Maguindanao farmers to benefit from solar dryer projects

• Source: http://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1021233
• Sunday, January 14, 2018

By Edwin Fernandez (PNA)

DATU PIANG, Maguindanao -- Some 3,000 farmers here stand to benefit from two multi-purpose solar drying pavements worth Php400, 000 each, which the autonomous regional government provided to farmers’ cooperatives.

On Wednesday, the Humanitarian and Development Assistance Program - Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (HDAP-ARMM) turned over two units of post-harvest facilities for Barangays Poblacion and Dato, both in Datu Piang.

Sonora Dagadas, Datu Piang municipal agriculture officer, said the new drying facilities would directly benefit as many as 3,000 farmers not only from this town but from other areas in the province as well.

“All farmers can use this facility, cost effective and helpful to small farmers. Also, it would mean more profits,” Dagadas said.

The beneficiaries are members of cooperatives who own lands where the solar drying pavements are constructed.

“We used to go to other areas to dry our palay and corn crops and that would mean more expenses. Now that dryer is here, we can save and increase our profit,” Saida Ungkakay, 60, chair of the Farmers Association Cooperative in Barangay Poblacion, said.

Started in 2016, the two projects were completed late last year and officially turned over to the beneficiaries.

In a statement, HDAP-ARMM said 18 other solar drying units were also built in the towns of Talayan, Guindulungan, Datu Saudi Ampatuan, Shariff Saydona Mustapha, and Mamasapano.

The new drying facilities were scheduled for turnover to farmer-beneficiaries this week, HDAP-ARMM said.

HDAP-ARMM was created to address the needs and provide immediate interventions to families in areas affected by violent encounters between the military and rebels in previous years.