STA. MARCELA, APAYAO, PHILIPPINES —Three (3) Special Area for Agricultural Development (SAAD) Associations in Apayao have been officially registered at the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) on December 15, 2017. These are MESS Farmers Association, BISS Farmers Association, and PaCoMarNuSan Farmers Association from the fourth (4th) class municipality of Sta. Marcela in Apayao.

Having the official receipts from BIR, they are now recognized as legal business entities which enables the SAAD farmer-members of the mentioned associations to gain a wider reach in terms of patrons of their agricultural produce that includes rice, corn, goat, and poultry among others.

In 2017, the Department of Agriculture (DA) started a new program known as SAAD that shall augment the regular programs in increasing food production and alleviating poverty in ten (10) provinces where the poverty incidence is high. In 2018, additional ten (10) more provinces were included in the Program.

Apayao is the first of the three (3) current provinces being taken care of by the SAAD Program in the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR). ###

Writer: Ela Arciaga, PR & Communications Officer

Source: https://www.facebook.com/meliza.feliciano.77/posts/2004530626456804?pnref=story