Cotabato City—The Bangsamoro Region has turned over a P8-million post-harvest facility to farmers in Barangay Damalusay, Maguindanao del Sur, officials said on Wednesday.
Members of Datu Paglas Farmers Irrigators Multi-Purpose Cooperative will utilize a warehouse facility of 750 square meters in floor area and a storage capacity of 25,000 to 30,000 bags of rice.
Officials of the Ministry of Agriculture Fisheries and Agrarian Reform of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (MAFAR-BARMM) said the building has been funded under the Bangsamoro Appropriation Act (BAA) of 2020.
MAFAR Director Ismael Guiamel said that the building should be maintained and used properly to serve its purpose for storage of agricultural harvest or products.
“The BARMM Government, through MAFAR, is always here to assist and help you [farmers], especially the less fortunate in any way that we could to uplift your living conditions,” Guiamel said, adding that the Ministry’s support to the community in Datu Paglas will continue such as the provision of palay, corn, and high value crops seeds to struggling farmers.
MAFAR Municipal officer-in-charge Rudy Lumapinet said that MAFAR’s assistance has reflected the social gains of peace in the locality under the local and BARMM leaderships.
“We are very fortunate and thankful for having their full commitment and support to the Bangsamoro farmers or grassroots communities,” he said.
Mohammad Ayada, A veteran farmer and owner of four hectares of rice field, said, “having this facility is a big help for us, being ordinary farmers, because we usually store our agricultural products at home with a very limited space. Also, the change in weather damages our products, especially when stored in an open, humid or moist area.”
Also present at the event was Municipal Vice-Mayor Ibrahim Paglas, who, expressed his appreciation to MAFAR and the Bangsamoro Government for providing the rice storage facility to their local farmers.
“Let us take good care of this building because this facility is not intended for us leaders in this town but for our local Bangsamoro people, especially our farmers in order to uplift their lives,” Paglas said.