MOUNTAIN PROVINCE, November 4, 2022 – The Bontok indigenous people (IP) tribe in Mountain Province earns additional income from backyard poultry raising which they developed from their poultry production projects for FY 2020 and FY 2022 interventions from the Department of Agriculture – Special Area for Agricultural Development (DA-SAAD) Program, in the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR).
The group called Bilig Bengasan Data Mat-ao Farmers Organization (BBDMFO) is a farmers’ association in Alab Proper, Bontoc, Mountain Province which was organized in May 2020. It is composed of 60 Bontok tribe farmers who work as farm laborers, small-scale rice and vegetable producers, small entrepreneurs, backyard hog raisers, and native chicken raisers earning below the Php 380.00 daily minimum wage of CAR.
In this area, there are no locally-raised chickens sold, while eggs are acquired from nearby barangays.
The BBDMFO’s interest to generate income from selling dressed or live chicken raised directly from their backyard and supplying local stores with eggs, prompted the DA-SAAD to grant a Free Range Chicken Production Project worth Php 412,450.00 in 2020 and Poultry Production and Marketing Project for FY 2021 and 2022 amounting to a total of Php 1,742,000.00.
They were provided with a package of poultry inputs that includes free range chickens, feeds, vitamins, and farm tools. Also included in the budget are a series of poultry raising, financial, and organizational management skills training.
Table 1. Interventions of DA-SAAD to BBDMFOInitially, the stocks were raised individually during the first cycle of production, but transitioned to communal raising for cycles 2-4 when members adjusted to the tasks.
Starter feeds and various equipment and supplies for poultry-raising were still lined up to be delivered until December.
Project Implementation and Results
Upon receiving the 925 stocks in 2020, the 44 initial members of the BBDMFO got 21 to 22 stocks each to raise in their backyard. In years, the FA grew to 60 members.
The chickens were raised and sold at Php 120.00 to Php 150.00 per kilo within the community while other stocks were culled for the beneficiary’s family consumption amidst the pandemic.
The organization obtained Php 22,000.00 worth of sales for Cycle 1 of the project which lasted for four months. Meanwhile, their expenses include the operating expenses of the group.
“Idi Cycle 1, nakatulong jay project nga pang food on the table mi, karkaro idi ta pandemic. Maysa pay, nu ag harvest kami ti pagay, isu ti alan mi nga pangsida,” said Ms. Glory Doladol, BBDMFO Secretary.
(For Cycle 1, the project helped us provide food on the table, especially during the height of the pandemic. Also, when we harvest our palay, we use our stocks for our viand.)
Meanwhile, in 2021 (2nd cycle), 1,800 free-range chickens from the Program were distributed and added to the four communal project sites located in sitio Bilig, Bengasan, Data, and Mat-ao with 450 head in each site.
From this cycle, 1,216 stocks were sold at Php 150.00 per kilo live weight or Php 180.00 per kilo in dressed weight. The BBDMFO had a total sale of Php 81,250.00 where the organization earned Php 48,750.00 net income.
With the association’s eagerness to continue their poultry production enterprise, the beneficiaries purchased 600 one-day-old free range chickens for the Cycle 3 production worth Php 46,800.00 in May 2022, this time, from their savings. Other expenses were for labor.
The 600 head of stocks procured for Cycle 3 were also distributed in said four sites, allocating 150 stocks each. Upon reaching one month old, 586 chickens were disposed at Php 100.00 per head, having a total sale of Php 58,600.00.
Recently, the BBDMFO purchased a total of 1,000 head of day-old chicken broilers amounting to Php 49,000.00 for their Cycle 4 production. The funds used were from the savings they collected from selling their stocks in three successful production cycles.
Table 2. Funds Generated by the BBDMFO for FY 2020-2022*As of September 20, 2022
Currently, the Php 23,389.00 total net income has been saved in their bank with additional Php 317.00 interest.
“Mayat met daytoy project mi nga inted ti DA-SAAD. Nakaala kami additional knowledge no kasano agtaraken ti manok for commercial purposes, especially jay difference ti panagtaraken ti broiler ken Free Range Chicken,” shared Ms. Doladol.
(Through this project from DA-SAAD, we were able to gain additional knowledge on how to raise chicken for commercial purposes, specifically the difference between raising the free range chicken and broiler.)
Pursuing their intent to become one of the suppliers of poultry products in the provincial markets, the association plans to continue their chicken meat production and expand to egg production enterprises if circumstances and economic situation permit. ###
Writer: Florde Liza A. Afidchao, DA-SAAD Mountain Province Information Officer
Source: BBDMFO, DA-SAAD Bontoc Project Development Officer and Community Development Officer
