MOUNTAIN PROVINCE, September 8, 2022 – Ten farmers from Barangay Batayan, Tadian, Mountain Province earned Php 186,000.00 from selling piglets produced from the Swine Repopulation Project of the Department of Agriculture – Special Area for Agricultural Development (DA-SAAD) in the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR).

In 2021, the SAAD Swine Repopulation Project inputs were granted to the 10 first-in-line beneficiaries from Batayan Farmers and Irrigators Association (BFIA) to increase swine production as a leading source of income in the area. The grantees were interested backyard hog raisers who have existing sows to feed.

This is part of the intensified nationwide initiative to combat the effects of the spread of ASF including a shortage in pork products supply that pulls up commodity prices of its by-products. This project also sustains livelihood opportunities for local hog raisers whose stocks were affected by the ASF. Nevertheless, the area remained within the green-zone due to their biosecurity measures and efforts.

BFIA houses 160 indigenous people (IP) members belonging to Applai tribe, residing in Batayan, Tadian. They were organized in 2021 through the DA-SAAD Program and were registered under the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) on the same year. The members are fruit and vegetable farmers, poultry, and livestock raisers. Having experience in hog raising, they applied for the Swine Repopulation Project of the DA-SAAD Program worth Php 750,500.00 to enhance swine production by availing free feeds, vitamins, biologics, and technical services.

Table 1. DA-SAAD Interventions to BFIA Swine Repopulation Project (FY 2021-2022)

“Iyebkas mi nan ragsak mi sin anus yo ya gaget yo ay nan iyali sinan pansayaatan isnan ili mi. Dakke- dakke na ay badang ken sak-en karkaro isnan manrugrugi. Narigat nan manrugi karkaro isnan mausar, tan nanginan feeds et dekkel nan badang ay inyali yo ay feeds en dakami isnan nanrugiana inggana nasiken nan taraken mi,” shared Julia Mariano, a member of BFIA.

(We would like to express our gratitude because of your patience in bringing us these (projects) that would benefit our community. These are a huge help, especially for those who just started like me. It was hard in the beginning specifically with sourcing materials, especially now that the feeds are so expensive. That’s why the feeds that you gave us helped us a lot in raising our pigs.)

After four months of production, the first-in-line beneficiaries were able to produce a total of 61 piglets from their 10 sows. The 41 piglets were sold liveweight to nearby barangays and provinces at Php 4,500.00 to Php 5,000.00 each.

Today, the BFIA has a total sale of Php 186,500.00 from the first cycle of the project. Meanwhile, 20 piglets composed of 10 males and 10 females were passed on through the roll-over scheme to the 10 next-in-line beneficiaries. The roll-over scheme is a repopulation strategy where benefitting members from the current project will turn over a certain number of offspring to the next-in-line members.

Table 2. BFIA Piglet Production and Dispersal from Swine Repopulation Project

Mr. Philip Napaldet Sr, 74 years old, lauded the DA-SAAD’s Swine Repopulation Project as it successfully increased the number of hog raisers in the barangay. He shared that before the DA-SAAD program implementation, there were only 20 households that engaged in hog raising, but today it increased to 40 households because of the pass-on or roll-over scheme.  

“Ditoy ayan mi nga Batayan, inmadon ti agtaraken ti baboy ta na encourage da idi ijay feeds nga it-ited ti DA-CAR SAAD. Maysa pay, nu siak nga senior, nalaglag-an bassit nga trabaho ti agtaraken ti baboy kaysa talon isunga mayat tay men iyali das feeds ta diay budget mi para feeds, igatang mi ti additional nga burias nga taraken mi,” explained Mr. Napaldet.

(Here in our place, Batayan, hog raisers have gradually increased because they were encouraged with the feeds distributed by the DA-SAAD CAR. Additionally, as a senior citizen, hog raising is easier for us to do than farming, that’s why it’s good that they provided us feeds so our budget allocated for it will be used to buy another piglet, for us to raise).

To increase their income from the Swine Repopulation Project, the BFIA has collected a total of Php 36,000.00 from its members as a continuity fund through the roll-over scheme. The said fund is open for loan among the BFIA members, especially to the next-in-line beneficiaries, for additional money as needed for feeds, vitamins, and biologics.

DA-SAAD helps maintain ASF-free Batayan

Amidst the pressing threats of the ASF, Barangay Batayan remained ASF-free until present. Mr. Percival O. Awingan, DA-SAAD Focal Person and Municipal Agriculturist in Tadian, underscored that the Office of the Municipal Agriculture (OMAG) is keen in monitoring the swine raisers in the municipality as it deployed Biosecurity Officers to each barangay. In order to safeguard the pigs from ASF, he shared that they always remind swine raisers to not bring in pigs or pork meat from outside their barangays.

“The DA-SAAD’s Swine Repopulation is a strategic project to prevent the entry of ASF in the barangay. It has supported local producers by feeding the existing sows to increase piglet production. With this, the farmers no longer need to buy piglets outside for them to raise,” said Mr. Awingan.

Further, the delivery of biologics, monitoring, and provision of technical advice to the farmers on swine raising in the area will be continuously conducted by the OMAG and SAAD staff in Tadian.

Plans

BFIA has started offering piglets for loan with 25% interest rate. As of today, the association has earned a total of Php 25,875.00 interest which has not yet been received in cash, from 23 piglets loaned at Php 4,500.00 per head from February to July this year. The borrowers will be paying within 6 months after loaning. The opportunity to loan piglets will continue for BFIA to gain extra income.

“Dakkel tulong nan nay DA-SAAD ta inyali nan nanrugian mi isunga nawadan income mi si panpuonan mi kasin ay mangituloy sinan narugian ay swine repopulation mi. Edwani, ituloy mi eanap kasin ikkan mi tapno man increase income mi ta way iyat mi bumadang sin gagait mi ay manlayad mentaraken si baboy ngem marigatan da aggatang burias da,” said Gigi N. Chiyao-yao, BFIA President.

(DA-SAAD has been a great help because the program provided us with start-up capital to have more income to fund the continuity of our Swine Repopulation Project. Today, we are finding ways to increase our income so that we can help others who are interested in hog raising but cannot afford to buy piglets.)

With the current amount of its Php 36,000.00 continuity fund, the association is ready to start its multiplier farm in order to expand production and income. This is aligned to the BFIA’s vision to be a producer and supplier of pork meat and piglets in the province. ###

Writer: Florde Liza A. Afidchao, DA-SAAD Mountain Province Information Officer

Sources:
DA-SAAD Tadian Project Development Officers
Batayan Farmers and Irrigators Association