At least 18 farmers associations (FAs) from Surigao del Norte province have received livelihood support packages to sustain their respective projects from the Department of Agriculture in the Caraga Region (DA-13) through the Special Area for Agricultural Development (SAAD) program.
“The turnover of the livelihood packages to support the projects of the FAs symbolized the multi-year partnership of DA’s SAAD program with the Surigao del Norte provincial government,” DA-13 said in a statement Thursday.
At least 10 of the recipients are from Siargao Island and eight from four towns in the mainland Surigao del Norte namely Sison, Malimono, Alegria, and Taganaan.
Data provided by DA-13 indicated the 18 FAs received a total of PHP16,495,259 worth of support packages released in a series of distribution activities from June 13 to July 5 this year.
Ten of the FAs received PHP5,833,500 worth of packages or PHP583,350 each for the egg production projects; three got PHP4,278,750 or PHP1,426,250 each for banana production; and two acquired PHP2,952,600 or PHP1,476,300 each for abaca production.
One group also received PHP1,038,980 in support for vegetable production, another received PHP1,594,004 for pineapple, and a third one was granted PHP797,425 for cacao growing.
DA-13 said the livelihood packages include seeds, seedlings, fertilizers, and farm inputs for the banana, abaca, cacao, pineapple, and vegetable projects. (PNA)