ROMBLON, November 22, 2023 – To boost farmers’ income in Romblon, the Department of Agriculture – Special Area for Agricultural Development (DA-SAAD) MIMAROPA started rolling out poultry projects to its selected recipients from San Isidro Livestock and Poultry Producers Association with 25 directly benefiting members who received Php 119,325 worth of poultry inputs under Improved Free-range Chicken Production Project.
On August 18, 2023, in a turnover ceremony led by Marissa DV Vargas, the Operational Planning, Budget, Monitoring, and Evaluation (OPBME) Lead of SAAD MIMAROPA, together with staff from the Regional and Provincial Program Management Support Offices, Municipal Councilor Christina Imperial, Chairman of the Sangguniang Bayan Committee on Agriculture, and Municipal Agriculturist Alex John Galicia, the farmer group accepted the project inputs which included 129 free-range chickens, veterinary medicines, and one (1) unit of incubator.
“Binabati ko po ang inyong samahan at ako ay natutuwa dahil bago pa makapagdeliver ang SAAD ay handang handa na kayong i-welcome ang aming interbensyon sa inyo. Inaahasahan namin na ito ay palalaguin ninyo, bigyan ninyo ng importansiya dahil ang layunin namin ay mabigyan kayo ng livelihood,” said OPBME Lead Vargas.
(I congratulate your organization, and I am pleased to see your readiness to welcome our intervention even before SAAD’s delivery. We hope you will nurture and give importance to this opportunity, as our objective is to provide you with sustainable livelihood.)
Before receiving the project, the members underwent training on free-range chicken production, proper care, and good practices needed for the chickens to thrive in their natural habitat.
As a counterpart, group member Ms. Rufina Mercano voluntarily offered her 800 sqm lot for the construction of their communal poultry house. With this, they strictly adhere to sanitation measures. To take turns in tending to the poultry stock, they grouped themselves into seven. They envisioned Tablas Island and their entire community as potential markets for their high-quality, locally sourced poultry products.
“Ang ating gobyerno ay nagpupursige na tayo po ay tulungan at alam ko, kung umangat man ang ating kabuhayan (ay) dahil sa pagtulong ng gobyerno na hindi tayo pinababayaan. Ito po ay isang malaking karangalan ng ating inang bayan at ng ating barangay dahil sila ay hindi nagkamali sa pagpili ng ating samahan dahil tayo ay nagkakaisa at nagtutulungan,” said Mr. Lemuel Galindez, chairperson of the group.
(The government is steadfast in its commitment to assist us, and I believe that any improvement in our livelihood is a result of the government’s unwavering support. This is a great honor for our nation and our barangay because they made the right decision in choosing our association because we are united and helping each other.)
Free-range chicken was the identified project for the group, revealed during the beneficiary needs assessment (BNA) conducted by the program implementers. As experienced poultry raisers and having an area suitable for the said venture, free-range chicken farming, if done properly will be highly profitable and the group will certainly earn from selling both meat and eggs in 2024. ###
Writer: Melissa F. Lingco, DA-SAAD MIMAROPA Information Officer
Sources: Engr. Maiden Marie M. Segui, Associate Project Officer, Jhonzell G. Panganiban, Community Development Officer
This Post Has 0 Comments