COTABATO CITY August (PIA) --To facilitate the crafting of the Bangsamoro Food Security Plan (BFSP), the Bangsamoro Planning and Development Authority (BPDA) in partnership with the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Agrarian Reform (MAFAR) and the World Food Programme (WFP) joined forces in a planning-workshop from August 23 to 27, 2021.

This workshop aims to develop a comprehensive plan that would guarantee food security in the Bangsamoro region by improving accessibility and availability of sufficient, safe, and nutritious food for all according to BPDA.

“We are the first region in the Philippines that was able to organize a regional task force on food security and the first region to launch food security roadmap. We are doing this effort to institutionalize the programming and budgeting of programs and projects related to food security in the BARMM,” BPDA Director General Engr. Mohajirin T. Ali said.

The Bangsamoro Food Sufficiency Task Force is an inter-agency group that is mandated to formulate the BFSP which shall outline the regional priorities based on the comprehensive understanding of the problem related to access, availability and the utilization of food in the region.

Ali added that he is looking forward to a more coordinated BARMM efforts, strengthened linkages between the national, regional, and local government, and regular monitoring of programs and projects related to food security.

WFP Representative Darren Espaňola also expressed his team's commitment and support in addressing the food insecurity and malnutrition in the Bangsamoro Region. (Allan Biwang, Jr.-PIA Cotabato City/With reports from BPDA-BARMM)