SURIGAO DEL SUR, June 29, 2020 – The Department of Agriculture (DA) – Region XIII delivered bags of open-pollinated variety (OPV) white corn seeds to five indigenous beneficiary associations of the Special Area for Agricultural Development (SAAD) Program in the municipalities of Carmen, Bislig, and Lingig, Surigao del Sur. These municipalities belong to areas classified by the Philippine Statistics Authority (2015) with the highest poverty incidence in Region XIII. Prior to SAAD’s intervention, some of these indigenous recipients had been planting corn.

Under FY 2020, the program has allotted Php 583, 670.97 for Gacub Agricultural Farmers’ Association (GAFA – 27 members); Php 690,049.03 for Mag-uumang Manobo sa Hinapoyan Association (MAMASAHI – 48 members); Php 668,000 for Pinanapatan Farmers’ Association (PIFA – 30 members); Php 112,566.67 for Chicken Raisers’ Association of Burboanan (CRAB – 23 members); and Php 77,733.33 for Burboanan Native Chicken Association (BURNACHICA – 20 members). GAFA, MAMASAHI, and PIFA are under the Corn Production Project, while CRAB and BURNACHICA are under the Native Chicken Production Project. The initial deliveries of the program are 96 bags worth Php 172, 800 to the farmer-beneficiaries wherein 20 bags are given to GAFA; 42 bags to MAMASAHI; 30 bags to PIFA; 2 bags to CRAB; and 2 bags for BURNACHICA.

The rest of the farm inputs, i.e., fertilizers, vegetable seeds, farm tools, laminated sacks, and biologics, are expected to be delivered and distributed in the third and fourth quarter of this year. According to MAMASAHI President Venancio P. Meniano, his association will plant the corn seeds by August.

Prior to the approval of the projects, the program conducted trainings on corn production in 2019 to equip the farmers with the appropriate technologies needed to have an optimized production, not only for subsistence consumption, but also for market purposes.

SAAD – Region XIII ensures that all target projects are sustained with deliveries of agricultural inputs despite the region being under quarantine due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Since 2019, the region has started providing SAAD projects in Agusan del Sur and Surigao del Sur.  ###

Writer:            Mark Angelo C. Pineda – Information Officer, DA-SAAD Caraga

Sources:          Ligaya Toroy- Carmen, SDS Area Coordinator

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