A rice threshing machine acquired through the FAO-MAFAR BARMM project funded by KOICA being delivered to one of the beneficiary communities.

Members of four community-based organizations (CBOs) in Datu Montawal and Sultan Mastura in the Province of Maguindanao got a much-needed boost to their livelihoods as FAO, in partnership with the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Agrarian Reform of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (MAFAR-BARMM), distributed this September several units of rice threshing machines for their use.

Pendatun Patarasa, Assistant to the Minister for Special Concerns of MAFAR-BARMM, said that the machinery are meant to support the beneficiary CBOs by allowing them to earn additional income by increasing the efficiency of their production as well as to help improve the quality and safety of the rice crop to be processed. He further encouraged the CBOs to manage and maintain the machinery given to them so that these may last long and benefit even more farmers in the communities.

The machinery are part of the interventions under the “Support for Agriculture and Agribusiness Enterprises in Mindanao for Sustainable Development” project, which is being supported by the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA). The initiative aims to contribute to the development of agriculture and agribusiness in the provinces of North Cotabato and Maguindanao as well as its surrounding areas as a way to reduce poverty and ultimately result in inclusive growth.

The strategy is to build the capacity of farmers and fisherfolk to effectively integrate into the agriculture value chain through the adoption of improved technologies and enhanced market linkages. This would lead to increased agricultural productivity and income-generating capacity as well as improved food quality and safety for consumers.