CATANDUANES, November 5, 2024 – To supplement the entrepreneurial capabilities of farmer-beneficiaries, the Department of Agriculture—Special Area for Agricultural Development (DA-SAAD) Program Phase 2 conducted a series of training on poultry processing, food safety handling, food packaging, and labeling in Catanduanes.

The said training is part of the program’s initiative under the Marketing Assistance and Enterprise Development (MAED) component that focuses on market-related activities relative to the livelihood projects provided by the program. By linking specialized skills training with enterprise development, beneficiaries will learn to process, pack, and market their products more effectively.

The training was conducted last August 23-24, 2024 for the Program’s poultry production beneficiaries—Magsaysay Poultry Raisers Association (MAPRA) from Bagamanoc, Pursigidong Samahang Manukan ng Danao from Baras, and Sicmil Poultry Farmers Association from Gigmoto. Said groups that are already engaged in poultry farming are now taking the next step to boost their profit and operation.

Led by Honey Leah C. Takagi from the DA Regional Field Office (RFO) V,  the first part of the training covered the concepts of meat processing which was then followed by a hands-on demonstration, and packaging and labeling. During these sessions, the participants made value-added poultry products like chicken tapa, chicken longganisa, chicken tocino, chicken cordon bleu, and chicken siomai.

Poultry farming in an island province like Catanduanes presents unique challenges, such as transportation, logistics, and adjusting to unpredictable weather conditions. The high humidity, frequent rains, and monsoons complicate production and marketing efforts. Despite these, the training has equipped the farmer-beneficiaries with new strategies to turn these challenges into opportunities. By learning to process poultry products, they can extend shelf life, improve marketability, and make their business more resilient and competitive.

MAPRA President Mrs. Marilyn M. Lanon expressed her gratitude for the opportunities presented to her group, “Salamat ta tinaw-an kita nin opurtunidad na magka igwa nin SAAD sa Barangay Magsaysay, na dahil sa kila nadagdagan bako lang ang kaaraman kundi ang mga pagaka-abarahan nin bawat sado, na maski naka wawoy go lang po! Kaya sa sakong pag iriba, sararo kita na magturuwangan para mag uswag kita.”

(Thank you for letting our barangay become a beneficiary of the SAAD Program. We have gained new knowledge and found something worthwhile to do. It is a tiring task, but we will persevere. To my fellow members, let us all work together to ensure our progress.)

Last September, the farmers received additional poultry-related interventions which consisted of  Ready-to-lay (RTL) chickens, chicken layer feeds, cages, and egg trays. Further, the same set of training was conducted in the provinces of Masbate and Sorsogon last September and October. ###

Writer/Source: Jovinel M. Gianan, DA- SAAD Bicol- Information Officer