Background

Lope De Vega is a landlocked municipality in the coastal province of Northern Samar. It is a 4th Class municipality with a 47.87% poverty incidence based on the 2018 Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) data.

To maximize the agricultural assistance delivered to farmers, national agencies, specifically the Department of Agriculture partners with the Local Government Unit (LGU) for smooth execution and to ensure all resources will be provided to the constituents.

In 2020, the DA – Special Area for Agricultural Development (SAAD) Program implemented a Swine Production project where the Getigo Rural Improvement Club (RIC) was recommended by the Municipal Agriculturist, Dr. Myra B. Lim to be a recipient.

Getigo RIC is a farmers’ association (FA) located in Brgy. Getigo, Lope de Vega, Northern Samar and was registered with the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) on August 5, 2019. At that time, the FA was composed of 23 all-women members who organized themselves to achieve a common goal: have an additional source of income to assist their families and improve their living standards.

The association went through a series of validation to verify eligibility for the project. In October 2020, inputs for the Swine Production Project were awarded to the FA.

Table 1. Interventions received by Getigo RIC under FY 2020 Swine Production Project

Within five (5) months, 9 out of 10 gilts were in gestation. However, Lope de Vega reported its first incidence of African Swine Fever (ASF) in March 2021. Unfortunately, African Swine Fever spread to Barangay Getigo, where the FA is situated.

The gilts showed symptoms such as high fever; vomiting and miscarriages occured as well. The Provincial Veterinary Office (PVO) then collected blood samples for testing which then turned out that the swine from Getigo RIC were ASF positive.

Due to the unfortunate condition of the swine project, the FA received an indemnity fund from the Philippine Crop Insurance Corporation (PCIC), DA and the LGU worth Php 88,364. On March 17, 2022, DA declared the municipality of Lope de Vega as ASF-free, and the association used their money to purchase 10 piglets for fattening on July 7, 2022.

Egg Layer Production and Marketing

To help the association bounce back, upon SAAD Northern Samar recommendation, the FY 2021 Egg Layer Production and Marketing Project worth Php 1,860,750 was awarded to the group in recognition of their dedication to growing and managing the pigs that were afflicted with ASF.

Table 2. Interventions received by Getigo RIC under FY 2021 Egg Layer Production and Marketing

To equip the FA in handling the project, coming from swine management, SAAD Northern Samar conducted a capability building and technical training on Egg Layer Production and Marketing in April 2021 facilitated by the program’s provincial staff in collaboration with PVO.

Only 18 from the association’s original 23 members have actively participated in the initiative, while the rest including Getigo RIC’s former president left the FA due to low morale brought about by the impact of ASF on the initial project.

Building of the egg layer facility started in May 2021 after the training was conducted. Members of the association contributed to fund the construction of the egg layer house as a counterpart for the project.

As of December 2021, the first batch of 100 bags of layer feeds was delivered to the association. In the following week, 960 head of RTL chicken were also delivered. Within a couple of weeks, the RTL has started to lay eggs.

The group harvested a total of 90,041 eggs during its first four months of operation, from January to April 2022, and made a gross profit of Php 471,047.

Table 3. Getigo RIC’s Egg Production table

With the income they got from the RTL project, the association was able to purchase its own electric meter and wire for farm utilization. They also put up a store located along the national highway of Brgy. Getigo. As of the moment, the association already deposited Php 315,000 to the Northern Samar Development Workers Cooperative (NSDWCC) in Catarman, Northern Samar.

PLANS

The association is much thankful to DA-SAAD and its provincial implementers for the continuous support and guidance towards the realization of the project.

In the succeeding months, the FA is planning to purchase additional stocks of RTL chicken and additional piglets for their hog fattening project. ###

Writer: Nilo J. Gumatay, Jr., SAAD Northern Samar Area Coordinator