THE Bangsamoro Government, through the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Agrarian Reform (Mafar) Sulu Provincial Office, distributed post-harvest and marketing equipment to fisherfolk cooperatives and associations in the province of Sulu to help increase income from their catch, officials said Tuesday, August 11, 2026.
Engineer Alfie Iribani, Mafar-Sulu provincial director, said the support packages include 10 units of 10-layer portable smokehouses, 10 pressure cookers, 10 vacuum packagers, 10 fish-drying processing sets, five solar freezers, and four fish vending sets.
“These units are intended to help fisherfolk process, preserve, package, and market fish and other fishery products, allowing them to extend product shelf life, minimize post-harvest losses, and add value to their catch, Iribani said in a statement.
The equipment was turned over to the recipients during a ceremony at the MAFAR-Sulu Fisheries Compound on Friday, August 7, in Jolo, Sulu.
Iribani said the distribution of the post-harvest and marketing equipment is implemented by Mafar’s Fisheries Post-Harvest and Marketing Division and funded under General Appropriations Act of Bangsamoro (GAAB) 2025.
During the turnover, Iribani underscored the value of the support, urging recipients to properly maintaining them to ensure long-term benefits.
Farida Abduhasa, OIC-Chief of the Fisheries Division of Mafar-Sulu, said the intervention would help improve the handling and marketing of fishery products.
“These modern post-harvest and marketing facilities will significantly reduce post-harvest losses, extend product shelf life, and provide higher market value for fish and fishery products that you produce,” Abduhasad said.
The intervention forms part of the Bangsamoro Government’s continued efforts to strengthen local fisheries enterprises, improve food security, and expand livelihood opportunities for fisherfolk in the province of Sulu. (SunStar Zamboanga)