DAVAO DE ORO, July 23, 2021 – Eighty (80) members from two farmers’ associations (FAs) received 80 upgraded goats from the Special Area for Agricultural Development (SAAD) Region 11 to kickstart the program’s 2021 upgraded goat production project. The upgraded goats, 8-10 months old and at least 17 kilograms (kg), were offspring from a Native and either an Anglo-Nubian or Boer pairing. 

Half of the beneficiaries were Mansaka, an IP community in barangay Manipongol, Maco – an End Local Communist Armed Conflict (ELCAC) area.

Panagsandug ng Mansaka Sang Manipongol (40 members) and Sangab Integrated Farmers’ Association (40 members) were chosen as the first two recipients among the 34 FAs pipelined to secure the intervention.

Each FA was given 40 upgraded goats (36 does, 4 bucks) with biologics consisting of dewormer (2 boxes), antibiotics (3 boxes), and multivitamins (6 boxes) worth more than Php 380,000. 

Prior to distribution, the goats were dewormed and made sure to be free of Caprine Arthritis Encephalitis (CAE) as well as Brucella. 

Based on felt needs assessment, upgraded goats were identified as an intervention for Geographically Isolated and Disadvantaged Areas (GIDA) and ELCAC areas because of the small ruminant’s hardiness and liveweight selling potential. 

Feed availability was also a major factor, as the hilly and mountainous parts of Davao de Oro provide plenty of grazing area for the animal.

For the entirety of the upgraded goat production project, SAAD Region 11 allocated more than Php 13 million – Php 8 million for District 2 and Php 4 million for District 1.

“Dawaton jud namo ni nga kinasing-kasing gayud ug walay pagtaphaw. Mapasalamot kami ug dako,”  Sangab Integrated Farmers Association chairperson Eugene Cabalida said. “Rest assured nga kani amoang alagaan ug palungtaron.”

(We receive this wholeheartedly and not superficially. We are grateful. Rest assured that we will take care of it and we’ll make it prosper.)

Upgraded goats can reproduce twice a year, and in just a few months, farmers can start to sell the ruminants. Usually sold by liveweight, upgraded goats fetch high prices in the market. In Davao de Oro, a 15kg doe starts at Php 3,500.

Distribution

Maco Municipal Vice Mayor Arthur Carlos Voltaire Rimando attended both turnovers, challenging his constituents to make the project flourish.

“Mga kaigsuonan, ang brgy. Sangab…makita jud nato nga blessed mo kaayo. Pinangga kaayo mo sa atoang gobyerno. Dili ni basta-basta nga responsibilidad. Ang hagit nato ani, mulungtad. Ampingan nato ni. Nakataya ang pangalan sa barangay,” he said.

(My brothers, we can attest that barangay Sangab is blessed. You are loved by our government. This responsibility should not be taken lightly. Our challenge for this is that it should be sustained. Let’s take care of this. The barangay’s good name is at stake.)

Talking to the Mansaka IP community in Manipongol, he added, “Kaning Manipongol, basta naay maayohon, naa jud mo pirme kay inyong karakter naa juy pagpakabana.”

(Whenever there are interventions, brgy. Manipongol’s always front and center. This is because of your responsible character.)

“Kahibalo jud ko nga kani atoang mga kanding, mu-doble jud ni. Kay magdepende jud na siya sa asosasyon,” Maco Municipal Mayor Alvera Veronica Rimando, attending the distribution in barangay Sangab, remarked. “Kabalo pud ko nga si Kagawad Cabalida, kugihan. Mao nang musuporta jud mi.”

(We know that these goats will double in number. It will depend on the association. We also know that Councilor Cabalida is hardworking so the support is always there.)

SAAD Provincial Coordinator Jake Darren Colina reiterated the program’s mandate to the beneficiaries in both barangays, saying, “Maghinaot mi nga dili ni ninyo pakyason ang programa, kay ang tumong ani, muubos ang kawad-on ug mudugang sa atoang panginabuhian.”

(We hope that the project won’t be a failure, because the aim of this is to reduce poverty and add supplementary income.)

The upgraded goat production project is complemented by other production projects, namely banana, upgraded chicken, and mallard duck, all for the purpose of alleviating poverty and helping the farmers in supplementing their income. 

Thirty-two (32) more FAs across all 11 municipalities in Davao de Oro are set to receive the same implements before the year ends. ###

Writer: James Brian R. Flaga, SAAD RPMSO 11 Information Officer
Source: DA-SAAD Davao de Oro