By Manny Piñol
The Department of Agriculture (DA) will dispatch on Sunday a team of soil experts, solar irrigation engineers and digital technology experts to a former rebel camp in Mindanao to help Bangsamoro farmers prepare their area for an P8-B banana project in partnership with a group of foreign investors.
The IT team led by a Bangsamoro computer expert will use Satellite and drone-generated data and images to produce a digital map of the estimated 7,000 hectares located in and around Camp Abubakar, the main camp of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) which recently signed a peace agreement with the government.
The Soils Experts from the Bureau Soils and Water Management (BSWM) will conduct soil testing and analysis by taking samples from selected locations in the area.
The team of Solar-Powered Irrigation engineers will select the ideal sites in the five rivers in the area for the installation of solar panels and pumps to draw water for irrigation.
The Bangsamoro farmers who own the lands sought the support of the DA yesterday after signing a Memorandum of Agreement with French-Russian businessman Robert Gaspar for the development of their area into a modern Cavendish Banana plantation.
Gaspar represents TechIron Industries, Inc. and its partner, Switzerland-based Solway Investments Group, both minerals and mining groups which would like to venture into Aquaculture and Agriculture investments in the Philippines.
This developed following the visit of President Rody Duterte to Moscow in May 2017 which resulted in the opening of the Russian market to Philippine agriculture and fisheries products.
Gaspar said his group is eyeing the Russian and Eastern European market for the agriculture and fisheries products from the Philippines.
The digital map, soil analysis and Solar-Irrigation survey results will be submitted to the DA Secretary on Feb. 4 which then will be shared to the investors’ group.
“We would like to start with the projects right away because the market is huge and is just waiting for products from the Philippines,” Gaspar said yesterday.
The launching of the project is tentatively scheduled on Feb. 16 in Camp Abubakar.
(First three images show digital-generated maps while the three photos show the hand-made reference map prepared by the Bangsamoro farmers themselves which they showed to me when I visited the area two weeks ago. Photos by Mayette Tudlas)
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