ROMBLON, October 2, 2024 – To increase the egg supply and provide additional income opportunities for farmers, DA-SAAD MIMAROPA provided Php 1,856,100 worth of support through the Ready-to-Lay Chicken Project to three farmers’ associations (FAs) in Romblon last August 23, 2024.

The beneficiaries were the Linao Vegetable and Crops Growers’ Association from Calatrava, the Camili Vegetable Growers’ Association from Alcantara, and the Samahan ng Magsasaka ng Sampong from Concepcion. They received 710 ready-to-lay chickens, 38 sets of chicken cages, 900 egg trays, and 50 sacks of feeds each, totaling 200 sacks for every group. This fourth quarter, they will also receive an egg sorter to help sort egg sizes for fair pricing and distribution. Before receiving these, all members attended training on how to care for the chickens, including feeding, building coops, and handling diseases.

While LVCGA and CVGA focused on growing vegetables and SAMASA specialized in goat farming, all three groups saw high and steady demand for farm-fresh eggs, which led them to add egg production to their existing projects. They also planned to use chicken manure as organic fertilizer for their crops.

Through bayanihan, the associations built chicken coops on their communal farms as a contribution. To manage their poultry well and keep the area clean, they followed the practice of successful SAAD chicken raisers by hiring a caretaker. They prioritized selling eggs to the local community, with plans to sell to nearby areas if they had extra.

SAMASA President Carl Fabregas shared that the project gave them hope by ensuring a steady supply of eggs when travel was disrupted by bad weather. Concepcion is located on Sibale Island, and the town relied heavily on supplies brought by boat from Pinamalayan in Oriental Mindoro.

“Pag wala pong byahe at habagat, hindi makabili ng suplay sa Pinalamayan gaya ng itlog. Pero ‘nong dumating itong RTL ng SAAD ay nagkaroon na po kami ng pag-asa na kapag ganong may bagyo [ay] mayroon na pong makukuhanan ng itlog sa Sibale. Maraming salamat po sa inyo at makakaaasa po kayo na ‘yong ibinigay niyong project ay hindi po namin pababayaan at aalagaan namin ng husto,” he said, expressing gratitude to SAAD for providing them with a new livelihood opportunity.  

(When there are no trips and there is southwest monsoon, we can’t buy supplies from Pinamalayan, including eggs. But with the arrival of SAAD’s RTL, we now have hope that even during storms, we would have a source of eggs in Sibale. Thank you, and you can be assured that we will take good care of this project you have given us.)

Meanwhile, SAAD granted Php 671,850 worth of production support to Tubigon Planters Association (TPA) in Ferrol, the first group in Romblon to receive RTL chickens last year. The association received 230 additional poultry stocks, chicken cages, egg trays, and an initial delivery of feeds. They will also receive an egg sorter.

SAAD Community Development Officers Relan Sabac, Jercel Catubig, Jhonzell Panganiban, and Ian Von Yadao closely monitored the delivery of these interventions in coordination with the Municipal Agriculture Office (MAO) of each municipality.

SAAD MIMAROPA is promoting the integration of livelihood projects to ensure more sustainable livelihood and income opportunities for its associations. Like previous beneficiaries of the RTL Chicken (Egg) Production Project, the program expects the growing demand for affordable and fresh eggs in Romblon to drive the success of these ventures.

At present, eight (8) associations across MIMAROPA are engaged in egg production under SAAD Phase 2. Four (4) of these groups are in Romblon, one (1) in Occidental Mindoro and three (3) in Palawan.  ###

Writer: Melissa F. Lingco, DA-SAAD Information Officer II

Source: Engr. Maiden M. Segui, DA-SAAD MIMAROPA Association Project Officer II, Relan Sabac – DA-SAAD MIMAROPA Community Development Officer II, Jercel Catubig – DA-SAAD MIMAROPA Community Development Officer II, Jhonzell Panganiban – DA-SAAD MIMAROPA Community Development Officer II, and Ian Von Yadao – DA-SAAD MIMAROPA Community Development Officer II