ZAMBOANGA CITY, March 19, 2021 – The Department of Agriculture – Special Area for Agricultural Development (DA-SAAD) Program facilitated the transport of vegetable seeds worth Php 786,872.50 from the FY 2021 funds to 2,750 farmers in Sulu.

The 98 boxes of vegetable seeds consisting of 2,750 packs of pinakbet and 2,750 packs of sinigang arrived at Jolo Port on March 19 with the assistance of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Agrarian Reform Sulu (MAFAR-Sulu).

The seeds will then be distributed to the SAAD groups in 28 barangays (with more or less 100 individual beneficiaries per barangay) in the municipalities of Maimbung, Panamao, Parang, Talipao, Indanan, Luuk, and Patikul.

The 5-in-1 seed pack includes the vegetables ampalaya, squash, pole sitao, okra, and eggplant which are used in the preparation of pinakbet dish; while the sinigang‘pack comprises of okra, pole sitao, radish, tomato, and kangkong seeds.

A pack of mixed seeds could cover an estimated area of 200 square meters (m²). The projected area to be planted would reach a consolidated 110 hectares (ha).

The intervention is in support of the vegetable farming activities under the Diversified Farming Project implemented in the province. The vegetables produced will be their immediate source of food while they wait for other crops such as cassava, corn, and peanut to be harvested and sold.

For 2021, SAAD allocated a total of Php 12,291,400 for the implementation of agricultural livelihood projects in Sulu. ###

Writers: DA R9 RAFIS and Shara Malaica Ussam- DA-SAAD Sulu Information Officer
Copy-editor: Natalianne Marie O. Delos Reyes, PR and Comms Officer- SAAD NPMO