intervention to acknowledge their significant role in Bangsamoro history.
Provincial Chief Agriculturist Eng’r. Abdulgaphar Sansarona expressed his gratitude for the realization and success of the project which will directly benefit the region’s agricultural productivity.
“This support has a great positive impact on local farmers and the potential to boost the region’s agricultural landscape,” Sansarona said.
Among the agri-inputs distributed were 80 bags of high-quality inbred palay seeds, 400 bags of Urea (46-0-0), 150 bags of Complete Fertilizers, 80 bottles of insecticides, and 80 bottles of herbicides to ensure that farmers can effectively combat pests and protect their crops.
Aside from agri-inputs, MAFAR also distributed farm machinery and tools which include 20 pieces of knapsack sprayers, 5 units of hand tractors, 2 units of mobile rice mills, 2 units of rice transplanters, 1 unit of a drop side truck, and 2 units of floating tillers to revolutionize farming practice in the region, thus, enabling farmers to be more efficient and productive.
Meanwhile, Special Development Fund (SDF) Project Management Officer (PMO) Norhan Hadji Abdullah cited the significance of the project, sayng it specifically targeted the former combatants of the MILF who have made immense sacrifices in the struggle to establish the BARMM region.
The Bangsamoro region, established in 2018 by the Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL) to implement the 2014 Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB), is made up of the provinces of Basilan, Lanao del Sur, Maguindanao del Sur, Maguindanao del Norte, Sulu, and Tawi-Tawi, the cities of Cotabato, Lamitan, and Marawi, as well as the 63 barangays or villages dubbed Special Geographic Area (SGA) that voted “yes” in a plebiscite in February 2019 to be under the BARMM jurisdiction.
According to the Philippine Atlas BARMM has 4,404,288 people. It has 116 municipalities: Basilan, 11 municipalities; Lanao del Sur, 39; undivided Maguindanao, 36; Sulu, 19; and Tawi-Tawi, 11. Its component cities are Cotabato (the regional center and capital) in Maguindanao; Lamitan in Basilan; and Marawi in Lanao del Sur.
“This project underlines the ministry’s commitment to inclusivity, recognizing the contributions of all members of society and leaving no one left behind,” Abdullah emphasized.
The inspectorate team from the MAFAR, the Municipal Officer of Ramain, the Provincial Focal Person for Special Concerns, and other relevant officials were also present at the distribution ceremony. (Kasan Usop, Jr./BIO with reports from MAFAR) — (✓)