KALINGA, April 12, 2022 – One-hundred-fourteen (114) swine raisers in Kalinga were granted piglets from the first-in-line beneficiaries under the SAAD Swine Repopulation Program through the Department of Agriculture – Special Area for Agricultural Development (DA-SAAD), expanding efforts to revitalize the swine population in covered barangays.

In 2021, DA-SAAD Kalinga launched the Swine Repopulation Program for 170 swine raisers (first-in-line beneficiaries).  The program provided support to the rearing of existing sows of the raisers by providing feeds good for one cycle and biologics such as multivitamins. Further, the farmers underwent a Farmers’ Livestock Schooling (FLS) for swine production. The beneficiaries came from the 17 different SAAD-covered barangays of five identified municipalities in Kalinga.

To ensure sustainability and to accommodate more farmers, a roll-over scheme for the next-in-line beneficiaries was devised. For every sow supported by the program, two of its offspring will be passed on to two next-in-line beneficiaries either from within the previous beneficiary’s organization or their non-SAAD barangay constituents who have an interest in swine raising. A bag of starter feeds will likewise be provided to every piglet dispersed. Hence, the initial 170 raisers will have the opportunity to share the benefits of the program with more farmers.

To date, 101 sows have so far farrowed, producing a total of 681 litters while 60 are under gestation. Several sows are expected to farrow this April-May 2022. Meanwhile, 114 of the produced litters have been rolled over putting the municipality of Balbalan ahead of the production and dispersal with 326 litters produced and 69 rolled-over piglets (Table 1).

Table 1. SAAD swine repopulation updates in Kalinga

Martha Panod, one of the beneficiaries in Balbalan, appreciates the program for devising its swine repopulation project.

“Mayat ta adda ti kastuy nga proyekto tapnu umad-adu pay ti agtaraken ti babuy. Dagiti han pay nakapadas nga agtaraken, maenganyo da ta dakket ti tulong na ti pinansyal ken adda mausar nu ok-okasyon, (It’s good to have such projects to increase the number of swine raisers. Those who have not yet experienced swine raising are being encouraged since they can see that it helped other farmers financially and there is a readily available source of funds for occasions,)” said Ms. Panod.

Capacitating the farmers

Farm Coaching on Biosecurity for Swine Production was conducted in Balbalan, Tanudan, and Pasil even before launching the SAAD Swine Repopulation in the province. This is to reiterate the importance of safeguarding farm areas and helping them avoid the infestation of African Swine Fever (ASF) incidents in their localities.

In November 2021, the Provincial Agriculture and Fisheries Coordinator (PAFC) and the Municipal Agriculture and Fisheries Coordinator (MAFC) conducted a monitoring visit in Balbalan where bio-secured farms of beneficiaries were acknowledged.

Moreover, Farmer Livestock School (FLS) on swine production for SAAD implementers, and later on, for beneficiaries were conducted still under the SAAD swine repopulation project. This is to ensure that the SAAD staff are equipped with sufficient knowledge in implementing the project while encouraging the farmers to adopt technologies that are favorable to their swine production.

The FLS on swine production was conducted in Balbalan, Tanudan, and Pasil. Swine raisers in the said areas are the first to be identified for swine repopulation by the SAAD Kalinga, while Tinglayan, Lubuagan, and Rizal are expected to receive said schooling in 2022.

In Balbalan, the resource persons for the conduct of the FLS training are Dr. Leonardo Damian, and Dr. Florencio Wanason, both from the Office of the Provincial Veterinary Services, and Dr. Carmen Wanas from Tabuk City Veterinary Services. The proper housing, feed, care and management, and best practices on swine raising topics are discussed in the said training.

“Datin nga ammu yu ti agtaraken ti babuy ngem nabuo daytuy FLS gapu ti pandemya ti babuy nga isu ti makunkuna nga ASF. Daytuy nga ASF ket awan pay solusyon na sipud idi. Garud, naisayangkat ti Farmers Livestock School tapnu pumintas ti produksyon, maimprove ti panagaywan, ken kasanu agtaraken nga haan matamaan ti ASF virus,” said Balag-ey Claver, Agricultural Program Coordinating Officer (APCO) during the graduation ceremony of two Farmers Associations (FA) in Barangay Dao-angan, Balbalan on April 4, 2022.

(You already know how to raise pigs, but this FLS was devised in response to ASF. There are no solutions yet for ASF, thus, FLS is conducted to enhance production, improve the care and maintenance, and guide on how to raise swine while preventing the infestation of ASF virus.)

Sustaining the project

The SAAD Program works hand-in-hand with partner implementers such as local government units (LGUs) and the agriculture and fisheries coordinators in monitoring the production and management of the program’s beneficiaries.

With the objective of the project being progressively achieved, additional areas for swine repopulation were identified and included in the roster for assistance in FY 2022. The cooperation and diligence of every implementing body are thus expected to continue the good start of the project. ###

Writer: Sheena Phine P. Dayagon, Information Officer I – Kalinga