Native farm, fishery products featured in Cotabato trade show

COTABATO CITY, Philippines - Local tourists have been viewing since Thursday a mini trade fair in the city showcasing indigenous and organic Moro food and fishery products from five southern provinces.

The trade show at the covered court here of the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries (DAF) in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) is one of the highlights of this week’s commemoration of the ARMM’s 26^th founding anniversary.

The ARMM covers Maguindanao and Lanao del Sur, which are both in mainland Mindanao, and the island provinces of Basilan, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi.

Kadiguia Rakman Abdullah, chief information officer of DAF-ARMM, said some tourists even procured products on display.

“Apparently they were fascinated with the organic food items neatly piled in stalls assigned to each of the five ARMM provinces,” Abdullah said.

The DAF-ARMM covered court is located inside the 32-hectare regional government compound, now dotted with farm machineries parked in certain spots, ready for dispersal by the office of Regional Gov. Mujiv Hataman to different peasant groups.

“It feels so nice seeing people learn a lot about what Moro, Christian and Lumad farmers and fishermen in the autonomous region produce and sell in the markets,” Abdullah said.

Officials toured the trade fair along with guests and journalists from across Mindanao Thursday, the day personnel of different ARMM agencies celebrated the region’s 26^th Charter Day.

The ARMM is the country’s only constitutionally-mandated region, covered with a charter, the Republic Act 9054.

The ARMM government has its Office of the Regional Governor and a 24-member Regional Legislative Assembly, which are touted as the region’s Little Malacañang and Little Congress, respectively.

Hataman has distributed no less than P1 billion worth of farm machineries, tools, fertilizers and rice and corn seedlings to thousands of his constituent-farmers since his election on May 13, 2013.

The equipment and farm inputs he dispersed through DAF-ARMM were purchased with funds from the national office of the Department of Agriculture and grants from the Anak Mindanao partylist.

ARMM’s executive secretary, Laisa Alamia, concurrent caretaker of the region’s agriculture department, said she is thankful to employees of the agency for helping put up the mini-fair, which she and other officials opened to public viewing on Thursday morning.