MARAWI CITY--The Bangsamoro government's Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Agrarian Reform (MAFAR) through the Task Force Bangon Marawi (TFBM) turned over last week the first Solar Powered Irrigation System (SPIS) in Lanao del Sur.

The P10-million SPIS, which was funded under MAFAR-TFBM seeks to address the water shortage problem of the farmers.

Water shortage is one of the main problems of the farmers in Barangay Cabasaran in Butig and its nearby areas for several years now.

The SPIS has solar panels and 20 Horse Power (HP) generation capacity, capable of accumulating 3.5 cubic meters of water per minute with 660-cubic meters that can supply water for 50-70 hectares of paddy fields along Barangays Cabasaran and Sumalindaw in the town of Butig, and Barangay Malalis in the town of Sultan Dumalundong.

"We are here in the most remote barangay of Butig despite the distance and difficulty of the road to show our sincerity to reach you and deliver quality service to the Bangsamoro people,” said MAFAR Minister Mohammad S. Yacob.

Yacob hopes that the SPIS project will succeed and become a model for uplifting the livelihood of farmers in Butig as well as in the whole Bangsamoro region.

 Lawyer Dimnatang L. Pansar, municipal mayor of Butig, expressed his gratitude to MAFAR-TFBM for the project that grants a new lease of life in their communities.

"I hope that the municipality of Butig will be able to produce more rice and in the future, we will become one of the major producers of rice not only in Lanao Del Sur but also in the entire Bangsamoro Region,” he said. (Bangsamoro Information Office)