Farmers and swampland fisher folk in 13 North Cotabato villages that are now part of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) have received PHP84 million worth of farm equipment to boost production and income, officials said Tuesday.

Minister Naguib Sinarimbo of the Ministry of the Interior and Local Government (MILG) said the farm support packages were distributed at the Midsayap town cluster of the BARMM’s Special Geographic Area (SGA) on Monday afternoon.

Brand-new tractors, rice planters, corn and rice harvesters, and 300 units of motorized fishing bancas with accessories were among the equipment handed over to beneficiaries.

Sinarimbo said the assistance aims to improve the livelihood productivity of the remote villages, as part of the Bangsamoro Integrated Rehabilitation and Development (BIRD) program.

He said the BIRD program, managed by the MILG, is focused on providing interventions to the BARMM-SGA through three pillars of implementation: governance, community infrastructure, and livelihood.

“We also have training for the farmers and local officials of the 63 barangays alike for the projects given them,” Sinarimbo said.

He said SGA barangays have agreed to provide funds from their resources or a portion of national taxes to manage, operate, and maintain the provided equipment pool. (PNA)