Sorghum program to be launched in Bangsamoro, IP communities

DAVAO CITY — A sorghum program will be launched in Mindanao next year, starting with indigenous people (IP) communities and parts of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), the Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA) announced last week.

The program will be jumpstarted by the 25 metric tons of sorghum seeds donated by American firm Scotts Seeds Co., which is expected to arrive in Davao City by February.

In a statement, Secretary Emmanuel F. Piñol, MinDA chair, said the propagation of “sorghum in Mindanao, a grains crop and very rich in protein, is expected to boost the livestock and poultry sector, including Halal meat and poultry production.”

The initial farm areas eyed for development are IP communities in Davao del Sur and the BARMM provinces of Lanao del Sur, Maguindanao, Basilan, Sulu, and Tawi-Tawi.

“The stakeholders of these areas asked for support in developing their Halal livestock and poultry industry,” Mr. Piñol said.

BARMM is aiming to become a halal meat and poultry supplier within the Brunei-Indonesia-Malaysia-Philippines East ASEAN Growth Area as well as the Middle East market.

Earlier, Mr. Piñol also proposed that sorghum be used in helping fight the Fusarium Wilt, or Panama disease, in Cavendish banana farms in Davao del Norte and other parts of the Davao Region.

He explained that planting sorghum crop in affected banana farms helps the soil recover from the infestation as well as provide an alternative income to small-scale banana growers and exporters. — Carmelito Q. Francisco