LIVELIHOOD. Farmers in the Municipality of San Remigio receive cattle under the Department of Agriculture (DA) Special Area for Agricultural Development (SAAD) program on June 9, 2022. DA Antique coordinating office head Sonie Guanco said on Friday (Feb. 10, 2023) that four farmers' associations from Libertad town will be recipients of projects under the SAAD program this year. (Photo courtesy of DA-SAAD Antique)
SAN JOSE DE BUENAVISTA, Antique – The Department of Agriculture (DA) Special Area for Agricultural Development (SAAD) program will boost the livelihood in Antique’s 5th class municipality identified as the recipient of PHP2.4 million grant.
Libertad Mayor Mary Jean Te said in an interview Friday that farmers in their municipality need the grant for their identified priority projects such as ginger, chicken layer and vegetable production.
“We need the assistance to boost the income of the farmers,” Te said.
She added that their municipality is conducive to the production of ginger and vegetable production as well as to the backyard chicken layer.
Sonie Guanco, DA Antique coordinating office head, said they have identified four farmers’ associations (FA) in the upland areas of Libertad that would be recipients of the SAAD projects after their Feb. 2 validation.
These include the Sitio San Juan FA in Barangay (village) San Roque for ginger production with a project cost of PHP690,000; Buyo Tinigbas Irrigators Association in Barangay Tinigbas for vegetable production amounting to PHP699,600; Lindero Farmers and Laborers Organization in Barangay Lindero and Codiong Inyawan Green Forest Association in Barangay Codiong for chicken layer egg production amounting to PHP1,076,000.
The project cost already includes farm tools to be provided to the FAs.
“The project will be implemented by March or second quarter of this year,” Guanco said.
He said they are, however, starting to conduct orientation, training of the farmer-beneficiaries and other groundwork.
Guanco added that the LGU counterpart will be provision of technical assistance to the FAs and their other needs. (PNA)
