The Barangay Sibsib Senior Citizen Farmer’s Association (BSSCFA) in Tulunan, North Cotabato, organized on June 15, 2020, is composed of 25 members (Table 1) chaired by Antonio Awit. Most members only earned a minimum of Php 3,000 monthly as they are now aged, unemployed, and retirees.Table 1. Brgy. Sibsib Senior Citizen Association members

They were relying on the government’s assistance to senior citizens – which could only meet enough basic needs for their own families.

About Antonio Awit

Antonio Awit, 76, is a senior pensioner in Brgy. Sibsib, Tulunan. He and his 71-year-old wife, Adela, have three children.

Lolo Antonio, as they call him, has been farming for a living since childhood. He said, life wasn’t easy as he grew up from a poor family. He was only a high school graduate because his parents couldn’t afford to send him to college so he chose to work on the farm with his family.

When he turned 60, he joined the BSSCFA and was chosen as the President.

Project Implementation

The Special Area for Agricultural Development (SAAD) Program of the Department of Agriculture (DA) chose the association as a beneficiary of the Php 117,764 worth of Layer Chicken Egg Production Project under FY 2021.

On March 28, 2021, the group received 336 chickens and 8 bags of feeds. Prior to the distribution, the group had already built a mini-poultry house for the chickens.

Day and night they took good care of the chickens until they laid more and more eggs. They collected the eggs and sold them to the market. The money they’ve earned was used for buying feeds, vitamins, and egg trays.

5 Months Production Income

In April 2021, the chickens laid 64 trays of eggs and the group sold them at Php 180/tray providing them an income of Php 11,520. 

The next month, their production tripled. For five months, the association produced 936 trays of eggs providing them a gross income of Php 168,480. Subtracting total expenses and the caretakers’ salaries, the association gained a net income of 34,805 (Table 2).  

The chicken will continue to produce eggs for up to two years, in which the group plans to gradually replace them with the new layers.Table 2. Brgy. Sibsib Senior Citizen FA’s Egg Production Income

Problems Encountered and Solutions Made 

The main problem that the group encountered is the pricing of their eggs when sold to the local market, because most of the competitors sell at cheaper prices, compared to that of the association.

With the initiative of the SAAD Region 12 Focal Person Maimona Amil, the program will assist the association in selling their eggs through the KADIWA ni Ani at Kita, an activity of the DA-Agribusiness and Marketing Assistance Division.

This way, the products of the association would be easily traded since the KADIWA program is operating around the entire region.

Plans

The association proposed to expand their project after SAAD Director Myer Mula and Focal Person Amil decided to provide additional chickens for the group to produce more eggs which will relatively increase the group’s income. 

Also, Director Mula suggested for the group to start producing chicken meat, organic eggs, and organic fertilizer. The group will submit a project proposal for them to receive an egg incubator to realize the director’s suggestions. ###

Writers: Aisa Tina and Mark Anthony Marfe, SAAD Region 12 Information Officers
Editors: Myer Mula, Ulysses Lustria, Jr., Jhomai Canlas, and Jennifer Valcobero