SOCCSKSARGEN, May 6, 2021 – To guarantee that every Filipino family will have sufficient food on their table, the two provinces in Region 12 covered by the Department of Agriculture – Special Area for Agricultural Development (DA-SAAD) Program continued their strong partnership with the farmers and fisherfolk groups and the local government units (LGUs).
With the simultaneous mass distribution in the region, Php 14,171,259.00 worth of agricultural interventions were provided to Kiamba and Glan in Sarangani; and in Lebak, Sultan Kudarat.
Sarangani
Seventeen farmer associations’ (FAs) with 460 members in Sarangani each received upland rice, urea fertilizer, complete fertilizer, OPV pinakbet seeds, knapsack sprayer, shovel, bolo, hand trowel, drum, collapsible dyer, hermetic storage, rice thresher (complete accessories), mini rice mill, corn sheller, and corn mill worth Php 10,279,283.00
The inputs provided are under the following projects: (a) Integrated Upland Rice Production with Vegetable Production, Livestock and Postharvest Equipment Support, (b) Integrated Corn Production with Poultry, Vegetable Production and Postharvest Equipment Support, (c) Dairy Goat Production, and (d) Carabao Dispersal under FY 2021.
SAAD Regional Focal Person Maimona B. Amil said, “Maging masipag tayo dahil kung hindi tayo magsisikap kahit anong bigay o tulong ng ating gobyerno hindi tayo uunlad, ang pakiusap ko lang sa inyo ang ating programa dapat natin ito ingatan para sa ganun ay makakatulong sa ating pamumuhay.”
(Let us be diligent because if we do not make an effort of whatever our government gives us, we will not prosper; My plea to you is that we should take care of this program because it will help us in our livelihood.)
Kapate Muslim Farmer’s Association President Hadji Musa Solaiman expressed his gratitude to the agricultural inputs given to their community.
“Sa panahon ng pandemya ito ay makakatulong sa amin lalong lalo na sa mga kapatid nating mga Muslim dahil matagal na kami humihingi ng tulong sa gobyerno ngayon nakikita na namin ang response sa pamamagitan ng programa ng Department of Agriculture na pinamahagi, kaya gagawin naming ang lahat upang mapadami naming ang mga kambing na binigay sa amin,sana po sa mga kasamahan kong mga Muslim at sa aking mga kasamahan ko sa association bigyan natin halaga ang proyekto at ito’y pagtulong-tulongan upang mapadami natin para sa kinabukasan,” he shared.
(During the pandemic this will help us especially our Muslim brothers and sisters because we have been asking for help from the government for a long time, now we are seeing the response through the Department of Agriculture program, so we will do everything so that we can increase the number of goats given to us. I hope that my fellow Muslims and my colleagues in the association will give value to the project and help each other so that we can have increased production for the future.)
Meanwhile, Sarangani Provincial Agriculturist Jonathan Duhaylungsod together with the rest of the local officials expressed his deepest thanks to the SAAD Region 12 and committed to fully support the DA.
Sultan Kudarat
A package of upland rice, urea fertilizer, complete fertilizer, OPV pinakbet seeds, forage seeds, drugs and biologics, knapsack sprayer, shovel, bolo, hand trowel, rice thresher (complete accessories), mini rice mill, corn sheller (complete accessories) worth Php 3,891,976.00 were distributed to 12 associations (266 members).
The assistance were provided under the following projects: (a) Integrated Upland Rice Production with Vegetable Production, Livestock and Postharvest Equipment Support, (b) Integrated Corn Production with Poultry, Vegetable Production and Postharvest Equipment Support, (c) Dairy Goat Production, and (d) Carabao Dispersal.
Lebak Municipal Agriculturist Rene Sanchez expressed his gratitude to the DA 12 Regional Executive Director Arlan M. Mangelen for the unending support and projects rendered to the municipality.
He said, “Nagpapasalamat po tayo kasi out of 12 municipalities nasama po ang Lebak na magkaroon ng SAAD projects, at ako’y sumasaludo sa ating Regional Executive Director na kung saan hindi niya nakaligtaan na ibahagi sa Lebak ang mga proyektong ito.”
(We are grateful because out of the 12 municipalities in Lebak, we are included in the SAAD projects. My salute to the DA 12 Regional Executive Director because he did not forget to share with the municipality of Lebak for these projects.)
Ms. Amil also iterated that “SAAD is a program intended to help alleviate poverty among the marginalized farmers and fisherfolk and develop these projects in order to help and provide enough food to every Filipino family.’’
Salaman/Tulusan Farmer’s Association President Sukarno Kabagani shared that they are committed to take care of the projects.
“It should attend to the welfare of its members as well, we are very grateful as the recipients because this livelihood program could greatly help us with over financial needs, what we could promise is the assurance that we will take good care of what we have received, the same way that we take good care of ourselves,” shared Kabagani. ###
Writer: Ryan Jeams P. Claud, SAAD Region 12 Information Officer
