Vegetable-Growing Project to Help in Marawi Rehabilitation

It’s still going to take a while before Marawi can fully recover from last year’s siege, but its rehabilitation is well underway.

The most recent organization that has taken part in rehabilitating Marawi is entrepreneurship advocacy group Go Negosyo. The group has set up a vegetable-growing project in Lanao del Sur to help establish a sustainable livelihood for the residents who were affected by the siege.

Aside from Go Negosyo, the signing ceremony on Tuesday was attended by representatives of the province and hybrid rice firm SL Agritech.

According to chairman Henry Lim Bon Liong, SL Agritech currently maintains a 50-hectare area solely for planting two hybrid rice varieties to help increase the yield of 50 farmers in the municipality of Bubong near Marawi City. He said that these areas can also be identified for vegetable farming.

“Lanao [del Sur] can serve as the major rice granary in Mindanao, and since it’s the summer capital of Mindanao, it’s very conducive also for planting vegetables also,” Mr. Lim added.

With suitable irrigation, some parts of the hybrid rice farm can be used for vegetable farming according to local officials.

Provincial agriculturist Mohamadali D. Macaraya said that it’s possible for Marawi or Lanao del Sur to supply major vegetables in the future to the cities in Mindanao and nearby provinces like Cebu. Similar to the highland regions around Baguio City, which supplies vegetables for much of Luzon.

Once the livelihood programs, irrigation, as well as the resolution of the housing crisis of those who were displaced by the Marawi conflict, the plan can move forward said Macaraya.

via Business World / Anna Gabriela A. Mogato