Bangsamoro farmers to benefit from solar dryer projects

Pigcawayan, North Cotabato- Farmers here stand to benefit from multi-purpose solar drying pavements worth Php 408,000.00, which the Bangsamoro Autonomous Regional Government provided to farmers’ cooperatives.

On Friday, Nov. 12, the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Agrarian Reform turned over post-harvest facilities in Barangay Lower Bager.

Director for Agriculture Services Ismail Guiamel said the new drying facilities would directly benefit more or less 80 farmers not only from this area but also from other areas of barangay.

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

The beneficiaries are members of cooperatives who own lands where the solar drying pavement is 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, and we can save and increase our profit,” Samsudin Binasing, 47, chair of the Neketan Farmers Cooperative, said.

Starting this year, the four projects were completed and officially turned over to the farmer-beneficiaries.

In a statement, Engr. Ashnaira Abdullah said three other solar drying units were also built in the towns of Lumbatan, Lanao del Sur, Sapalan, DOS, Maguindanao and Manulanen, Pikit, North Cotabato.

MPDP was created to address the needs of farmers and provide immediate interventions where they can dry various agricultural crops such as rice and corn to increase income.