HDAP-ARMM turns over drying facilities to farmers in Maguindanao

Sonora Dagadas, municipal agriculture officer of Datu Piang, said the new drying facilities will directly benefit as many as 3,000 farmers not only from this town but from other areas in the province as well.

“Ang mga drying pavements na ito ay bukas para sa lahat ng farmers. Katulad dito sa Brgy. Poblacion, may approximately 100 farmers tayo rito, at lahat sila ay makakagamit nito. Talagang malaking tulong ito para sa kanila,” Dagadas added.

The beneficiary-farmers in Datu Piang are members of cooperatives, which own the land where the solar drying pavements were constructed. The cooperatives donated the pavement sites to help their members in the production of their products.

“Malaki ang pasasalamat namin sa gobyerno na binigyan kami ng libreng solar dryer dahil di na kami mahihirapang pumunta sa malayong lugar para lang magpatuyo ng ani. Di na rin kami kailangan magbayad ng renta,” Saida Ungkakay, 60, chairman of the Farmers Association Cooperative in Brgy. Poblacion, said.

“Yung perang binabayad namin sa rent ay magagamit na namin sa ibang bagay, katulad ng pandagdag gastos sa pagmi-mill ng palay. Mas dadami ang produksyon namin ngayon, kung kaya’t malaking pasalamat namin na ito ay ibinigay sa aming mga magsasaka,” added Malaguia L. Pakandang, 60, also a member of the farmers’ cooperative.

The construction of the two projects started in 2016 and was completed last year. Each solar drying pavement measures 18 x 30 meters and a single pavement could dry up as many as 50 sacks of rice, coconut, or corn.

Eighteen other solar drying units were also built in the towns of Talayan, Guindulungan, Datu Saudi Ampatuan, Shariff Saydona Mustapha, and Mamasapano. Those facilities are scheduled for turnover to farmer-beneficiaries this week.

The regional office of the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries is HDAP’s partner line agency in implementing the projects. HDAP-ARMM was created to address the needs and provide immediate interventions to families in areas affected by violent encounters between the military and the rebels in previous years.

It aims at establishing a well-coordinated and systematic approach to address and mitigate the effects of disasters and calamities leading to a more peaceful and resilient autonomous Muslim region. (Bureau of Public Information)