BARMM says it sustained rice production, food supply amid COVID-19

The Bangsamoro Government on Thursday said it sustained rice production and the supply of food commodities across the region despite the difficulties of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.

Citing a report of the Philippine Statistics Authority, the Bangsamoro Government’s Director for Agriculture Services Ismail Guiamel said palay production in BARMM increased to 196,987 metric tons in the first quarter of 2020 from 170,380 metric tons in 2019.

“Pagdating sa impact ng Covid-19, Alhamdulillah at naging tuloy-tuloy ‘yung pagbibigay natin ng serbisyo sa rehiyon. We were still able to maintain food supply in BARMM,” Guiamel said in a statement.

According to the Bangsamoro Government, the factors that contributed to rice productivity were boosted by the harmonized interventions of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Agrarian Reform (MAFAR).

The Bangsamoro Government added that the interventions include provision of farming technical inputs, support to farmers in terms of access to market, and distribution of farm machinery, seedlings, infra-support, and equipment.

Meanwhile, Guiamel considered the milestone as “seldom” due to natural disasters and the emergence of the pandemic. He also said there is a healthy synergy between the ministry and play growers in BARMM.

“We have plenty of high-value crops in BARMM—palay in Maguindanao, corn in Lanao del Sur, while our island provinces have cassava, seaweeds production, and fishing activities,” Guiamel said.

The Bangsamoro Government said the MAFAR has started to properly allocate projects based on geographical conditions and characteristics of the areas through georeferencing and geo-tagging. — Joahna Lei Casilao/BM, GMA News