As part of its continued support to farmers in Tarlac and Nueva Ecija, the Special Area for Agricultural Development (DA-SAAD) Program conducted a Marketing Assistance and Enterprise Development (MAED) rollout for both Tarlac and Nueva Ecija from July 7 to July 24, 2025.
The training strengthened the knowledge and skills of the SAAD beneficiaries in the areas of marketing and entrepreneurship to identify the challenges faced by farmers in selling their products such corn and eggs, and to help them develop more effective strategies to increase their income and reach wider markets.
Among the participants were seven farmers’ associations who are corn beneficiaries and one association that is a poultry beneficiary — totaling eight associations. These include Campos-West Corn Production Farmers Association, Casili Anao Corn Grower Association, Pagdanggayan Ti Mannalon Bantog Farmers Association, and Rizal Livelihood Farmers Association in Anao, Tarlac; and Samahang Magsasaka ng Brgy. Coral and Nagkaisang Samahang Magsasaka ng Barangay Toledo in Ramos, Tarlac.
Regional MAED Component Lead Rodgie Castañeda served as the main speaker who emphasized the significant role of said component in the overall goal of the Program.
“Ang MAED ay isang mahalagang component ng SAAD na kung saan ay ating i-aaddress ang mga problema na kinakaharap [ninyo] at malaman po namin ‘yung angkop na suporta na maibibigay sa inyo sa pagma-market ng naaning mais” Castañeda said.
(MAED is an important component of SAAD, where we aim to address the problems you face and identify the appropriate support we can provide to help you market your harvested corn.)
Through the training, participants were introduced to key marketing concepts such as product planning, pricing, identifying target markets, and effective selling strategies. This allowed DA-SAAD to better understand the actual situation of farmers and the specific needs that must be addressed.
Overall, the Program aims to strengthen the capacity of its beneficiaries not only in production but also in enterprise development, helping them build more sustainable livelihoods.
Following this, two MAED activities were conducted for the Cabawangan Corn Farmers Association and Maeling Poultry Farmers Association in Nampicuan, Nueva Ecija last July 23 and 24, respectively.###
