KALINGA, May 20, 2022 – In 2021, fifteen (15) members of the Eastern Sucbot Irrigated Farmers Association (ESIFA) located in Barangay Sucbot, Pinukpuk with the help of the Department of Agriculture – Special Area for Agricultural Development (DA-SAAD) received inputs worth Php 562,750 for their FY 2021 Egg Enterprise Project, which included 250-layer chicken stocks packaged with 150 poultry feeds and production support to jumpstart their community enterprise.

Members of the ESIFA came from different sub-tribes of Kalinga such as Tobog, Gamonang, Bago, Banao, Magaogao, and some are Ilocano.

“Dakkel nga katulungan mi daytuy project ti bumaranggay ken dagituy myembro ta haan nga nangina. Dagiti stores dituy, matulungan mi ta ited mi ti nalaklaka nga presyo, pangpuunan” (This project is a big help to the community and to the members since these [eggs] are inexpensive. The stores here also benefit by getting the eggs at a lower price, a lesser capital need), shared ESIFA Vice-Chairperson Dennis Lagrio.

Production and marketing

The ESIFA has a 50 square meter (sqm) – communal poultry production site with members taking turns in feeding the stocks twice a day and maintaining the project to maximize profits during the first two months. Their daily produce is sold on an advance order basis by the barangay populace and from nearby areas such as Barangay Magaogao and Cabaruan. Walk-in customers are also accommodated based on the availability of supply.

A month after the delivery of stocks, ESIFA started to sell fresh eggs, and later, from January-May 2022, the group gained Php 44,849 net income from the gross sales of  Php 90,821 of their 18,975 pcs of eggs hatched.

To date, their layer stocks can produce 170 eggs/day. The eggs were sold at Php 5.00 each from January- February and with the provision of an egg grader early last month, the prices of the different sizes now range from Php 130-180/tray, at 30 eggs/tray. Inventory of their sales is done every 15^th of the month.

ESIFA is enhancing its marketing strategies by grading egg produce allowing them to price the eggs at a higher cost for a possible increase in profit. For now, they are focused on the production and marketing of their fresh egg produce while later on, they plan to engage in value-adding when the market becomes saturated.

Improving housing, practices, and management

With their initial success, the group had recently relocated their egg production area into a hectare-wide site. This expansion will help maintain their increasing stocks and isolate the production from residential areas. The poultry facility will be integrated with their other interventions such as the fruit tree seedlings and vegetable seeds.

Moreover, with the rising cases of bird flu in other provinces, the group has taken precautions by limiting the exposure to caretakers since February. Said member-caretaker is receiving a monthly salary of Php 1,500 as an additional source of income.

Another measure observed is the continuous provision of multivitamins and the installation of a foot bath at the entrance of the poultry house as advised by Pinukpuk Municipal Agriculturist Dr. Eunice Belloza.

Ways forward

With the high demand for eggs in their area, the program allotted a budget for the group for FY 2022 to increase their layer stocks. On April 20, 300 additional stocks worth Php 165,000 were given to the group and are expected to lay eggs anytime this month of May.

Moreover, to ensure the sustainability and success of the project, training such as the Skills Training on the Establishment and Maintenance of Poultry Egg Production Enterprise and technical assistance in partnership with the local government units will be provided.

“This is just the beginning. We, from SAAD, will later connect you to the banner program of livestock, and with your experience and good record, we can show that you have a good standing of production with other programs. More opportunities will come to you. That is why you need to strengthen your group,” said Balag-ey Claver, Agricultural Program Coordinating Officer of Kalinga, during his visit to Sucbot, Pinukpuk to encourage them to not limit their network to the SAAD Program but to also seek from other agencies, especially that they are still at the early stage of their enterprise. ###

Writer: Sheena Phine P. Dayagon, Information Officer I – Kalinga

Source: Mowanah Marie C. Jovellanos, Community Development Officer I – Kalinga