BUKIDNON, December 8, 2020 – Department of Agriculture (DA) Assistant Secretary for Agribusiness Kristine Evangelista committed Php 1 million worth of agribusiness assistance and another Php 1 million for the procurement of adlai mills for the Impasugong farmers during the Special Area for Agriculture Development (SAAD) Program’s turnover ceremony of a livelihood project worth Php 4.5 million.
Gratitude packed the Kalabugao Covered Court as the SAAD beneficiaries – Kalabugao and Hagpa Farmers’ Associations with 125 members – received not just the program’s assistance but also DA’s commitment to support their agribusinesses.
“You (the farmers) are first on the government’s list of priorities. We roam around, helping each other in a whole nation approach, bringing with us any help we can accord you,” ASec. Evangelista accounted.
The associations – predominantly Indigenous People (IP) farmers – received drying facilities, various farm machinery and equipment, farm inputs and farm materials, and drugs and biologics from the SAAD Program’s Integrated Agricultural Livelihood Project and CoViD-19 assistance in Region 10.
Among the interventions granted are:
| Interventions | Quantity | *UOM | Cost/UOM | Total (Php) |
| Multi-crops drying pavement with shed | 1 | unit | 999,961.09 | 999,961.09 |
| Mobile rice mill | 4 | units | 400,000.00 | 1,600,000.00 |
| Power tiller | 6 | units | 114,352.00 | 686,112.00 |
| Egg incubator (1,500 capacity) | 1 | unit | 142,000.00 | 142,000.00 |
| OPV corn seeds | 50 | bags | 689.00 | 34,450.00 |
| OPV vegetable seeds | 600 | packs | 130.00 | 78,000.00 |
| Sorghum seeds | 7 | bags | 4,495.00 | 31,465.00 |
| Laminated trapal | 5 | rolls | 8,000.00 | 40,000.00 |
| Antibacterial sachets for livestock and poultry | 50 | boxes | 986.64 | 49,332.00 |
| Duck layer feeds | 390 | bags | 1,565.85 | 610,681.50 |
| Canisters wound spray for livestock | 17 | canisters | 287.64 | 4,889.88 |
| Vitamins A, D and E | 35 | boxes | 70.54 | 2,468.90 |
| Electrolytes | 10 | boxes | 300.00 | 3,000.00 |
| Subtotal | 4,282,360.37 | |||
| CoViD-19 Assistance | ||||
| Complete fertilizers | 19 | bags | 1,000.00 | 19,000.00 |
| Urea | 5 | bags | 1,000.00 | 5,000.00 |
| Knapsack sprayers | 12 | units | 2,500.00 | 30,000.00 |
| Water drum | 12 | units | 2,300.00 | 27,600.00 |
| OPV vegetable seeds | 500 | pack | 145.00 | 72,500.00 |
| Organic fertilizers | 84 | bags | 330.00 | 27,720.00 |
| Sweet corn seeds | 38 | kgs | 1,800.00 | 68,400.00 |
| Subtotal | 250,220.00 | |||
| TOTAL | 4,532,580.37 | |||
The said assistance is geared towards capacitating the farmers to actively engage in agri-enterprising activities in the area.
Aside from ASec. Evangelista, Secretary Martin Andanar of the Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) also led the ceremony.
Sec. Andanar, who is also the Cabinet Officer for Regional Development and Security of the Northern Mindanao Region said that “the agriculture sectors should strive not only to provide enough food supplies for the country but cater the international market as well.”
“I hope these agricultural interventions will capacitate the farmer associations in Bukidnon, particularly in Impasugong to increase their yield and enable them to recover from the (ill) effects of calamities and the CoViD-19 pandemic,” he added.
As a priority area for Ending Local Communist Armed Conflict (ELCAC), Sec. Andanar hopes the government assistance will be instrumental to the attainment of lasting peace and security in the town.
“We are here to encourage those who are still engaged in armed conflict to return to the government and live peacefully in their communities,” remarked Sec. Andanar.
Other DA assistance
ASec. Evangelista championed DA’s programs to augment the farmers’ production, highlighting DA’s commitment to ELCAC.
“In region 10, we have committed a total Php 50 million in grant for the ELCAC. In Impasugong alone we have distributed Php 15 million ELCAC-related assistance,” ASec. Evangelista said.
DA-10’s Regional Technical Director for Operations, Carlota Madriaga avows DA’s continuing assistance to the farmers in Impasugong. The executive also relates the agency’s effort in addressing plunging agri products’ prices and market availability in the region.
“DA, through our Agribusiness and Marketing Assistance Division (AMAD) provides market matching assistance to help link our farmers to prospective buyers in the region,” she accounted.
To help augment agri products’ prices Ms. Madriaga said that, “through the Farm and Fishery Clustering and Consolidation Program (F2C2), we will also teach and guide the farmers in consolidating their farm products, so that they can sell their harvests to institutionalized buyers, enabling them to command a higher price for their products.”
“It also helps if the farmers can develop their products through value-adding processes” Ms. Madriaga added.
The F2C2 is a new DA Program with Administrative Order 27 signed by the Agriculture Secretary William Dar on August 5 to attain economies of scale, and enable more farmers, fishers, and agripreneurs to produce and earn more from their toil.
On the same occasion, the Impasugong town also received Php 11.4 million aid from the DA-10’s rice, corn, and livestock programs.
Thankful for the assistance received by his town, Mayor Anthony Uy calls for unwavering support and cooperation of the farming constituents in his town.
In his native dialect, the young mayor said “Magbuliga koy” (let us help one another), as he aspired to further invigorate the agriculture sectors in the town. ###
Writer: Azbie Talib, SAAD RMPSO 10, Information Writer
Copy Editor: Jennifer Valcobero, SAAD NPMO Public Relation and Comms Officer
