Farmers work in a rice field in Mamasapano, Maguindanao. INQUIRER file photo / ERWIN MASCARIÑAS

MAMASAPANO, Maguindanao – Near the site of the bloody encounter that killed 44 Special Action Force(SAF) troops, 18 Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) fighters and five civilians here more than nine years ago, farmers harvested rice which they sold at lower price to Muslims observing the holy month of Ramadan.

Lawyer Suharto Ambolodto, a member of parliament of the Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA), said the “Ramadan Rice,” 7-tonner variety was being sold at P45 per kilo or at P1,125 for every 25-kilo bag, lower than the prevailing price of P54 per kilo or the P1,350 per 25-kilo bag in the market.

The rice was planted by the Al-Qhalid Farmers Marketing Cooperative (AFMC) near the piece of land where the bloody incident happened in 2015. Ramadan rice is part of the “Bigasan ng Bangsamorong Magsasaka”” (BBM), the rice project that Ambolodto and the cooperative had started in Mamasapano in support of the government’s drive to bring down the price of rice.

It was launched through the Al-Rahman Farmers Multi-Purpose Cooperative with the aim of producing “palay” at a more competitive price and make rice more affordable to farmers and consumers particularly within the area known as the SPMS Box, or the adjoining towns of Shariff Aguak, Pagatin (Datu Saudi Ampatuan), Mamasapano and Shariff Saydona Mustapha, where the violent extremist group Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) operate.

Ambolodto said that residents in these areas had repeatedly been displaced during armed clashes between government forces and the BIFF.

“This initiative is a huge relief to the cooperative members and their families as they observe the holy month of Ramadan,” said Kamad G. Hasim, chair of the AFMC Board.

He said that with the support of Al-Rahman Farmers Multi-Purpose Cooperative (MPC), they prioritized selling the locally produced 7-tonner rice to 600 families in Barangay Tukanalipao.

The “Ramadan Rice” was planted near the site of bloody Mamasapano encounter in 2015 and was officially launched on March 9 or three days before the official start of Ramadan.

AFMC partnered with Al-Rahman Farmers MPC and the security sector in pursuing the BBM rice project to ensure that farmers plant, nurture and harvest their palay safely and free from the threats and harassments by armed extremists operating in the area.

Ambolodto said the Philippine Army’s 601st Infantry (Unifier) Brigade, 33rd (Makabayan) Infantry Battalion, the 6th Civil Military Operation and Naval Forces Reserve in Western Mindanao provided the necessary security during the planting season and until the harvesting time of palay in the area.

In September last year, the cooperative already exceeded the 5 metric ton per hectare productivity target that the Department of Agriculture set for 2025. The cooperative posted a 9.3 MT yield per hectare.

Ambolodto added that in January this year, farmer-cooperators again posted a yield of 11 metric tons per hectare.

Published Date: March 23, 2024