Amas, Kidapawan City – The province of Cotabato will be the pilot area for Mindanao Development Authority’s Rolling Tienda.
MINDA Chairman Emmanuel F. Piñol bared this yesterday, March 30,in a meeting with Cotabato Governor Nancy A. Catamco and provincial government department heads at the Governor’s Office where Self Sustaining Food Security Strategy was discussed.
Under the Rolling Tienda scheme, each legislative district will be given an initial fund of P150K and a transport vehicle to ferry basic commodities and products and deliver the same to families in the barangays.
Governor Catamco appreciated the initiative of Sec. Piñol and identified the municipalities of Pigcawayan for District 1, Arakan for District 2, and Banisilan for District 3 as pilot towns for the Rolling Tienda.
At the same time, she instructed the Provincial Cooperative Development Office to recommend a cooperative in each of the municipalities to serve as partner institution that will manage the rolling store.
Governor Catamco said aside from the Rolling Tienda, the province will also heed the former Department of Agriculture Secretary’s recommendation to utilize more upland areas for rice production on top of existing rice farmlandsto boost harvest especially during lean months, which are usually from July to October.
“Since we are on lockdown and it is not certain when this will end, it is imperative that we anticipate problems and draw corresponding solutions should this situation be extended,” Catamco said.
Piñol, also a former governor of Cotabato, urged the agriculture department to ensure that proper data onsupply and consumption of rice by Cotabateños and an accurate inventory of rice supply in National Food Authority warehouses in the province are gathered.
He said these data are crucial in projecting and proper planning to address and sustain food security of the province.//pgo-idcd//
