COTABATO CITY—In an effort to uplift the farming sector in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), the regional government has donated a four-wheeled, 40 HP tractor to an organization of agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs) in Tawi-Tawi.
The distribution was made Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Agrarian Reform (MAFAR) on March 13, 2023, under the Climate Resilient Farm Productivity Support Project (CRFPSP), as part of its continuing efforts to promote farm mechanization in the region.
The recipient of the tractor is the Tawi-Tawakan ARB Producer’s Cooperative, located in the municipality of Bongao, Tawi-Tawi.
According to Hasan Tahil, the cooperative’s chairman, the tractor will greatly benefit their farming operations and help increase their productivity and income.
“We shall be indelibly appreciative to MAFAR for fulfilling our long-held desire to own a farm tractor. To boost the production of our farm, we’ve always desired a tractor but we couldn’t afford,” Tahil said.
“We had no idea that someone from the government would make our dream come true. We are quite fortunate that our farm now has an additional power—indeed, a superpower,” Tahil added.
Meanwhile, MAFAR is also planning to provide more farm machinery and equipment to other ARB organizations in the region in the coming months.
“We will continue to provide them with the necessary tools and resources to make their farming operations more productive and sustainable,” MAFAR Minister Mohammad Yacob said.
With the donation of the tractor, the Tawi-Tawi farmer organizations in the region can look forward to better farm yields and improved livelihoods. (Kasan Usop Jr./BIO with reports from MAFAR)
