“Gawas sa libreng liso gitagaan pajud mi ug oportunidad sa DA nga makadisplay sa Kadiwa sa among mga abot aron mahalinan ug makakwarta mi.”

(Aside from the free vegetable seeds, we are also given the opportunity by DA to display our produce in the Kadiwa so we can earn money.)

This was the statement of Mercy Entac, 57 years old and president of the Pandaitan Farmers Association in Tanjay, Negros Oriental during the recently held Kadiwa ni Ani at Kita in Dumaguete City.

“Nalipay kaayo mi ug dako sa mga gipanghatag sa DA nga mga liso sa utanon ug abono kay dili na mi kinahanglang mokoot pa og puhunan para ining gamay’ng negosyo,” Entac said.

(We are very happy of the vegetable seeds and fertilizers given by DA since we will not anymore get from our pocket the capital of this small business.)

“The vegetables we are selling are from the vegetable seeds that the Department of Agriculture-7 (DA7) has given us,” Entac said.

Liberata Tangunan, a consumer from Brgy. Buntod, Bacong extended her gratitude to DA for implementing the Kadiwa that lets them taste pure and fresh vegetables.

“Organic is a lot better for it is healthy and safe to eat since it is free from pesticide residues,” Tangunan said.

Sally Café of DA7’s agribusiness and marketing division said that the Kadiwa provides marketing opportunities for our small farmers.

“This kadiwa is also reducing the layers of trading which contributed to the higher prices of agricultural commodities,” Café said.

She added that through the Kadiwa, farmers can sell directly their produce to the buyers and consumers, for them (farmers) to have an increased income and for urban communities to have access to safe, fresh and quality farm produce at an affordable prices. # # # (DA-RFO VII, RAFIS)

Bayanihan Agri Clusters goes to Kalinga; intensifies DA programs

The Department of Agriculture-Cordillera (DA-CAR) conducted a stakeholders’ orientation about the implementation of the Bayanihan Agri Clusters (BAC) program to the local government units of the province of Kalinga on March 24-25, 2021.

BAC, also known as the Farm and Fisheries Clustering and Consolidation (F2C2) program, is one of the 12 key strategies of Agriculture Secretary William Dar to fuel the transformation of the Philippine agriculture and fishery sector and integrate its program interventions.

BACs Focal Person Crissa Genice Datic said that the clustering will mobilize the support of the local farmers in the province in partnership with the LGUs. She added that the pilot implementation of the clustering is on the social mobilization approach for the current year.

Juliana Aclam, the Assistant Provincial Agriculturist of Kalinga expressed that the DA’s projects are very much welcome in the province provided that the community understands the project. “Social preparation is essential to this kind of project”, she added.

The program is expected to empower farmers on the convergence and integrated government interventions. This includes loans, farm mechanization, agri inputs, and market support.

The DA-CAR F2C2 staff visited the Office of the Provincial Agricultural Services, Office of the City Agricultural Services of Tabuk City, Office of the Municipal Agricultural Office, and Municipal Planning and Development Office of Pinukpuk, Kalinga for the orientation following the LGU’s IATF guidelines and protocols.

Series of activities are expected to take place before the full implementation of the program to ramp up the department’s programs towards assisting farmers in the region. # # # (DA-RFO CAR, RAFIS)

DA-PCIC doubles indemnity to P10K per ASF-culled hog, encourages raisers to report disease incidence promptly

As the Duterte administration intensifies efforts to encourage hog raisers badly-hit by the African Swine Fever (ASF) to get back to business and subsequently stabilize pork supply and prices, Agriculture Secretary William Dar said the Department of Agriculture through the Philippine Crop Insurance Corporation (DA-PCIC) is increasing its indemnity for hogs culled due to ASF.

“Through the PCIC insurance program, we are doubling the indemnification payout for every pig that contracts ASF from P5,000 to P10,000. With the increased indemnity, hog raisers are encouraged to report affected pigs, thus controlling the ASF from spreading,” the DA chief said.

“The PCIC swine industry insurance program strongly complements the DA’s twin program of Bantay ASF sa Barangay to effectively control, contain and manage the ASF, and the Integrated National Swine Production Initiatives for Recovery and Expansion (INSPIRE) or hog repopulation program to revive the country’s swine industry,” he added.

For his part, DA-PCIC president Atty. Jovy Bernabe said the swine insurance program is a relaxed version of the agency’s regular livestock insurance program, offering free premium payments for backyard raisers and discounted premium for commercial hog raisers, and increased indemnity payments for culled hogs.

“For backyard swine raisers, the subsidy will be 100 percent (%) of the premium cost, provided they are listed in the Registry System for Basic Sectors in Agriculture (RSBSA), while for commercial swine raisers, the premium subsidy will be discounted,” said Bernabe.

For backyard farmers, the DA-PCIC provides 1.75% premium for fatteners and 3.5 percent for breeders, which are waived as free. Commercial farmers pay the same premium rates, discounted from the regular rates of 2.25% and 4%, for their stocks to be covered.

He added that the insurance covers P10,000 per head for fatteners, P14,500 per head for breeders, and P34,000 per head for parent stocks.

Bernabe said that aside from backyard swine raisers and farmers’ cooperatives, the insurance program will also cover local government units, and state colleges and universities, which implement respective hog fattening and breeding programs.

“The hog farms must be registered with the LGU, which in turn, must have organized the Bantay ASF sa Barangay. Also, their operations must be compliant with the Biosecurity Level 1 standards or a level of farm biosecurity in compliance with minimum standards set by the Philippine College of Swine Practitioners (PSCP),” said Bernabe.

“The provincial and municipal governments that have jurisdiction over the farms of the beneficiaries must have adopted harmonized ordinance relevant to the prevention of ASF. Likewise, the municipal government must implement and regularly update the Municipal ASF Control and Prevention Plan, aligned with the initiatives of the DA Regional Field Office (RFO),” he added.

“We, therefore, encourage backyard and commercial hog raisers to secure insurance packages and take advantage of the free and discounted insurance premium, respectively, offered by DA-PCIC to regain your livelihood and businesses, and more importantly revive our ASF-stricken swine sector,” Secretary Dar concluded.

The DA-PCIC is the sole and exclusive government agricultural insurance firm in the country. # # # (Rita dela Cruz, DA StratComms)