SINDANGAN, ZAMBOANGA DEL NORTE – Farmer-partners of the Department of Agriculture (DA) – Special Area for Agricultural Development (SAAD) Program from Barangay Imelda, municipality of Sindangan, Zamboanga del Norte (ZaNorte) commenced their Upland Rice Harvest Field Day on October 8, 2019.
About 16 SAAD farmer-partners from the barangay will harvest their upland rice this October 2019. The farm area of SAAD farmer Rowena Tayrus was chosen for the start of the harvest activity.
About 40 sacks of upland rice were harvested with the help Tayrus’ fellow farmer-partners and participants of the activity.
Supporting the activity were Ronnie Ansiling, Sanggunian Bayan Member and Committee Chairman on Agriculture; Luz Dela Cruz, Sindangan Municipal Agriculture Officer; and Roger Dave Gramatica, DA-SAAD Area Coordinator.
Ansiling shared his view on the importance of the project. He said, “Let us be thankful to DA-SAAD Program for the provision of seeds and fertilizer inputs for this upland rice production project. Let us repay them by showing that we can sustain and expand the project in our locality.”
Edgardo Empang, a farmer-partner from Barangay Imelda, shared his experiences to achieve a bountiful harvest. He said, “Before SAAD came, we barely fill-up our stock room with our produce. Now that SAAD came and chose us to be their partners for this project, I am confident that I can fill my stock room with upland rice harvest.”
Some farmer-partners from nine (9) barangays of Sindangan, Zamboanga del Norte have already started their upland rice harvest while some are still waiting for their hard-earned efforts.
A total of 100 farmer-partners were chosen to benefit from the Upland Rice Production Project under the DA-SAAD FY 2018 budget.
Each farmer received two bags of upland rice seeds, complete fertilizers, urea, 20 bags of vermicast, one liter of herbicide, one liter of pesticide, and one kilo of rodenticide. They were distributed on December 7, 2018.
Of the nine barangays, the harvest activity was embraced by the farmer-partners of Barangays Imelda, Motibot, and Lapero. ###
Writer: Roger Dave Gramatica, SAAD Zamboanga del Norte Area Coordinator
