DAVAO CITY — The Department of Agriculture (DA) on April 14, 2023, allocated a total of P72.8 million to the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Agrarian Reform (MAFAR) of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM)) for the 2023–2026 implementation of the Coconut Farmers and Industry Development Plan (CFIDP)
A Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) was signed by DA Senior Undersecretary Domingo Panganiban and MAFAR Minister Mohammad Yacob on April 14. The MOA forged the DA and MAFAR partnership for the “Coconut-Based Coffee and/or Cacao Enterprise Development Project (C3EDP).
Based on the MOA, the yearly allocation for MAFAR is P13 million for 2023, P15.6M for 2024, P18.2M for 2025, and P26M for 2026.
The project will be funded from the 10% annual allocation from the Coconut Farmers and Industry Trust Fund under the Republic Act 11524. The law aims to consolidate the benefits due to coconut farmers and expedite the delivery of said benefits to attain increased productivity and incomes, alleviate poverty, achieve social equality, and rehabilitate and modernize the coconut industry.
“It covers the provisions for farm improvements through diversification and/or intercropping with coffee and cacao, including providing agro-inputs and technical assistance and establishing or upgrading processing plants, machinery, and equipment, among others,” Panganiban said.
“It is an honor for me as senior undersecretary to sign this agreement and hopefully we shall be able to support whatever we can as far as providing funds for the Muslim Mindanao,” Panganiban said.
The C3EDP, one of the CFIDP components, will be implemented by the DA-High Value Crops Development Program (HVCDP). MAFAR will enhance the coffee and cacao industries sustainably, empower high-value crop producers, and improve farmers’ income.
The C3EDP aims to support smallholder coconut farmers through intercropping with Coffee and Cacao, maximize the use of coconut lands, increase local crop sufficiency, develop community-based enterprises, and capacitate farmers to conserve and protect natural resources.
“We are very fortunate that BARMM now feels the support of the national government. Thank you very much to his excellency, President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr, for the support that he made a priority for BARMM for the building of peace and development,” Minister Yacob said.
