DAVAO DE ORO – Jacinto Navaluna, a 59-year-old farmer in Nabunturan who provides for a family of 6, is a caretaker of a 3.8-hectare farm. He earns Php 7,000/month by selling palm wine (locally known as tuba) and coconut vinegar while his wife tends to a piggery for Php 2,000/month.

Jacinto’s daily routine is to spend six hours cutting coconut saps in a neighboring barangay, tend to his animals (a pregnant sow and chicken), and gather tuba and vinegar from the coconut trees in his vicinity.

“Bisag tigulang nako, naningkamot ko kay para makapa-eskwela sa akoang mga anak [Even though I’m old, I strive so that I could send my four children to school]”, Jacinto said.

In November 2019, Jacinto was chosen as a beneficiary of the Department of Agriculture-Special Area for Agricultural Development (DA-SAAD) Program’s Upgraded Native Chicken Production Project. He received 8 chickens (6 pullets and two cockerels), a sack of feed, an 8-in-1 vegetable seed packet, and various biologics.

Jacinto’s Upgraded Native Chicken Production Income

Two months after he received the 3-4 months old chickens, Jacinto started selling poultry to supplement his income.

He first sold 8 chickens, both from his native brood and the upgraded ones, earned more than Php 2,000.

Table 1. Jacinto’s First Month Income From Selling Upgraded Chicken
Type of Chicken Sold (Head)	Average Weight Per Poultry	Gross Income (Php)
Native (3)	1	510
Upgraded (5)	2	1,700
Total		2,210

Note: Price per kilo of native/free-range chicken in January 2020 averaged at Php 170 in Davao de Oro, with prices shooting up to Php 200.

He kept his upgraded chicken breeders to improve his brood, and after 6 months, he started selling 6-14 chicken monthly, with the hens in his new brood constantly producing chicks.In some months, Jacinto also accommodated direct orders from repeat customers and made special deliveries to neighboring barangays. All in all, his small operation gave him an average Php 3,000 monthly income. This brought a 43% increase in his revenue.

Table 2. Jacinto’s Monthly Income from Selling Upgraded Chicken
Period	Total Number of Sold Chicken (Market, Direct Orders, Deliveries)	*Average Cost/Head (Php)	Total Sales  (Php)
June-20	6	300	1,800
Jul-20	10	340	3,400
Aug-20	9	340	3,060
Sep-20	7	340	2,380
Oct-20	11	340	3,740
Nov-20	12	340	4,080
Dec-20	14	340	4,760
Jan-21	8	340	2,720
Feb-21	6	340	2,040
Total			27,980

*Average cost per head was derived from averaging upgraded chicken’s live weight at 2 kilos per head multiplied by the prevailing price per kilo in 2020 at Php 170.

He used the additional income to support his children’s education, bought a prepaid cable TV for entertainment, among other things.

Jacinto also said that during the price hike (Php 180) of chicken in June 2020, he sold 6 chickens giving him Php 1,800 earnings to buy a sack of rice, which was the first time he could afford to purchase.

From January 2020 until February 2021, he already earned Php 29,680 from selling chicken.

With the pandemic restricting face-to-face classes, Jacinto also budgeted a prepaid WiFi stick from his supplementary income to help his children’s studies.

“Naghangyo jud ko sa Ginoo nga makaabot pa ko ug setenta para makapakaon pa ko sa akong pamilya [I ask God to let me reach 70 so that I can still feed my family]”, relayed Jacinto.

He also disclosed that there is no secret ingredient to his successful project implementation. The 3.8-hectare farm with fruit trees serves as a prime lot for the chickens to roam free.

“Swerte ko kay dako ug area ning akoang gipuy-an. Ako pud nang ginapalitan jud ug pagkaon [I’m lucky that the area I’m living in is wide. I intentionally bought them chicken feeds as well]”, shared Jacinto.

Jacinto shared that every 10 days, he buys 20kg of chicken feeds which include starter, crack corn, and banana (cavendish variety) at a total cost of Php 574.

“Tungod sa paningkamot, mulambo man jud ang bisan unsa. Dako kaayo ug tabang ang SAAD sa akoa. Didto jud ni nagsugod atong mga manok nila kay taas ug rasa [Through consistent efforts, anything can prosper. SAAD was a big help to me. It started with their chicken because it had a better breed]”, grateful Jacinto said.

As of 9 March 2021, Jacinto already sold 200 chickens from the total 500 head.

SAAD 11’s Upgraded Native Chicken Production Project

In 2019, SAAD Region 11 spent Php 14.7 million for the project, with 4,280 beneficiaries across 10 municipalities of Davao de Oro. The project consists of 8 upgraded chicken (6 pullets, 2 cockerels), 50kg feeds, 8-in-1 vegetable seeds, and several biologics like antibiotics, multivitamins, and dewormer.

SAAD Region 11 provided the 3-4 months old upgraded chicken because for its meat-type liveweight selling, it grows fast and weighs 1-2kgs heavier during its 6 month compared to the native ones.

“Dako kaayo among kalipay sa SAAD Program nga naa na kita’y nakita nga maayong resulta. Kami padayon nga maningkamot ug magkugi para mas daghan pang kinabuhi ang mabag-o ug mapalambo pinaagi niining programaha (We in the SAAD Program are happy to see good results. We’ll continue to strive and endeavor that more lives will change and prosper through this program)”, Jake Colina, SAAD Region 11’s Provincial Coordinator declared.

Since 2018, 8,000 farmers have benefited from the project in all 11 municipalities of Davao de Oro. This year, SAAD Region 11 allocated Php 3.2 million for the same project intervention for 14 farmer’s associations with 280 members. ###

 

Writer: James Brian R. Flaga, SAAD RPMSO 11 Information Officer
Copy Editor: Jennifer A. Valcobero, SAAD NPMO Public Relation and Comms Officer
Source: DA-SAAD Davao de Oro