WESTERN VISAYAS, September 11, 2020 – The Department of Agriculture (DA) – Special Area for Agricultural Development (SAAD) Program in Western Visayas completed the distribution of 1,440 free-range native chickens worth Php 979,200.00 to 24 farmers’ associations (FAs) in the provinces of Antique and Negros Occidental.

Funded under the 2020 budget, the Native Chicken Production Project seeks to augment the income of marginalized farmers in the uplands of Laua-an and San Remigio in Antique; and Calatrava and Moises Padilla in Negros Occidental, where people rely on farming for livelihood and income.

“We will not be able to reach our target if not for the support of our partner Local Government Units. Despite the limited movement in the region, we doubled our efforts to promptly deliver the interventions which could somehow ease the burdens of the farmers who are also facing the threats of the pandemic,” said SAAD Western Visayas Focal Person Dominador Marquez.

Antique

Six FAs in San Remigio will be able to expand their native chicken production enterprise after receiving another 360 breeder stocks worth Php 244,800.00 which was completed on September 10, 2020. The beneficiaries also received Php 78,000.00 worth of drugs and biologic, and 83 bags of commercial feeds priced at Php 116,200.00.

In addition, DA-SAAD also aided the five FAs in Laua-an with 300 native chickens worth Php 204,000.00 plus Php 30,000.00 drugs and biologic, and Php 91,000.00 worth of feeds.

Negros Occidental

With a high poverty incidence rate of 21.9 based on the Philippine Statistics Authority’s 2015 data, the municipalities of Calatrava and Moises Padilla were added as project sites in the second-year implementation of the SAAD Program in Region 6.

A total of 360 native chickens worth Php 244,800.00 were granted to six farmers groups in Calatrava. The beneficiaries also obtained Php 36,000.00 drugs and biologic, and 78 bags of chicken feed amounting to Php 109,200.00.

Meanwhile, 420 native chicken stocks worth Php 285,000.00 with drugs and biologic amounting to Php 42,000.00, and Php 127,400.00 worth of feeds were turned over to seven FA beneficiaries in Moises Padilla.

As a counterpart to the project, the FA beneficiaries shall provide appropriate housing for the native chicken stocks. They were advice to insure their project with the Philippine Crop Insurance Corporation so they could avail themselves of indemnification once there are mortalities caused by natural calamities or disease outbreak.

“If the beneficiaries will provide the proper care and management, the free-range chickens will undoubtedly multiply in the coming months,” added Marquez.

Chritopher Casilano, Brgy. Ilaya FA president in Calatrava, said “salamat gid sa Department of Agriculture kay daku guid ang matabang sang free-range native chicken sa miyembo sang amon asosasyon kapin nga may ara kita gina atubang nga pandemic.”

Furthermore, said farmers association in Western Visayas are aiming to create and establish their own enterprises in the near future.

For details, the Table indicate the 24 farmer associations across 4 municipalities provided with 1,440 free-range chickens in Western Visayas at 60 per heads per association, as stated above. 

Writer:

Sheila Mae Toreno, DA  Western Visayas, RAFIS

Jemiema Arro, DA SAAD NPMO, PR and Communication Officer