OCCIDENTAL MINDORO, July 7, 2022 – With the aim to strengthen corn production in the province, the Department of Agriculture – Special Area for Agricultural Development (DA-SAAD) Program awarded Php 1,930,440.00 worth of corn production package to five (5) Tagalog and Mangyan FAs in Occidental Mindoro.

A total of 186 beneficiaries (117 Mangyan and 69 Tagalog farmers) from various municipalities will benefit from the planting materials, organic fertilizers, and post-harvest equipment under SAAD’s Corn Production Project FY 2022.

Table 1. List of SAAD associations and interventions received FY 2022

The associations’ cultivated areas comprised of individual beneficiaries’ farm lands dedicated to corn cultivation. The beneficiaries plant individually and the total production is recorded by their associations after harvest.

FAs from Magsaysay and Sta. Cruz became part of SAAD in 2020, receiving livelihood projects focused on increasing corn supply. On the other hand, Sablayan is one of the newly-covered SAAD municipalities in Occidental Mindoro as part of the program’s expansion in 2022.

“Bilang Chairman ng CIFA, hindi namin inaasahan na may mga ganitong [makinang] darating kaya malaki po ang pasasalamat namin sa DA-SAAD,” said Mr. Romulo V. Ramos.

(As Chairman of CIFA, we were not expecting that we will be receiving such equipment. We are very grateful to DA-SAAD).

He also agreed to lend his space as equipment shed to temporarily house the machines while waiting for PhilMech’s response to the association’s request for a similar shed.

Mr. Reynaldo Factor, Municipal Agriculturist of Sablayan, encouraged the farmers to take care of the equipment and maximize the opportunity to improve their farming.

The group will be assigning members to take turns in maintenance and operation of the machine.

On the other hand, SAKAMAKU borrowed a warehouse from a non-government organization to keep their equipment. The facility also serves as the group’s meeting place.

“Sana ay maibahagi natin nang maayos ang [interventions] na ipinapagkaloob ng programa ng SAAD sa inyong mga miyembro. Mahalin nyo lamang lahat ng ibinibigay sa inyo ng gobyerno dahil ito na ang mga tulong para mapaunlad natin ang ating pagsasaka,” Mr. Factor said.

(I hope that you will share the interventions that you received evenly among your members. Love all the projects that the government gives, as it will help you improve your farming).

Occidental Mindoro is known as the top producer of corn in MIMAROPA, producing 31,738 metric tons or the highest share of about 91.3% in the regional production of corn in the second quarter of 2021. The commodity has a variety of uses as it is consumed for food and animal feeds.

FAs from Sablayan are situated in End Local Communist Armed Conflict (ELCAC) areas, while FAs from Magsaysay and Sta. Cruz are located in the geographically disadvantaged areas.

SAAD Program continues to empower its beneficiaries and extends its services to qualified municipalities by providing suitable livelihood projects even at its final year of implementation. ###

 

For related stories, see:

https://mimaropa.da.gov.ph/media-resources/news-and-events/da-saad-awards-php-1-1m-corn-production-package-to-new-saad-beneficiaries-in-sablayan

https://www.facebook.com/103256051389236/posts/412023463845825/

 

Writer: Dianne Francis A. Sy, SAAD Information Officer I

Sources: Ian Von A. Yadao, SAAD Area Coordinator – Sta. Cruz

Vilmar J. Robes, SAAD Area Coordinator – Magsaysay

Oliver G. Cosme, SAAD Area Coordinator – Sablayan

Corn Situation in MIMAROPA – Second Quarter 2021

Retrieved from: http://rssomimaropa.psa.gov.ph/content/corn-situation-mimaropa-second-quarter-2021