THE Department of Agriculture (DA) turned over Friday, August 22, 2025, some P27.8 million worth of machinery and support to the City Government of Isabela in Basilan province, farmers’ groups, and schools to strengthen the local agricultural sector and increase farmers’ income.
This includes livestock projects such as P2.7 million for the Cattle Multiplier Farm Project of the United Workers Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries Multi-Purpose Cooperative (UWARBMPC) and P2.5 million for the Magic Agriculture Cooperative, according to the Isabela City Information Office.
Also part of the turnover are the P2.97 million Solar-Powered Greenhouse with Hydroponics System for the Isabela City Government, a four-wheel drive tractor under the High-Value Crops Development Program worth P1.59 million, and a project for the construction of Cold Storage Expansion worth P15 million.
Five schools received assorted garden tools, vermicast, and calamansi seedlings.
The Isabela City Information Office said the recipient schools include Latuan Elementary School, Calvario Peak Elementary, Malamawi National High School, Maligue Elementary School, and Ismael Integrated School.
The DA-Zamboanga Peninsula has also set aside P417,540 for the purchase of hybrid rice seeds and complete fertilizer for farmers.
Other interventions include corn seeds, cassava strippers, dryers, fertilizers, assorted garden tools, vegetable seeds, and other equipment for various associations such as the Baluno Farmers Association, Samahang Makakalikasan (Samaka), and IDCAF Farm School in Baluno village.
Basilan Representative Yusop Alano, who attended the turnover ceremony, emphasized the importance of modernization in farming to achieve higher production and income for farmers.
The DA turned over the machinery and support to the identified recipients in partnership with the City Government of Isabela, headed by Mayor Sitti Djalia Turabin-Hataman. (SunStar Zamboanga)