MASBATE, April 29, 2023 – Fifteen (15) poultry farmers from San Pascual, Masbate earned Php 60, 040.00 worth of gross income from the Department of Agriculture – Special Area for Agricultural Development (DA-SAAD) Program’s Ready-to-Lay (RTL) Chicken Production project.
Hailing from the town of San Pascual in Burias Island, Masbate, the Sta. Cruz Poultry Raisers (SCRPA) is a SAAD-organized farmers’ association with 15 active members. Prior to being SAAD beneficiaries, the SCPRA members relied on vegetable farming, farm laboring and poultry raising as their primary source of income.
In August 2022, SCRPA became beneficiaries of SAAD Program’s Chicken Production Package worth Php 310,720. The package included white leghorn chickens (105 head), laminated sacks (3 pcs), egg trays (50 pcs), weighing scales (3 units). To effectively utilize the inputs given, the association also participated in the Training on Poultry Production and Enterprise Development which was conducted by the SAAD Regional Program Management Support Office (RPMSO) in May 2022.
As part of their efforts in maintaining the project, the group constructed a 32 square meter (sqm) communal farm in Brgy. Sta. Cruz. Further, to protect stocks from possible diseases such as avian influenza, the group implemented a farm biosecurity measure by assigning two caretakers to manage the feeding, sanitizing, and as well as the collecting of eggs.
The group sold their egg produce depending on sizes where small sized eggs are sold at Php 190.00 per tray, Php 210.00 for medium sized, and Php 230.00 for large sized eggs. Most of their products are sold to store owners in Brgy. Sta. Cruz.
Through this, the association accumulated a total amount of Php 60,040.00 from August, 2022 to March, 2023. Meanwhile, the group utilized Php 24,800.00 for the operational expenses which include feeds, electricity bill, travel fare, and as well the construction of farm housing.
Table 1. SCRPA egg production salesSCPRA President, Teofilo A. Tagalog expressed his sincere gratitude and wished that more marginalized farmers would be assisted by the program. “Nagapasalamat kami sa SAAD Program na usad kami sa nahatagan na tabang sa parauma. Unta dili lang kay sa amon barangay an matabangan san SAAD kundi an iba pa na lugar,” he shared.
(We would like to thank the SAAD Program for giving us assistance. We hope that SAAD continues on to help farmers in other places).
Currently, the association plans to use their funds to expand their egg production project by purchasing additional stocks to increase their revenue. Further, for project sustainability, SAAD Bicol has endorsed the group to the Municipal Agriculturist Office (MAO) for technical assistance. ###
Writer: Jay A. Ogaya, DA-SAAD Masbate Information Officer
Sources: Elia Kim E. Longcayana, DA-SAAD Masbate Area Coordinator
Photos: Elia Kim E. Longcayana, DA-SAAD Masbate Area Coordinator
