MANABO, Abra (PIA) — A farmers’ association in remote Sitio Madago in San Ramon East in Manabo, about a two-hour ride from the capital town, is grateful to the Department of Agriculture (DA) for the table egg production facility.
Turned over to the Maliksi Farmers Association were a complete set of poultry cages and housing, 100-layer chickens, and 23 sacks of feed amounting to P960,000 funded under the DA-Special Area for Agricultural Development (SAAD) Program Phase 2.
The program aims to empower marginalized farming communities towards building self-sufficient community enterprises.
DA-SAAD Cordillera Assistant Operations Officer Ronan M. Soriano, Abra Agricultural Program Coordinating Officer Rosemarie B. Tesoro, Municipal Administrator Joana Ruth G. Domasing, Sangguniang Bayan Agriculture Committee member Antonio Dayag, Manabo Municipal Agriculturist Eugene B. Bobiles, and Barangay Kagawad Jerry Abayon led the turnover program.
Maliksi Association President Marcelina Balagan thanked the DA-SAAD for choosing them to be a beneficiary of the program.
“Daytoy ti kapintasan a regalo para kadakami nga taga Sitio Madago. Agyamyaman kami unay iti SAAD ta daytoy ket dakkel nga banag ta kasapulan mi dagitoy nga livelihood. Daytoy ti pakakitaan nga agdurdur-as ti ili,” she expressed.
[This is the best gift for us here in Sitio Madago. We thank the SAAD Program because this means a lot for our livelihood. This is proof that our town is developing.]
Domasing encouraged the local farmers to persevere, saying such a project is intended to make them self-sufficient so they can have a better life.
“Ti ganuat daytoy a proyekto ket tapnu agbalin tayo a self-sufficient farmers isu nga itultuloy yo ti gaget yo ditoy Madago tapnu lumag-an ti panagbiag yo,” she remarked.
(The aim of this project is for you to become self-sufficient farmers so continue working hard for you to have a more comfortable life).
Soriano explained that the priority beneficiaries of the SAAD program are the profiled small farmers.
“Dagiti priority ti SAAD program ket dagiti small farmers, equal or below the poverty threshold, isuna ti maikkan ti tulong,” Soriano said.
(The priority of the SAAD Program are the small farmers, equal or below the poverty threshold. They will be given assistance)]
DA- SAAD CAR is scheduled to turn-over ten more similar livelihood projects this month in Abra. (JDP/CAGT-PIA CAR, Abra)
