CAMIGUIN, October 21, 2024 – Twenty-five (25) members of the Tangaro Young Farmers Association (TYFA) in Catarman, Camiguin received 50 bags of chicken grower feeds and 150 bags of layer feeds worth Php 600,000 from the Department of Agriculture – Special Area for Agricultural Development (DA-SAAD) Northern Mindanao to support their poultry project last September 24, 2024.

Since last year, the Tangaro Young Farmers Association (TYFA) has received 585 ready-to-lay chickens, 13 cages, 150 bags of feeds, farm tools, biologics, and training. In August 2024, the Program provided them with an additional 350 ready-to-lay chickens, helping meet the high demand for eggs in their municipality. The remaining interventions, the garden tools, various vegetable seeds, plastic egg trays, poultry coup, chicken net, plastic drums, waterer, feeder, chiller, egg incubator, biologics, and another set of training are expected to be delivered in December 2024. All these agri-inputs are under the FY 2024 Integrated Poultry and High-Value Crop Production Project worth Php 1.454 million intended for TYFA.

TYFA used a 2,500-square-meter land owned by one of its members to build a poultry house for their 935 ready-to-lay chickens. The chickens are cared for by two members of the group, as agreed by the association, and they are being paid Php 4,000 each in a month. 

TYFA Agriculture Profile

Established in 2021, the members of the TYFA have been engaging in agricultural activities, ranging from subsistence farming to small-scale farming. The primary crops grown by the farmers in the association include coconut, banana, vegetables and fruits (lanzones). They also do livestock farming, raising poultry, swine, and cattle; and engaging in agroforestry.

Prior to receiving the livelihood project from SAAD, the farmers of TYFA get their income from selling their produce in local markets. They also work as laborers, managing woodlots for fuel, timber and environmental conservation. To increase their profitability, they add value to their farm produce through processing, packaging and marketing. 

At present, the TYFA has accumulated around Php 200,000 gross income, some of which were used for the expansion of their production area and as capital for their value-adding projects, such as peanut and sweet corn production. 

In addition, they will also use some of the income they earn to buy additional head of RTL chicken in order to sustain their project. ###

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