MASBATE, September 13, 2021 – A Department of Agriculture – Special Area for Agricultural Development (DA-SAAD) Program vegetable production beneficiary now delivers fresh harvests to customers through a motorcycle bought from sales.
Erlinda Llanto, a 56-year-old mother of seven, is a member of the Brgy. Ilaya Agroforestry Farmers Association with 55 active members.
Nanay Erlinda and her husband Wilfredo Llanto are engaged in rice farming from which they generate around Php 6,000 income per cropping season.
The Beginning
In 2018, SAAD provided Nanay Erlinda a package of assorted vegetable seeds, organic fertilizers, drums, garden tools, HDPE pipes, wheelbarrow, and UV-treated plastic under the Vegetable Production Project worth Php 41,963.00.
The interventions she received motivated her to pursue vegetable production together with her husband. The couple put their earnest dedication and effort in tending their 5,000 square meters (sqm) farm area. The project provided them with additional income source and access to cheap and nutritious food for their family consumption.
“Naghatag gid bulig an SAAD sa amon. Sa pag-panghatag ninda san seeds, sa pag-follow up ninda sa amon na mabuligan kami na mga farmers,” Nanay Erlinda shared.
While gradually learning the management side of their small-scale vegetable enterprise, Nanay Erlinda started to record her harvests and sales.
Her most recent production recorded a Php 41,230 sales out of her 804 kilograms (kg) harvest of assorted vegetables from July to August 2021 (Table 1).
Table 1. Nanay Erlinda’s production incomeHer produce was sold within the community and neighboring barangays in the municipality by peddling.
About 40% of Erlinda’s income from her vegetable production became part of their savings while the remaining was used for their family’s needs.
SAAD’s assistance, more than food for the table
In 2020, Mrs. Erlinda managed to buy a motorcycle from their savings which they used for selling the vegetable harvests.
“An gina-kita ko sa gulay gina-savings namon, tag binakal namon motor. Amo na an amon ginagamit pag deliver san gulay, di na kami budlayan,” she said.
She and her husband ride the motorcycle to peddle fresh vegetable harvest. Their savings also helped three of their children finish their tertiary education.
“Dako dako gad an pasalamat namon kay sinda an nag-support nagdako an amon income, nakagraduate an mga anak ko, naka-tipon kami,” Nanay Erlinda attested.
Preparing for the next cropping season, she also encourages her children to engage in vegetable farming. She expects the next production income to be used for the renovation of their house.
The project provided by the program allowed Erlinda and other farmers in the municipality of Balud to venture into vegetable production. ###
Writer:
Jay A. Ogaya, SAAD Masbate Information Officer
Angelica A. Blanco, SAAD RPMSO Information Officer
Sources: PPMO Masbate
Photos: Jay A. Ogaya
