PIDIGAN, Abra (PIA) – Members of 33 farmers associations in Abra received more than P1.7-million farm inputs and assistance from the Special Area for Agricultural Development (SAAD) of the Department of Agriculture (DA).
The farmer-beneficiaries from 22 municipalities received brush cutters, water pumps, drying nets, crates, rubberized hose, and knapsack sprayers worth P1,791,718 during a turnover ceremony at the Abra Vegetable Seed Growers Development Cooperative in Pidigan.
Abra Agricultural Program Coordinating Office head Rosemarie Tesoro shared that the distribution of assistance is a result of a needs assessment with the farmer-beneficiaries.
“Daytoy assistance ket [this assistance is] based on the beneficiary needs assessment conducted by the SAAD Community Development Officers in coordination with the municipal agriculture offices,” she explained.
“Babaen daytoy water pump ket isu ti maysa nga usaren mi tapno ti kasta daydiay imula minto nga natnateng ken mani ket isunto ti dakkel ti maitulong na,” he said.
[The water pumps will help us a lot when we plant and grow vegetables and peanuts.]
He added that since they are in a rainfed area, the water pump will also support their crops during the dry season.
Florencia Padaoil Baggas, another farmer from Villaviciosa, said that the assistance will help them especially in providing enough water for their crops.
“Dakkel nga makatulong dayta ta talaga nga kailangan mi aglalo ta rainfed kami kailangan mi ti hose aglalo ta i-implementar minto ti project mi nga swine,” she shared.
[This is really a big help especially that our farms are rain-fed, and we need hose when we implement our swine project.]
The turnover of project assistance to the different farmers associations was led by Tesoro and DA-CAR regional corn program coordinator Gerardo Banawa, the provincial and municipal agriculture offices, and
The DA-SAAD aims for the development of marginalized Filipino communities by improving livelihood opportunities in the agriculture and fishery sectors. (JJPM-PIA Abra)
