Ready for harvest in Tawi-Tawi
Former Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) combatants like Haigdir Elias (foreground, left) are leading peaceful and productive lives as aqua-entrepreneurs. USAID’s Growth with Equity in Mindanao (GEM) Program introduced ex-fighters of the Campo Muslim Multi-Purpose Cooperative in Languyan, Tawi-Tawi, headed by former MNLF field commander Kublai Elias (partly hidden), to the fundamentals of sustainable marine fish farming. Last week, the 35-member co-op harvested approximately 400 kilos of tiger grouper which they sold at PhP500 per kilo. The co-op plans to expand production and complete about two harvests a year from grouper farming, to supplement its income from other livelihood activities. The GEM Program, which also provided the group with market information and production inputs, has assisted more than 1,900 ex-MNLF combatants in 50 cooperatives in the Sulu Archipelago to produce and sell high-value aquaculture and agriculture commodities, under the oversight of the Mindanao Development Authority. GEM
