LEGAZPI CITY — The Department of Agriculture (DA) in Bicol, through its Special Area for Agricultural Development (SAAD) program, fulfilled its promised interventions to beneficiaries in Bicol after it distributed over the weekend thousands of bags of rice and corn seeds and fertilizers to farmers in Catanduanes, Masbate and Sorsogon.
DA regional information officer Emily Bordado, in a phone interview Saturday, said the DA in Bicol is committed to fulfill its mandate and true to the essence of the program — a comprehensive strategy to provide livelihood opportunities for farmers and fisherfolk in the top ten poorest provinces in the country.
In Catanduanes, beneficiaries from the towns of Bagamanoc, Baras, Bato, Gigmoto, Panganiban, and San Miguel received various interventions.
“After the completion of series of trainings on Upland Rice Production, upland dwellers received one sacks rice seeds each along with complete fertilizer. The pre-selected beneficiaries are cultivating an average landholding of one hectare and other groups received packets of vegetable seeds which include okra, pechay, bush and pole sitao and ampalaya,” Bordado said.
In Masbate, a total of 2,300 bags of upland rice, 1,270 bags of complete fertilizers and 430 bags corn seeds were distributed to the pre-selected beneficiaries from the municipalities of Esperanza, Balud, Pio V. Corpus and Mandaon.
While in Sorsogon, 550 bags of upland rice seeds were distributed to beneficiaries in the municipalities of Donsol, Pilar, Magallanes, Juban, Sta. Magdalena and Matnog.
Earlier, the SAAD area coordinators in the three provinces conducted a house-to-house interview of beneficiaries to assess their needs and available resources, as well as identify the potential areas the project can have the greatest impact in.
Having identified the needs and available resources of the beneficiaries, a number of trainings on upland rice, corn and vegetable production have been conducted in coordination with the DA Regional Field Office 5 banner programs to prepare the mindset of the beneficiaries and equip them with the necessary skills to sustain the project.
SAAD is a locally-funded program of DA, which aims to help alleviate poverty among the marginalized sectors in agriculture and fishery. (Connie Calipay/PNA)
