APAYAO, July 19, 2022 – One hundred thirty (130) poultry farmers of the Barocboc, Imelda, San Mariano, Sipa (BISS) Farmers Association (FA) earned initial Php 607,005 income from the Free Range Chicken Egg Production Project granted by the Department of Agriculture – Special Area for Agricultural Development (DA-SAAD) Program under FY 2021.
Organized in June 2017, the members are mostly rice farmers, poultry raisers, while some are into small-scale vegetable farming. These livelihoods allowed them to send their children to school and provide food on their table just enough for their needs.
BISS FA members underwent technical training on Egg Production with Health Management, bookkeeping, and marketing in 2021 facilitated by the program implementers. Said training sessions prepared the FA from receiving the livelihood package under the Free Range Chicken Egg Production Project.
Implementation and Results
The project worth Php 1,279,990 included 5,760 head of free-range chicken, consisting of 5,120 head of female chicken, and 640 head of male chicken. The intervention was supplemented with poultry supplies consisting of 520 bags of layer mash, 130 sachet of vitamins, 120 rolls of poultry net, 180 pieces of poultry drinker, 1,200 pieces of plastic egg tray, and 240 pieces of plastic crates.
For a more focused effort in rearing the stocks, members are required to raise them in a backyard that has an area of at least 25 square meters.
With the free inputs, the project paved a way for poultry farming business venture. Norelyn Z. Vallejo, Vice President of BISS said that the pouring of time, effort, and dedication to the project can be financially rewarding.
During the first three months of the project operation, members attested that they experienced challenges as some stocks were not productive in egg-laying which resulted in low profit, and slow income return. Roldan Orteza, Community Development Officer, explained the stocks were stressed during the long drive of deliveries in transit to the province, which directly affected the stocks’ performance.
In response, the group prioritized building their poultry houses to care for the chicken in a stress-free environment.
After months of nursing, they were able to collect a gross income of Php 607,005 (Table 1) from egg trading within the municipality.
Table 1. Egg production of BISS Farmers Association in a span of seven (7) monthsOn average, the group earns a weekly income of Php 21,000 and harvests at least 20 trays a day, with the eggs sold at P150 per tray sold at their neighborhood.
From June 16 to 17, the group also managed to sell their egg produced during the two-day celebration of the founding anniversary of the Municipality of Sta. Marcela earning an additional income worth Php 1,900, which facilitated by FCA officers.
Ofelia Ignacio, a member of BISS, recognized the livelihood project as a big help for both the members and consumers.
“Thank you SAAD ta nagsyaatan na dagituy a manok ta nangted da iti nagserbi kadakami nga maysa pamilya,mapa-income man wenu pang sidaen” (Thank you SAAD program because of these poultry stocks that were provided to us, we were able to gain benefit as family, either in terms of additional income or food consumption), expressed Ofelia.
Enterprise development comes with a policy
To make their production more efficient, the group agreed to provide one (1) tray of eggs each month during the laying period of the stocks as their counterpart to the association. While doing this, association officers have the responsibility to collect and market the eggs.
Ways forward
During the monitoring period, the members said that they are planning to purchase at least three (3) units of incubator to produce additional poultry stock.###
Writer: Kathleen Faye B. Agonoy, DA-SAAD Apayao Information Officer
