FOOD SUFFICIENCY. An officer of a farmers’ cooperative signs documents for the financial intervention during a loan assistance program extended to them by the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in the Muslim Mindanao government in Cotabato City on Wednesday (Aug. 28, 2024). To ensure food sufficiency in the region, the Ministry of Agriculture, Fishery and Agrarian Reform (MAFAR) lends a PHP100,000 cash loan each to 23 farmer cooperatives in the area for more business engagements. (Photo courtesy of MAFAR-BARMM)
COTABATO CITY – To empower farmers' cooperatives in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), the agriculture ministry has granted 23 cooperatives a PHP100,000 loan each to fund income-generating activities.
Minister Mohammad Yacob of BARMM-Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Agrarian Reform (MAFAR) said the financial package is part of the ministry’s Loan for Enhancement for Necessary Development Strategy (MAFAR-LENDS) Program.
“As part of our mandate to support farmers and fisherfolk in achieving their goals and improving their livelihoods, we are proud to serve as a key instrument in helping to enhance your quality of life,” Yacob said in a statement Thursday.
He said the cash loan distributed Wednesday intends to provide and sustain the economic growth and development of every farmer, fisherfolk, and agrarian reform beneficiary (ARB) in the region.
Muslimin Salih, chairman of the Magungaya Sa Langgapanan Farmer Fisherfolk Cooperative, lauded the BARMM government for supporting the region’s food producers to ensure the sustainability of food supplies. (PNA)
