A total of almost P51M was handed out/ turned over to the beneficiaries from the various farmer associations (FAs), groups and cooperatives today, October 6, 2022, Thursday in a brief AyuDA ha Parag-Uma Farmers Forum, at the Sta. Fe, Leyte municipal gymnasium, witnessed by more than 250 farmers, exhibitors, staff and employees of the DA RFU 08 and member agencies and LGU officials.

 

Representing the Tingog Sinirangan Partylist was Mr. Jaime Luz Go, together with DA Regional Executive Director Angel Enriquez, Regional Technical Director Elvira Torres and Larry U. Sultan, Hon. Amparo Monteza of Sta. Fe, Leyte and her council members and the guests from the other Local Government Units represented.

 

In her message, DA RFU 08 Director Enriquez shared several important points with the beneficiaries of the various machineries, facilities, equipment, farming assistance given today. First, she told them these are given to help farmers reach higher yield, despite the problems encountered due to high cost of seeds and fertilizer. Second, she challenged them to value to everything extended to them. Third, she challenged the leadership of the LGUs to come up with policy initiatives to help ensure the sustainability of agricultural production towards the future, such as protecting the farms and making sure these won’t be converted to commercial spaces later on and crop insurance for farmers in their areas so that they will have coverage in case of natural calamities.

 

Among the farm machineries, irrigation equipment handed out today were the following: 2 units hauling truck, 1 unit 4 wheel drive tractor, 1 unit multi-cultivator, 3 units grass cutter, 4 units pump and engine set and 1 unit cacao processing facility to 10 farmer associations worth P 15,244, 203.33; Quality agricultural seeds, farm inputs, indemnity checks, incentives for coconut farmers, swine production and egg layer production and cash aid worth P36,446,951.00 awarded to selected farmer beneficiaries were given to 19 municipalities and 1 city in Leyte and Southern Leyte. Other items also directly awarded to the LGU of Liloan Southern Leyte and Tacloban City were the 2 units Regulatory – Disinfection Compressor worth P20,000.00 each. The agency also awarded the 3rd Party Guarantee System certification to Hon. Warren Aguilar of Gandara, Samar for the five farmer members of the One Samar Agro-Organic Practitioners, Inc. (One-SAOP, Inc.).

 

To date, this is the first in Eastern Visayas to be certified by BAFS and the fourth in the entire Philippines after Benguet, Pangasinan, and Aklan. Moreover, the process does not stop through certification, since the group has to undergo accreditation from the same office, pursuant to RA 11511, in order for them to be an Organic Certifying Body (OCB).

There was also a day-long mobile Kadiwa retail selling of various agricultural commodities through DA, BFAR and NFA and Animal Health Clinic with free anti-rabies vaccination, deworming and castration.

 

This first-ever AyuDA ha Parag-uma Farmers Forum was made possible through the collaboration between the DA RFU 08 and the Tingog Sinirangan Partylist. ###