NEGROS ORIENTAL, August 27, 2021 – The Department of Agriculture – Special Area for Agricultural Development (DA-SAAD) Program in Negros Oriental delivered 30 male cattle worth Php 875,000 to three farmers’ associations from Canlaon City after participating in meat processing training.

Barangay Bucalan Farmers and Irrigators Association (BAFFIA), Barangay Budlasan Agri-Farm Family Irrigators Association (BuFIA), and Barangay Masulog Agro-Forestry Farmers Association (MAFFA) received 10 cattle each on August 26.

Before the distribution of intervention, the recipients also attended the Capability Enhancement on Cattle Meat Processing Training on August 12 at Mountain City Tourist Inn, Poblacion.

The training helped the farmers enhance their skills in cattle meat value-addition to support their enterprise ventures.

“Naka tabang ang training sa among panginabuhian. Kung anaa na mi igong capital nga na pundar, naa nami kahibalo sa mga skills nga pwede namo magamit,” shared Bucalan Farmers and Irrigators Association member Milaflor Bariga.

(The training helped us with our livelihood. When we have enough saved for the capital, we will practice this method using our skills in selling our products.)

Provincial Veterinary Office Chief Operations Officer Erlinda Vilan shared her experiences on starting small in processing meat products like tocino and chorizo, which she started doing when she was 15 years old.

She said, “Kung ang tawong tapulan, bisan unsa pay skills ihatag, kung di iapply sa kinabuhi, useless gihapon“.

(If a person is lazy, given that he/she is gifted with skills, if they are not applied and practiced, then they are useless.)

The beneficiaries made beef patties and beef tapa during the training. ###

Writer: Jolina T. Daño
Source: Cheneee Clea Gumalo, Marcelina Cabonelas, and Jess Gayan Lumain