Different farmers’ groups and an Indigenous People (IP) community in Caraga Region benefited from the series of project distribution activities recently conducted by the Department of Agriculture in the area (DA-13).
“The distributions started last August 6 until Tuesday, August 10,” Emmylou Presilda, chief of Regional Agriculture and Fisheries Information Section of DA-13, told the Philippine News Agency on Wednesday.
The series of project distributions aimed to support the efforts of the different farmers’ organizations in the region to increase their productivity amid the continuing threats of the pandemic.
Presilda said a total of PHP7,017,418 worth of production support and projects were released by the agency during the activities.
“There is a need to support our farmers during these trying times, not only to help them increase their farm productivity but also to ensure food stability in our region,” she said.
Last August 6, the agency handed over to the city government of Bislig in Surigao del Sur a PHP3-million modernized agriculture facility that features a hydroponics system, agriculture greenhouse, and a nursery with an automated fertigation system.
The modernized facility is funded by the agency’s High-Value Crops Development Program through the Urban Agriculture Program under the Bayanihan to Recover as One Act or the Bayanihan II.
On August 8, support for abaca and banana production was also released by DA-13 to an IP community in Sibagat, Agusan del Sur who are covered by Certificate of Ancestral Domain Title (CADT) No. 093.
DA-13 Regional Executive Director Abel James Monteagudo, together with National Commission on Indigenous Peoples-Caraga Regional Director Marlon Bosantog, led the distribution of 20,000 banana suckers, 20,000 abaca suckers, 1,200 sacks of organic soil ameliorants, and different farm tools to the IPs.
The IP community received a total of PHP2.3 million worth of support to further increase their banana and abaca production in the area.
The project is funded under the agency’s Kabuhayan at Kaunlaran ng Kababayang Katutubo (4Ks) Program.
On August 9, different clusters of farmers’ groups in the towns of Carmen, Cantilan, Madrid and Lanuza in Surigao del Sur were provided with 40 heads of gilt pigs worth PHP1.3 million and 319 bags of feeds worth PHP417,418.
Presilda said more project distributions are being lined up by DA-13 this month in other provinces in the region.
Source: Philippines News Agency
