SORSOGON, January 17, 2023 – Fishers turned poultry farmers from Matnog, Sorsogon earned Php 54,870 by selling harvested eggs from the Ready-To-Lay (RTL) Chicken Production Project of the Department of Agriculture – Special Area for Agricultural Development (DA-SAAD) Program. Said project was selected to expand livelihood activities of beneficiaries who depend mainly on aquaculture.

The Genablan Occidental Farmers’ Association (GOFA) with 21 members is a SAAD-organized farmers association (FA), registered with the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) in August 2022. Since they are located in a coastal area, they have to travel for two (2) hours by boat to the municipality of Bulan to sell their catch. 

Being considered as one of the barangays with high poverty incidence in the municipality of Matnog, Municipal Agriculture Officer (MAO) Manuel De Guzman endorsed Barangay Genablan Occidental to the SAAD Program. Considering the seasonality of capture fishing activities, he shared that the fishermen have to stay for at least two weeks in the sea and risk their lives just to catch big fish to avoid losses due to the high cost of fuel used in their pump boat. 

Fisherfolks in the area need to explore additional means to earn money off sea during the habagat season (July-December).

As part of the livelihood package, the group received white leghorn chicken (105 head), laminated sacks (3 pcs), chicken feeds (60 bags), cages (1 set), egg trays (50 pcs), and weighing scale (3 units) worth Php 310,720.00 from the program.

GOFA’s Chicken Production project

In August 2022, GOFA members took a special training on Poultry Production Production and Health Care Management conducted by the SAAD Provincial Program Management Support Office (PPMSO) Sorsogon which capacitated the farmers with the basics of chicken production. 

Upon the delivery of the project in the same month, the group started raising the chickens in their 20×20 square meters (sqm) communal area in Barangay Genablan Occidental, Matnog, Sorsogon. 

The group also conducts a biweekly meeting where they appoint 3 different members to feed the chickens and harvest eggs every morning, afternoon, and evening. Each member who is assigned to the farm is rewarded with three (3) pcs of eggs per day.

In October 2022, the group reported 9 mortalities of chickens due to fowl pox disease and unfavorable weather conditions. To prevent this, they implemented biosecurity, quarantine measures and administered vitamins through the assistance of the SAAD PPMSO Sorsogon. 

Despite the challenges they encountered, they still managed to gather Php 54,870.00 income where each tray of eggs is sold for Php 150.00 for small size, Php 180.00 for medium size, and Php 210.00 for large size within their community for 4 months. They offer these products for a relatively cheaper price to help their community access cheap eggs than enduring a one-and-a-half hour trip to reach the market in the town proper. 

GOFA’s President Abraham Nuliar shared his sincere gratitude to the program. “Dako-dako ang pasasalamat namon lalo na naabot kami didi sa amo barangay na remote area. Napagkatiwalaan kami na hatagan nin oportunidad na magkaigwa nin ibang source of income. Dahil man sa SAAD, nadanunan man kami na mas magkasararo nan maging progresibo kaya dako man ang saamo kita didi sa manukan,” said Mr. Nuliar. 

(We are very grateful to SAAD because they gave us an opportunity to have another source of income, especially since we are in a remote area. The program  also helped us become more united and progressive  and earn bigger income through this poultry project.)

According to GOFA member Wendelyn Ramos, they plan to use their earnings to expand their activity to swine raising in 2023. As for poultry farming, the group intends to continue with their production and develop it as an established enterprise offering value-added products.

While fishing still serves as their main source of income, most especially in the months of January to June, GOFA’s egg production business is one of the established Community-based Enterprises (CBEs) in the province. It aims to be community driven in terms of profit sharing and group development to improve the lives of its members and the community as a whole. ###

Writer: Pauline Trixia D. Borja,  DA-SAAD Sorsogon Information Officer

Sources:
Mary Rose Detera, SAAD Sorsogon Provincial Coordinator
Jonathan Borres, SAAD Sorsogon Area Coordinator for Matnog