The upgrading of the municipal slaughterhouse in San Jose and the construction of feed mill facility in Sibalom are expected to sustain the livestock sector as the province of Antique continues to supply live hogs to deficient areas in Luzon affected by the African Swine Fever (ASF).

Department of Agriculture (DA) Western Visayas Regional Executive Director Remelyn Recoter said “Secretary William Dar requested the regions to ship live hogs to Metro Manila to help stabilize the price of pork products which even reaches now up to ₱400 per kilogram.”

The rehabilitation and upgrading of the abattoir to ‘AA’ standard worth ₱6.25 million were funded by the DA National Livestock Program through the congressional initiative of Deputy Speaker and Antique’s Lone District Representative Loren Legarda. The construction of the main building, holding pen, wastewater treatment facility, cattle line, hog line, and auxiliary equipment is set to be completed by May of this year.

“The upgrading of this municipal slaughterhouse is part of the ₱107 million Congressional Initiative Fund of Deputy Speaker Legarda in 2019,” she added.

Recoter said that the slaughterhouse rehabilitation project also intends to address the safety and handling issues of meat and by-products benefiting both the farmers and the consuming public in San Jose.

On the other hand, the ₱7.5 million feed mill facility constructed at Brgy. Igdalaquit, Sibalom through the DA-Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) will be operationalized by April with the ongoing procurement process of the ₱3-million worth of feed mill equipment, according to Municipal Agriculturist Albert Estoya.

“Daku guid diya (feed mill) ang benepisyo sa mga mangunguma kang Sibalom. Sang nag sugod ang pandemic, ₱80 to ₱85 kada kilo lang ang baklanay sang baboy rugya. Ginadala pa namon sa Iloilo ang baboy. Sa tulad, ang taga Iloilo run ang gadala sang baboy nanda rugya sa Sibalom. Bangud nakapamaligya na kita sa Manila, ang live weight price ara na sa ₱150 kada kilo,” added Estoya.

He likewise assured that the Province of Antique through the Sibalom Integrated Livestock and Poultry Association (SILPRA) can sustain the shipment of at least 500 heads of hogs weekly to the National Capital Region. SILPRA and the Sibalom Livestock Oksyon Market (LOM) have been shipping at least 10,000 heads of hogs to Luzon traders since July 2020.

This facility will ease the plight of the livestock farmers in the province who have long been complaining about the high cost of commercial feeds. This diesel and the electrically-driven facility can mill up to eight tons of corn per day. The project includes the construction of a warehouse, and the provision and installation of a pneumatic hammer mill, horizontal feed mixer, micromixer, storage bin, flat conveyor, bucket elevator, weighing bucket, sack sealer, weighing scale, solar perimeter, and warehouse lights.

Not only that it will benefit the animal raisers, this feed mill facility as the first in the province, will also be advantageous to local corn farmers in the province as the SILPRA and the LGU Sibalom have allocated funds to procure corn produce of farmers at ₱16-₱17 per kilogram.

Dominador Marquez, DA Field Operations Division Chief, called for the strengthening of the organization to ensure the project sustainability and had urged the farmers to develop potential areas for corn, cassava, and sorghum as raw materials for feed processing.

“We must focus more interventions in increasing the corn and livestock areas because of the competitive price in the market,” he added.

Meanwhile, Director Recoter urged the newly appointed provincial veterinarian Dr. Florencio Makuha to heighten the border restriction, quarantine, and disinfection measures in all ports of entry in Antique to keep Western Visayas a ‘Green Zone’ from ASF.

“We cannot compromise the ₱20-billion hog industry in the region wherein 85 percent of the raisers are from backyard scale,” she emphasized.

The turning over of the slaughterhouse and feed mill facilities were also witnessed by Rep. Legarda’s consultant Antonio Agapito “AA” Legarda, and Sangguniang Panlalawigan Committee Chairman on Agriculture Fernando Corvera on Jan. 18-19.

With these advancements in the livestock facilities in the province, DA and the local officials are eyeing for the possibility of shipping ‘pork in a box’ instead of live hogs to save on transportation expenses, and to avoid animal mortality incidents during shipment. ### (By Sheila Mae H. Toreno/DA-RAFIS 6)

Sorsogon fisherfolk receive cash and food assistance thru DA’s CFSMFF Program

About 494 fisherfolk in Gubat, Sorsogon received cash and food assistance worth P5,000 through the Cash and Food Subsidy for Marginal Farmers and Fisherfolk (CFSMFF) Program of the Department of Agriculture on January 15, 2021 at the Gubat National High School Covered Court in Gubat, Sorsogon.

The program beneficiaries received P2,000-worth food pack containing rice, chicken and eggs as well as P3,000 cash via a payout center accredited by the Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP).

DA-Bicol Agribusiness and Marketing Assistance Division Chief Adelina A. Losa and Sorsogon Board Member Arze Glipo graced the activity. They were joined by Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) Regional Director Nelson Bien, BFAR-Sorsogon Provincial Fishery Officer Arnaldo Romeo Claveron, and Municipal Agriculturist Yolanda Patriarca.

The Province of Sorsogon has targeted a total of 3,667 CFSMFF farmer and fisherfolk beneficiaries from 13 municipalities including Barcelona, Bulan, Bulusan, Casiguran, Castilla, Donsol, Gubat, Irosin, Juban, Matnog, Pilar, Prieto Diaz, and Sta. Magdalena as well as Sorsogon City. Of these, 1,265 beneficiaries have already received their cash and food subsidies.

CFSMFF is the DA’s digitized cash and food aid system which complements the Social Amelioration Program of other national government agencies. It provides direct cash and food assistance to eligible smallholder corn, coconut, sugarcane and indigenous people (IP) farmers affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. CFSMFF distribution will continue region wide until February 2021. # # #  (Annielyn L. Baleza with reports from Ms. Ma. Christina F. Campita and Patrocinio Collao I & Photo by: Annielyn L. Baleza / DA-RFO V)

DA RCPC nagsasagawa ng monitoring sa harabas ng sibuyas

Ang Kagawaran ng Pagsasaka (DA) sa Gitnang Luzon sa pangunguna ng Regional Crop Protection Center (RCPC) ay nagsagawa ng monitoring nitong ika-19 ng Enero tungkol posibleng pamemenste ng Onion Armyworm sa bayan ng San Manuel, Tarlac.

Ang Armyworm o mas kilala sa tawag na harabas ay karaniwang namiminsala sa 200 uri ng halaman kabilang na ang palay, mais at sibuyas. Tinagurian itong armyworm dahil marami ang bilang at pulu-pulutong kung umatake. Kinakain ang halos lahat ng halamang madaanan at lumilipat sa ibang lugar ang buong pulutong kung saan may makakain.

Sa utos ng Direktor ng DA Regional Field Office 3 Crispulo Bautista, Jr. kay Edgardo Supan OIC – Center Chief ng RCPC na imonitor ang mga lugar na may nagtatanim ng sibuyas, napag-alaman nila na may kaso na ng harabas sa Brgy. Sapang, Moncada, Tarlac. Dahil sa nakitaang pamiminsala ay agarang nagbigay alam ang RCPC sa Municipal Agriculturist Office ng Moncada upang mabigyan ng agarang pagkontrol dito.

Matapos nito, upang maiwasan ang pagkalat ng onion armyworm ay nagsagawa ng monitoring ang kagawaran sa mga karatig na bayan ng Moncada at naglagay ng mga pheromone traps upang malaman kung may mga naninirahan ng harabas sa mga bukid na may tanim na sibuyas.

Maliban dito, ang pheromone trap ay nakatutulong din upang mabawasan ang populasyon ng onion armyworm at malimitahan ang pagdami nila sa paraang nata-trap dito ang mga lalaking paru-paro at namamatay.

Nitong araw ng Martes (Enero 19, 2021) ay nagsagawa ng technical briefing ang mga kawani ng RCPC na sina Trojane Soberano Science Research Specialist ll at Herbert Bautista Research Technician na nagbahagi ng tamang pamamahala sa iba’t-ibang klase ng sakit at peste ng sibuyas kabilang na ang harabas na lubos ang pinsalang naidudulot at maaaring mauwi sa pagkalugi kung hindi agad inaagapan.

Malaki naman ang naging pasasalamat ni Juanito Rama ng San Manuel Tarlac Farmers Multipurpose Cooperative dahil sa ginawang monitoring at pagtuturo ng DA RCPC sa kanila, “Maraming salamat po at malaki po ang naitulong ninyo sa amin dahil sa panahon ngayon napakarami ng mga naglalabasang mga peste na hindi namin nalalaman ang pangalan at kung paano ito pamahalaan”, sambit ni Rama.

Namigay din ng mga pheromone traps sa mga magsasaka upang ilagay sa kanilang bukid.

Kasunod nito, pinakiusapan ng RCPC ang mga magsasaka na kung kakitaan ng mga patay na paru-paro ang mga itinayong pheromone traps ay magsagawa ng monitoring sa mga dahon ng sibuyas at huwag agarang magspray ng matatapang na klase ng pestisidyo. Hinikayat din nila na ipagbigay alam sa kanila at sa LGU upang matulungan sa tamang pamamahala ng onion armyworm.

Maliban sa lalawigan ng Tarlac, nagsagawa din ng monitoring at technical briefing sa peste at sakit ng sibuyas ang RCPC sa mga bayan ng Nueva Ecija at Pampanga. # # # (DA-RFO III, RAFIS)