JICA turns over P482M worth of subprojects to Mindanao farmers

The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) said Wednesday it has turned over 47 subprojects amounting to P482 million to farmers in Mindanao.

In a statement, JICA said the subprojects include rural infrastructure and agriculture, agroforestry, and agribusiness development.

“Said infrastructure includes farm-to-market roads and bridges in Lanao del Norte and Cotabato; irrigation facilities in Bukidnon and Sultan Kudarat; and post-harvest facilities in Lanao del Norte and Cotabato,” JICA said.

Among the crops covered by the turned over subprojects are coconut, rice, rubber, corn, coffee, and cacao, it added.

The subprojects are under the ongoing cooperation of JICA and Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) called Mindanao Sustainable Agrarian and Agriculture Development (MINSAAD) project that seeks to boost the competitiveness and sustainability of the agriculture sector in the Philippines.

The subprojects were turned over to farmers on February 26.

“There is no doubt about the importance of agriculture to the Philippine economy, with its potential to uplift the lives of Filipino farmers, often among the poorest in the country. Through MinSAAD, JICA aims to lay the foundations our farmers need to maximize agriculture’s potential and improve their lives,” JICA Philippines senior representative Hirosawa Jin said.

Under MinSAAD, farmers and agrarian reform beneficiaries in 27 municipalities in Mindanao stand to benefit through small-scale agriculture infrastructure and capacity building.

The Philippines is an agricultural country, with more than 40% of its 300,000-square kilometer land area allocated to agriculture.

Despite this, data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) Family Income and Expenditure Survey 2015 showed that poverty incidence remains high in the farming sector, at 34.3%.

“By supporting the agriculture sector through MinSAAD, we are optimistic that local farmers can now scale up their production, and expand their markets,” Hirosawa said. — BM, GMA News