Former rebels go into high-value crop production

TANGCAL, Lanao del Sur – "Let us start small with seedlings as our capital and develop into big producers," remarked Mike Cedic, who was confident that farming peanuts could bring additional income to him and his fellow farmers. Although he was referring to his own situation, this statement could well be a metaphor for Mindanao as a whole.

Mike Cedic was among the 284 former Moro National Liberation Front rebels who were trained on specific techniques to diversify into higher value crop production. Each of the participants was assisted to formalize a marketing agreement with Badrodin Dima, a major peanut supplier in Iligan City of the popular Cheding’s peanut products which guarantees a reliable market for their produce.

The former combatants are graduates of the USAID-funded Emergency Livelihood Assistance program (ELAP) and the Livelihood Enhancement and Peace (LEAP) Program, which helped them make the transition to productive corn and rice farmers.

Using proceeds from their newly-enhanced farming activities, the participants will purchase seedlings for their peanut production.

MNLF State Chairman and Tangcal Municipal Mayor Sultan Abdulazis A. M. Batingolo says, "We are very grateful for the assistance, because from the very beginning of the peace agreement between the MNLF and GRP in 1996, the Philippine government and USAID have given so much help to our war-torn communities."

The training program emphasized the need for both crop diversification and rotation to improve soil condition, reduce fertilizer use, and enhance productivity. Diversifying into higher value crops like peanut offers an opportunity for additional income, and rotating corn or rice farming with peanut farming prevents the recurrence of pests and diseases that affect crop yield. Peanut planting also increased the amount of nitrogen in the soil, thereby minimizing the need of chemical fertilizers.

Armed with the new production know-how and provided with a ready market for their produce, the farmers have committed to plant 1.5-3-hctares of their lots with the peanut crop.

The Northern Mindanao Peanut Industry Association Inc. (NMPIAI), Department of Agriculture RFU-X and the USAID-funded Growth with Equity in Mindanao (GEM) program under its Targeted Commodity Expansion Program provided technical and marketing assistance for the training workshops in six areas in the Lanao provinces.