SOUTHERN LEYTE, November 4, 2020– Four farmers’ associations (FA) in the Municipality of Liloan hope to be the main source of weanlings in Southern Leyte as they expect to produce 80 piglets from January to February 2021.

San Roque FA, San Isidro FA, Ilag Integrated FA, and Anilao FA ­(each composed of 15 members)­ are beneficiaries of the Department of Agriculture’s (DA) Special Area for Agricultural Development Program.

Each FA received ten gilts, 130 bags of feeds, drugs and biologics amounting to Php 852,485.00 or a total of Php 3,409,940.00 from the Swine Production Project on August 27.

Hermogenes Bautista of Anilao Farmers Association said, “Grabe jud ang among kalipay nga kami ang napiling makadawat ug mag–alagad aning mga anay.  Dakong grasya jud ni nga niabot sa amo, ug dili ni namo kawangon, kundi amo ni palambuon.” (We can’t contain our happiness to be selected as recipient of the gilts. This is a big blessing to us, and we won’t allow to put this project to waste; instead, we will let it flourish).

According to SAAD Provincial Coordinator Jocelyn Cabanas, the gilts are expected to give birth soon, and the FAs are now scouting for prospective buyers in the municipality and neighboring towns.

A gilt can produce an average of eight piglets, which are sold for Php 2,500 per head. Each FA is expected to earn around Php 20,000 in two to three months.

At the start of the project implementation, members contributed cash, farm resources, and labor as their counterpart to defray the cost of constructing the pig pens. The local government unit of Liloan has also been supportive of the associations’ goal by contributing their own resources.

SAAD Southern Leyte implemented the project to 10 associations in the province with a total budget of Php 8,524,850.00. ###

From the original article entitled “Southern Leyte conducts monitoring swing across project recipients in Liloan” by Jocelyn A. Cabaňas, Provincial Coordinator, PPMSO–Southern Leyte
Copy editor: Natalianne Marie Delos Reyes, PR & Comms Officer – SAAD NPMO