DAVAO CITY, May 18 (PNA) — Maguindanao Governor Esmael Mangudadatu, whose province is considered as one of the most fertile agricultural in Mindanao, has proposed the sending of students, farmer leaders and agriculture professors to America’s Coachella Valley to learn modern agricultural technology which could spur the agricultural development of the area.
Called “Peace Farmers Program,” the project involves the selection of at least 12 Muslim, Christian and tribal students from the University of Southern Mindanao, the Mindanao State University and the Upi Agricultural School in Upi, Maguindanao who will be sent to Coachella Valley for two months along with at least three agriculture professors and three farmer leaders.
A project designed by his son and Buluan Vice Mayor King Jhazzer Mangudadatu, the “Peace Farmers Program” was inspired by a recent visit made by the governor and the vice mayor to the desert of Coachella Valley where farmers are operating solar-power tilapia and shrimp farms, vegetables, corn, mango, date palm and mango.
“What I saw truly amazed me and it inspired by son, King, to design a program where young agriculture students would undergo an on-that-job training program side by side with traditional farmer leaders and agriculture professors,” Gov. Mangudadatu said.
In an endorsement letter he forwarded to his father, Vice Mayor Mangudadatu said “If they could produce food in an arid and barren area, why could we not do the same in our province where we have fertile land and lakes and marshes teeming with fish?”
Gov. Mangudadatu said he has proposed a partnership between Maguindanao Province and the Aqua Farm Tech fisheries project in Thermal City owned by Fil-American Rocky French, grandson of an American World War II GI who fought in the Philippines and later stayed behind to marry a Filipina.
French, who was born in Tacurong, Sultan Kudarat, elected American citizenship and is considered as one of the pioneers of modern tilapia farming in Southern California.
His tilapia farm is run by solar power and draws water from geothermal wells. It produces live tilapia to markets as far as the East Coast and San Francisco.
Under the “Peace Farmers Program,” students, farmer leaders and professors selected for the project will be sent to the Aqua Tech Farm in California from where they will visit and work in the different farms to learn modern agriculture techniques.
“The reason why we have a very low agricultural productivity is because we have antiquated farming techniques,” Gov. Mangudadatu said.
Through the program, Gov. Mangudadatu hopes that new farming technology will be transferred to agriculture stakeholders in the province and spur the agricultural development of Maguindanao.
He said he has submitted the project design of Vice Mayor Mangudadatu to the Sangguniang Panlalawigan under Vice Governor Lester Sinsuat for the approval of the provincial legislative body and an initial funding support of PHP10 million.
Gov. Mangudadatu said he will also seek the support of the American government through Ambassador Philip Goldberg and President Benigno S. Aquino III through the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process. (PNA)