MISAMIS ORIENTAL, December 29, 2023 – In a bid to strengthen the sustainability of the agri-livelihood project grants in Northern Mindanao, the Department of Agriculture – Special Area for Agricultural Development (DA-SAAD), through its National Program Management Office (NPMO), started cascading the Marketing Assistance and Enterprise Development (MAED) Guidelines in Misamis Oriental.

Emphasizing the Program’s goal to develop micro-enterprises for its farmer-beneficiaries, NPMO staff convened with DA-SAAD Northern Mindanao’s Area Coordinators and the MAED cluster on November 14 to 17, 2023 to share the parameters, tools, and set of activities as well as the importance of the MAED component in SAAD.

The participants were taught how to use the templates and tools to conduct actual field activity in the areas covered by the SAAD Program.

The actual market study was conducted in the municipality of Binuangan, Misamis Oriental, with the team visiting the Mosangot Womens’ Producers Cooperative (MOWOPCO), a farmer association (FA) in the province covered by the SAAD Program Phase 2 implementation.

The Program identified Ready-to-Lay Chicken Production as one of the proposed projects for MOWOPCO, which will be profitable for the said FA in Binuangan as found during the market survey and assessment conducted in sari-sari stores, bakeries, and eateries in Barangay Mosangot.

The market survey and assessment aim to provide more insights into the identification of existing and potential market outlets for eggs as well as the overhead cost that the FA could incur during the marketing of products.

Moreover, data gathered during the activity will be relevant in the establishment of a community-based enterprise, such as identified market outlets on a daily and weekly basis, as well as the demand and profitability of the commodities based on consumption and resale.

“Through the interview sa mga market outlets, nakita namin na sobrang taas ng demand [for egg] pero kulang ang supply. So isa ito sa mga potensyal na nakita namin na talagang pwede yung egg layer production na project sa kanilang kooperatiba,” NPMO MAED Sub-unit Head Ashley Mae A. Apigo said.

(Through the interview with the market outlets, we saw that the demand [for eggs] is very high but the supply is insufficient. This is one of the potentials that we saw that makes egg layer production a good project for their cooperative).

“Nakita din namin, inassess namin kung gaaano kalaki ang pwede nilang kitain, gaano kalaki ang gagastusin nila sa buong programa ng SAAD and nakita natin na profitable talaga ang egg layer production para sa kanila,” she added.

(We also saw and assessed how much they can earn, how much they will spend in the entire SAAD program and saw that egg layer production is really profitable for them).

Northern Mindanao is the third region cascaded with the MAED Guidelines, with Central Visayas as the first followed by the Caraga Region.

Following the success of the pilot testing activity in Binuangan, DA-SAAD 10 will be creating teams to carry out a similar field activity to the provinces covered by the Program. Said teams will consist of SAAD Northern Mindanao Area Coordinators assigned in their respective provinces and the region’s MAED cluster. The activity is set to be conducted in 2024. ###

 Writer: Jo Ann Sablad, DA-SAAD Region 10 Information Officer