SORSOGON, January 3, 2022 – The Binanuahan Farmers’ Association is now earning from vegetable processing as a value-adding activity through the support provided by the Department of Agriculture – Special Area for Agricultural Development (DA-SAAD) Program.

The group was established and registered under the Department of Labor and Employment in October 2019 and started to produce vegetables in December 2019.

To enhance their production, SAAD Program conducted a Training on Vegetable Processing and Enterprise Development in September 2021.

The association also received various agricultural interventions consisting of vegetable seeds (21 kilograms), organic fertilizer (123 bags), drums (10 pieces), garden tools (28 sets), plastic tray (80 pieces), HDPE pipes (2 meters), wheelbarrow (10 pieces), UV-treated plastic (1 roll), Carabao mango (91 pieces), calamansi (133 pieces), cacao seeds (133 pieces), and root crops cuttings (21,000 pieces) worth Php 285,195 in 2019.

The group cultivates their vegetables at a communal farm measuring 9,900 square meters. With the said training, they were given a chance to expand their enterprise.

While still engaged in selling fresh vegetables such as pechay, okra, talong, kamatis, and radish, the association managed to create and sell processed vegetable products such as pickled ampalaya, vegetable empanada, and garlic polvoron from September to December 2021, a good start in their enterprise venture.

Table 1. Binanuahan Farmers’ Association vegetable value-adding products income

Gradually, the association earned Php 11,535 from vegetables and processed products which were sold at the Juban Market.

Alona Groyon, farmer-member shared, “Dako-dako po ang naitabang kan SAAD sa amo asosasyon. Sa pamamagitan po kaining mga produkto, nailing ko an pag-asenso san amo grupo. Dahil sa pa-training san SAAD Program, natutunan mi kun pan-o mag himo sin mga pwede pa ibenta maliban sa gulay lang. Salamaton po sa SAAD.” 

(The SAAD Program helped our association a lot. Through these products, I can see that our group will succeed. Because of the training they conducted, we have learned how to make products that can be sold other than fresh vegetables alone. Thank you so much SAAD.)

The association also plans to expand their production of empanada into larger volumes, while the pickled ampalaya will be displayed at the negosyo center in Juban since the association is already registered at the Department of Trade and Industry.

The Binanuahan Farmers’ Association is one of the groups ready to graduate as SAAD beneficiaries in 2022. ###

 

Writer: Pauline Trixia D. Borja, SAAD Program Sorsogon Information Officer

 

Sources:

Ma. Ligaya Renegado

Juban Area Coordinator

 

Photos: SAAD Program Sorsogon