The Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA) will introduce the Salam Brotherhood Farming Program in Taraka, Lanao del Sur this month where Christian and Muslim rice farmers will jointly develop a 200-hectare rice farm served by two Solar-Powered Irrigation Systems (SPIS) to produce the Mindanao Halal Premium Rice.
The Salam Brotherhood Farming, which aims to bring together Muslim and Christian farmers in a technology sharing strategy, is a program which I designed when I was Governor of Cotabato in 2002.
It was aimed at easing tensions between Christians and Muslims which were at dangerous level shortly after the “All Out War” declared by then President Joseph Estrada in 2001.
In Taraka, which invested an estimated P100-M to build a Solar-Powered Water Sytem for its 25,000 residents and six units of SPIS to irrigate 700 hectares, Salam Brotherhood Farming will involve outstanding rice farmers from my home province, Cotabato, who will be partnered with local farmers.
Together, they will work shoulder to shoulder to develop an estimated 200 hectares, the first area to be covered by irrigation water from the two SPIS units which would be fully operational before the end of August.
For one cropping season, the Christian rice farmers will stay in Taraka as they show their Muslim brothers the modern technology in planting Premium Rice Varieties.
There will also be actual field demonstration on the use of modern rice farming equipment like the mechanical transplanter and harvester.
The Muslim farmers, on the other hand, will provide guidance to their Christian brothers on how to produce Halal Premium Rice by observing Islamic standards for Halal food production.
After the cropping season, the Christian members of Salam Brotherhood Farming would withdraw from the area and go home or be fielded in other areas where Muslim farmers need technology transfer.
The idea of producing Halal Premium Rice in Taraka was introduced by EcoWeb, a non-government organization advocacy organic farming engaged by MinDA as one of its partners.
At least two hybrid rice seeds, both considered Premium Rice, will be used in the 200-hectare Halal Premium Rice production area.
These are the US 88 Long Grains of Seedworks Philippines and the Kimbee Long Grains of Ramgo Seeds International.
Both seed companies are supporting the program by allowing the Maranao farmers to plant the rice seeds payable upon harvest while several organic fertilizer production groups have also offered their products on a pay-after-harvest scheme.
A young businessman from my hometown, M’lang, Engr. Leroy Villasor, who owns a modern rice processing center, has agreed to support the program by covering the production expenses to be deducted from the harvest.
The Taraka Halal Premium Rice will be packed in 5-kilo and 25-kilo bags to be sold initially to local consumers in Taraka and Lanao del Sur.
The Director of the Philippine Mechanization Center (PhilMech) of the Department of Agriculture, Baldwin Jallorina, has pledged to allocate one modern rice processing facility for Taraka which is expected to be ready for the next cropping season.
The Taraka Halal Premium Rice Production comes with the support of the Development Bank of the Philippines which funded the Solar-Powered Irrigation Systems (SPIS), PhilRice through Asst. Secretary Dr. Sailila Abdula, the BARMM Agriculture Ministry, EcoWeb, the private sector and the Mindanao Development Authority as the lead agency.
“We hope to produce more Halal Premium Rice with the participation of other towns in the Basak Region of Lanao del Sur,” Taraka Mayor Nashiba Sumagayan said.
Lanao del Sur Governor Mamintal “Bombit” Adiong said he would like to see the Taraka Initiative replicated in the other rice farming towns of the province which a total estimated area of 75,000.
The production of Halal Premium Rice in Taraka and other neighboring towns could make Lanao del Sur a major producer of a commodity with huge market potentials in other provinces in the Bangsamoro Region and neighboring Muslim countries like Brunei, Indonesia and Malaysia.
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(All photos were screengrabbed from a video prepared by the media team of the Mindanao Development Authority.)
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