ZAMBOANGA DEL NORTE, April 7, 2022 – The Teresita Vegetable Farmers Association (TVFA) in Piñan, Zamboanga del Norte earned an accumulated gross income of Php 71,683 from selling vegetables harvested from their 1.5-hectare (ha) communal garden from October 2021 to February 2022.
The TVFA composed of 44 members is a recipient of the SAAD Program’s Vegetable Production Project under FY 2021 worth Php 305,040. Aside from vegetable seeds such as eggplant, okra, cabbage, squash, ampalaya, and string beans, they also received fertilizer, crates, and seedling trays.
“We can finally say that it was all worth it. Our hard work, patience, and teamwork have paid off so we are very grateful to the DA-SAAD Program and to our very supportive mayor,” expressed Pablito Cating, the TVFA president.
“Our first harvest festival in October was the inspiration to plant more. We were able to harvest 3,000 hills of cabbage that time. In November we planted our vegetables, and started harvesting around March. We now have an accumulated Php 50,000 on bank savings, and around Php 12,000 cash on hand,” Mr. Cating further said.
Last year, the TVFA harvested a variety of vegetables such as squash, bell pepper, string beans, ampalaya, tomato, okra, and cucumber.
Table 1. TVFA income from December 2021 to February 2022
DA-SAAD 9 Area Coordinator Nurhainar Salim conducted area monitoring and noted that the association sustained its communal garden through the strong support of the local government unit.
To date, the association continues to manage other vegetables like bitter gourd, sibuying, and sponge gourd with cabbage and bell pepper in seedling stage. The association also produces bottled sibuying products and sells these at Php 75 per bottle to vegetable traders at the local market.
Before the interventions were delivered, the TVFA had undergone Vegetable Production Training to be fully equipped and ready to handle the project. This year, they will receive fertilizers as additional support prompting them to plan the expansion of their production area. ###
Writer: Aimee Lou Madjus, Information Officer, DA-SAAD Region 9
