ZAMBOANGA DEL NORTE, September 24-25, 2020 – The Department of Agriculture – Special Area for Agricultural Development (DA-SAAD) Program delivered 30 modules of Layer Chicken with Fabricated Cage Project worth Php 1,813,250.00 to six (6) associations in the municipality of Sibutad. Each association received five (5) modules; each module consisting of 42 layer chickens.

The recipients of the project were Delapa Farmers Association (70 members), Sipaloc Farmers Association (51 members), Minlasag FarFish Association (35 members), Magsaysay Farfish Association (55 members), Poblacion Farmers Association (22 members), and Panganuran Farfish Association (32 members).

The associations also received 15 bags of feeds, a unit of wheelbarrow, and 150 pieces of egg trays under FY 2019. On February 28, 2020, the same associations received interventions under the same project from the FY 2018 budget.

Present during the delivery are SAAD Provincial Coordinator Ronillo Dusaban, Livestock technician Jailyn Gamutan, Inspector Madomer Lester Jan Alboria, SAAD Local Area Coordinator Janeen Ivana Golis, and the supportive Municipal Agriculturist Norma Lozada. This Layer Chicken with Fabricated Cage Project is one of the enterprises that the DA-SAAD provided to the farmer-partners in Zamboanga del Norte.

The Minlasag Farfish Association initial success towards an enterprise

The Minlasag Farfish Association President Yolanda Macapas shared their financial management system. She said that from their income, 40% of it will be deposited in their bank account and the remaining 60% will be spent for the feeds, other needs of the poultry farm, as well as their individual shares.

“To secure the proper maintenance of the farm, our members are scheduled to report here and care (for) the chickens once a week. In every three months, we settle our financial assets. For the first three months from March to May, each of us received Php 1,000.00 as our share. While on the second three months from June-August, we got Php 900.00 each.

Yolanda also stated that as of September 2020, they already have an income of Php 44,000.00 in the bank from the livelihood provided by SAAD.  “Our savings in bank is intended for the replacements of the layer chicken if they reached 18 months of productivity.”

Meanwhile, the Vice President of Delapa Farmers Association Paulino Baid expressed his gratitude to the DA-SAAD. “In behalf of the farmers, I am really grateful for heaven-sent programs like the SAAD because it helped us a lot financially. Indeed, it really bridged us towards alleviating our way of living.” ###

Writer: Aimee Madjus, SAAD Information Officer- Zamboanga del Norte