PROVINCE OF SULU– The Special Area for Agricultural Development (SAAD) Program of the Department of Agriculture (DA) distributed 960 rolls of hog wires and farm tools as part of cassava-corn-peanut production project in Maimbung, Parang, Talipao, and Panamao from February 19-28, 2019.

The SAAD livelihood project aims to increase the cassava, corn, and peanut production in Sulu through the provision of hog wires which shall protect 80 hectares of farm from wild animals that are known to inflict damages to local farmers.  Also to be given are farm tools to assist the beneficiaries in their farming.

The hog wires benefited 105 cassava-corn-peanut farmers from nine barangays in the four municipalities.

SAAD Sulu staff, led by Provincial Coordinator (PC) Jeffrey Salih and Action Officer Alrashid Salim, and DA-Sulu staff Mercyan Aspi, supervised the turnover of hog wires and farm tools to program beneficiaries held at the DA Sulu office, Capitol Site, Patikul, Sulu.

Abdullah K. Uyong of Masambu Maadil Farmers Association, Sariul Awwalon of Anak Miskin Farmers Association, and Julkim Ajabi of Bangsa Sug Farmers Association are three of many beneficiaries from Sulu who benefited from the SAAD Program. Each beneficiary received 2,000 pieces of cassava stalks, 12 or 6 rolls of hog wires, 10 bags of organic fertilizers, a shovel, a hand trowel, a pick mattock, a bolo, a scythe, a plastic drum, and a plastic crates.

According to SAAD Sulu PC Salih, the province is not affected by El Niño that is why the majority of farmers from the municipalities of Panamao and Talipao already completed installing the hog wires using raw materials, such as madre cacao, as the post.

Other farmers already commenced their land preparation and started planting the cassava stalks while still waiting for the delivery of corn and peanut seeds.

Meanwhile, farmers from the municipalities of Maimbung and Parang are still installing the hog wires since the area did not yet have enough rain.

To effectively monitor the project implementation, the PC instructed the Area Coordinators (ACs) to conduct geotagging photo twice a month. The ACs are required to submit a progress report from the first day of planting up to the harvest period. ###

 

Writer: Jeffrey Salih, SAAD Sulu Provincial Coordinator

Editor: Jhomai Canlas, SAAD PR & Communications Officer