Cotabato City (June 29, 2020)—The Bangsamoro Government on Sunday, June 28, has organized a harvest festival on a 150-hectare model farm for community-based hybrid rice production at Barangay Sapalan, Datu Odin Sinsuat in Maguindanao.
The event, spearheaded by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Agrarian Reform (MAFAR-BARMM), showcased the importance of technology on hybrid rice productions for the model farm.
The ministry also conducted field visitation and crop-cutting activities, and provided information dissemination on inbred and hybrid rice productions.
MAFAR Minister Dr. Mohammad Yacob said this is to accustom farmers in the Bangsamoro region on hybrid rice production and its economic impact.
“Our demo farm is undeniably the fruit of your (farmers’) coordination, effort, and unity, especially with the support of our Local Government Unit (LGU),” Yacob said.
He said the harvest festival showcases the accomplishment and laborious efforts of farmers and a clear manifestation that rice production, including harvesting and marketing in the region is being closely monitored by the ministry.
The Bangsamoro Government also turned over farming equipment such as one (1) set of Walk-Behind Transplanter and one (1) set of Rice Thresher machine to further improve the rice productions of Brgy. Sapalan community.
Alex A. Ibrahim, President of Local Farm Technicians – BARMM said, “Before, we can only harvest a maximum of 40-sacks of rice per hectare. Now, we were able to procure almost 115-120 sacks of rice per hectare after we utilized hybrid production. This is such a great help for us farmers especially with our profit.”
Meanwhile, Hon. Cheryl Rose Mary Ann Rose F. Lu- Sinsuat, Mayor of Datu Odin Sinsuat (DOS) Maguindanao, expressed her commitment in supporting the activities of BARMM.
“The LGU of DOS also showcased a MAFARlengke Program yesterday in our municipality. We just want to say ‘Thank you’ as you have chosen our municipality again to introduce this model farm on hybrid rice productions,” Sinsuat expressed.
Philippine Statistics Authority – BARMM, Bureau of Plant Industry, National Irrigation Administration, Municipal and Provincial Agricultural Officers, Local Farmer Technicians, and around 500 farmers and stakeholders from 36 municipalities of Maguindanao participated and witnessed the demonstration farm of hybrid rice varieties. (Bureau of Public Information)
