MORE PROJECTS. Mindanao Development Authority Secretary Emmanuel Piñol (center) discusses the development projects being poured in by the agency in Taraka, Lanao del Sur, with Mayor Nashida Sumagayan (left) and Vice-Mayor Amenodin Sumagayan. MinDA has chosen the town for rural development because of its high poverty incidence. (PNA photo by Che Palicte)
DAVAO CITY – As the projects keep on pouring in in Taraka, Lanao del Sur, the Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA) said it wants to transform the town as the rice granary of the province, an official said Wednesday.
Secretary Emmanuel Piñol said MinDA chose Taraka for rural development primarily because of its 66.86 percent poverty incidence.
Piñol said he hopes the establishment of the six solar-powered water systems to provide drinking and irrigation water in the town would eventually change the lives of the residents and eventually curb poverty incidence in the area.
With a project cost of PHP80 million, the town's water system will be financed by the local government unit (LGU) through a loan to be obtained under the MinDA water program.
It will also be with the assistance from the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) and the Development Bank of the Philippines.
“The solar-powered irrigation system (SPIS) will be the key to change everything,” Piñol said, noting that Taraka rice farmers plant only once a year.
"With the SPIS, they will be able to plant three times a year," he added.
“In our estimate, the town of Taraka will earn about PHP300 million in rice farming alone. How much more if they milled their own rice and sell it as finish product?” he added.
Taraka has an average production of three metric tons (MT) a year, which is seen to increase to six metric tons within a year with the help of the SPIS, Piñol said.
“Two of the units will have filtration facilities to provide drinking water to the town's 27,000-residents while providing irrigation water to at least 1,200 hectares of rice farms in Taraka,” he said.
Piñol added that the loan agreement between Taraka and DBP and the start of the construction of the SPIS, along with the other projects, have been scheduled middle of March this year.
Aside from the water projects, MinDA will also establish a chicken and egg production project for every village, modern rice farming with complete value chain, corn and Sorghum farming complete with marketing agreement, a dairy goat multiplier farm, duck raising for egg production and tilapia fish cage farming.
A learning site for rural development to be named Maranao New Hope Agricultural Learning Centre (MAHAL Centre) will also be established as a joint project of the MinDA and the Taraka LGU.
Piñol said a computerized database that will contain all the socio-economic profiles of families in the town will also be established by MinDA and the Taraka LGU.
Taraka Mayor Nashida Sumagayan and Vice Mayor Amenodin Sumagayan vowed to sustain the projects and "not to fail" the Duterte administration for trusting the town.
“By all means, we will do everything to sustain these projects. We thank Secretary Piñol for helping us,” Sumagayan said.
Taraka is a 4th class municipality in Lanao del Sur composed of three barangays and has a population of about 27,000. (PNA)
