CEBU, November 5, 2024 – To support the livelihoods and increase the income of two farmers’ associations in Tudela, Camotes Island, the Department of Agriculture – Special Area for Agricultural Development (DA-SAAD) Central Visayas distributed essential garden tools on October 2-3, 2024. This initiative is part of the Establishment of Chicken Egg Production and Marketing Enterprise project.

The Coco Farmers Association of Secante Bag-o (CFASB) and the Pasil Farmers and Fisherfolks Association (PFFA), each with 30 member beneficiaries, received two shovels, two wheelbarrows, and three rolls of polyethylene hose. These resources aim to enhance the long-term sustainability of chicken egg production by improving farm management, efficiency, and productivity through easier daily maintenance and cleaning activities.

The Local Government Unit (LGU) of Tudela and the Area Coordinator (AC) organized the distribution, with Municipal Agriculture Officer (MAO) Harwin Lozano and Secante Bag-o Barangay Captain Hon. Julito Portarcos also in attendance to show their full support for the project. These essential resources are expected to aid the farmers’ egg production efforts greatly.

Mr. Joel A. Banawan, president of PFFA, and his colleagues expressed gratitude for the SAAD program’s support, emphasizing how these tools will contribute to their association’s goals.

“Mapasalamaton kaayo ko’g dako sa mga interventions nga nadawat sa among asosasyon sama sa pala, wheelbarrow ug polyethylene hose, kining among nadawat dako kaayo’g tabang para mapalambo ang among proyekto. Daghan kaayo’g salamat SAAD program,” he said.

(I am grateful for the interventions our association received, such as the shovel, wheelbarrow, and polyethylene hose. What we received is a huge help in improving our project. Thank you very much to the SAAD program.)

The association will implement strong management procedures to ensure efficient use of resources, equip one of its members with poultry care skills, and guarantee that all project profits are saved in their account.

The SAAD program aims to help address the community’s livelihood challenges through livelihood projects like chicken egg production, which has great potential for income growth.

This recent distribution of resources was carried out to ensure a proper turnover of interventions to the CFASB and the PFFA. As recognized SAAD program beneficiaries, these two associations received targeted interventions to meet their farming needs. ###

Writer: Imaculate Grace L. Negre, DA-SAAD Central Visayas Information Officer
Source: Maria Denaiza Ladera, SAAD Cebu Area Coordinator