MISAMIS OCCIDENTAL, October 21, 2024 – The Department of Agriculture – Special Area for Agricultural Development (DA-SAAD) Northern Mindanao provided poultry livelihood interventions to Punta Sulong SAAD Phase 2 Farmers’ Association (PSPFA) to help them establish a chicken egg enterprise in Baliangao, Misamis Occidental. 

The PSPFA received 270 ready-to-lay (RTL) chickens, six cages, 150 bags of chicken layer feed, and 50 bags of chicken grower. The chickens were delivered in August 2024, and the feeds were provided on September 13, all totaling Php 1,050,000.

PSPFA, composed of 25 farmers, is a beneficiary of the Program’s FY 2024 Integrated Poultry and HVC Production Project worth Php 2.036 million. The support includes RTL chickens, chicken layer feeds, chicken grower feeds, fertilizers, garden tools, vegetable seeds, biologics, and training. The delivery of the remaining farm inputs is expected to be completed by December 2024.

Mark Anthony Lagamon, Head of the SAAD-Region 10 Operations, Planning, Budget, Monitoring, and Evaluation (OPBME) Unit, said that egg production is a good start-up project for the farmers in Punta Sulong because it can generate income in a short period.

PSPFA Agricultural Profile 

The Punta Sulong SAAD Phase 2 Farmers’ Association (PSPFA) from Baliangao is among the groups identified by the SAAD Program covered under the Phase 2 implementation in Misamis Occidental for the years 2023 to 2028.

Based on the assessment conducted by SAAD Northern Mindanao area coordinators, the Program identified Integrated Poultry and HVC Production as the project for the FA since the group’s members have experience in farm laboring, raising chickens, swine and cattle, and vegetable production. 

Moreover, they used to market their existing products within their municipality and to the municipality of Calamba, Misamis Occidental. 

Through egg production, the farmers of PSPFA can easily diversify their farm products using the accumulated earnings to fund other agricultural ventures. 

The land where the communal area for the RTL was owned by one of the members of the FA. The area was taken care of by all the members of the group through shifts. At present, the PSPFA has been selling six (6) trays of small and medium-sized eggs in their barangay, supplying eggs to sari-sari stores and a cooperative in Baliangao.

According to PSPFA, the income they earn from egg production will be used to fund their rice business. In addition, apart from egg production alone, the FA plans to engage in product processing, such as pastry making and baking cakes, making torta, puto, leche flan, among others. ###

Writer: Jo Ann Sablad, DA-SAAD Region 10 Information Officer