CdeO City, May 26 – The agriculture department here in Northern Mindanao (DA-10) finds another ally in its Plant, Plant, Plant, Plant Program (Agri 4Ps) through the Del Monte Foundation, Inc. (DMFI), the corporate social responsibility arm of Del Monte Philippines, Inc.

As support, DA-10 thru Regional Technical Director Carlota S. Madriaga turned over 150 packets of veggie seeds, comprising of okra, ampalaya and pechay to DMFI, represented by Raymund L. Bandalan.

Said foundation sought from the agency the provision of vegetable seeds for the implementation of their ‘Utanan sa Kabalayan Program’, which is jointly undertaken by the company with the agriculture’s office of the local government of Sumilao, Bukidnon.

The Program shares the agency’s thrust of ensuring sustained food production, availability, food accessibility and affordability amid the COVID-19 pandemic with its eight target benefitting poor barangays in said locality, as identified thru the Zero Extreme Poverty 2030 Movement.#

DALWANGAN, MALAYBALAY CITY, BUKIDNON, May 21- The Department of Agriculture in Northern Mindanao (DA-10) turned over P6.2 million agricultural interventions to farmer-organizations and a local government unit in Bukidnon.

Under the DA-Special Area for Agricultural Development (DA-SAAD) machineries and equipment worth P5.9 million aims to help improve productivity and reduce poverty among the marginalized sectors in agriculture.

The local government of Talakag, Bukidnon received three units 35-horsepower mini four-wheel drive farm tractors with implements and two units corn mechanical sheller amounting P3.2 million.

The Upper Patag Growers and Farmers Associations, Inc. of Lantapan, Bukidnon received one unit rice combine harvester, one unit 35-horsepower four-wheel drive farm tractors with implements which include rotavator and trailer amounting P2.6 million.

“The need to increase the level of farm mechanization, to produce more food efficiency and quality will be beneficial both for farmers and consumers,” said Carlene C. Collado, OIC-Regional Executive Director of DA-10.

RED Collado explained, farm machinery will boost farming activities and ensure high production and reduce postharvest losses.

DA-Philippine Center for Postharvest Development and Mechanization (DA-PhilMech) reported that postharvest losses for corn accounts to 7.18 percent and 16.47 percent for rice, from harvesting, piling, hauling, shelling, drying and storage.

He has been emphasizing the need for farmers to adopt the different agri-machinery and equipment innovations to increase the country’s mechanization rate from 2.31 horsepower per hectare to 4 hp per hectare.

“Dako ug ikatabang ang mga makinarya kay ang wala na develop nga yuta tungod kay kulang sa galamiton maka expand na. Dako pasalamat namo sa Ginoo nga natabangan mi sa DA,” said Reynaldo Berdi, President of Dominorog Small Farmers Association of Dominorog, Talakag, Bukidnon.

[The machinery would be a big help in developing and expanding our farm. We’re thankful to God with DA’s assistance.]

DA-SAAD is a locally-funded program of the agency that addresses poverty alleviation among the marginalized sectors in agri-fishery.

Through this program, provinces with high poverty incidence rate have been given assistance in agri-fisheries since 2017.

Included in the turnover of agri-interventions were six units, 500-egg capacity automatic egg incubators amounting P306,372 under the Livestock Program of the agency.

The project intends to provide livelihood enterprise to qualified recipients who may engage in balut business, selling of days-old-chicks and production of live chicken or poultry meat.

The incubator comes with a module of 10 male and 100 female chicken or ducks as start-up agribusiness kit.

Six association-beneficiaries in Bukidnon received one unit each which comprised, the QUARBA Farmers Cooperative and Ambong Womens Organization of Impasug-ong; Dologon Fisherfolk Livelihood Association of Maramag; Bethany Christian Home for Children of Talakag; Kalilangan Cassava Farmers Association of Kalilangan and J.A Agro Employees Farmers Beneficiary Association of Quezon.# (ATCabig)

DALWANGAN, MALAYBALAY CITY, BUKIDNON – In a bid to address food security during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Department of Agriculture in Northern Mindanao (DA-10) has turned over native swine piglets, Itik Pinas and mushroom fruiting bags to some farmer-associations and rural improvement clubs (RIC) in Bukidnon and Misamis Oriental.

Three associations each received 12 heads of native swine piglets with a total amount of P19,602.00.

Beneficiaries include, Miarayon Farmers Association of Talakag, Bukidnon, Del Monte Foundation, Inc. of Manolo Fortich, Bukidnon and San Isidro Farmers Association of Medina, Misamis Oriental.

“Dako ni ug ikatabang sa panginabuhian labi na kanamo, mga kababainhan. Daghan pa ang matabangan kung manganak ni pohon,” said Zaida D. Bueanbisto, RIC president of Miarayon, Talakag, Bukidnon.

[This would be a great help especially to us, women. In time, when they bear offspring, more women can benefit of it.]

Meanwhile, the Tigkalaan RIC of Talakag, Bukidnon received 75 heads of Itik Pinas amounting to P7,500.00.

OIC-Regional Executive Director Carlene C. Collado of DA-10 said, “The intervention provides livelihood and food security for said beneficiaries.”

Native Swine piglets and Itik Pinas are the production of DA-10’s research station, the Northern Mindanao Agricultural Crops and Livestock Research Complex (NMACLRC) in Dalwangan, Malaybalay City

“Said intervention is one of the main sources of cash income in rural areas and provides financial safety umbrella, especially on the onset of COVID-19 pandemic,” RED Collado added.

He further said, “aside from that, native swine production promotes self-sufficiency and provides greater food security and increases income.”

Meanwhile, farmer-associations in Don Carlos and Dalwangan, Malaybalay City in Bukidnon and one RIC of Miarayon, Talakag, Bukidnon, each received 100 pieces oyster mushroom fruiting bags with a total cost of P10,500.00.

Mushroom fruiting bags which costs P35.00 each could lasts for three months of continuous food supply for every household.

Each bag has an estimated production of 200 grams within the said period, which provide guaranteed food.

DA-10’s mushroom production target of 20,000 fruiting bags is an immediate COVID-19 response from its three research stations, Research Center for Upland Development in Dangcagan, Bukidnon and Research Center for Hillyland Development in Claveria, Misamis Oriental and NMACLRC in Dalwangan, Malaybalay City, Bukidnon.

Carmelito Lapoot, the officer-in-charge of DA’s Research Division shared, “providing immediate food assistance is one of our efforts in improving lives. We have to increase production effectively and efficiently.”#(ATCabig)

May 20, 2020 – Notwithstanding e DA-10 eyes 94% rice sufficiency in NorMin amid COVID-19 onslaught conomic backslide due to COVID-19 pandemic, the Department of Agriculture in Region 10 (DA-10) stays optimistic as regard rice sufficiency in Northern Mindanao.

The agency is projecting at least 94 percent rice sufficiency rate this year, an increase of 12 percent target sufficiency from the preceding year.

The projection is pinned considering various mitigating programs implemented by DA-10 to boost rice production in the region.

In May to June this year, the agency is slated to distribute Php407.3 million worth of farm inputs subsidy to an estimated 42,539 rice farmers in Bukidnon, Misamis Oriental, Lanao del Norte, Misamis Occidental and Camiguin through DA’s Rice Resiliency Project (RRP).

Prior to this, DA-10 already rolled out the distribution of Php128.2 million financial aid to 25,578 eligible farmer-recipients of DA’s Rice Farmers Financial Assistance (RFFA) and Financial Subsidy to Rice Farmers (FSRF).

The RRP subsidy comprises 206,320 bags fertilizer, 21,452 bags hybrid rice seeds and 58,986 bags inbred rice seeds for distribution to rice farmers regionwide. Inbred rice seeds are mostly funded by DA-PhilRice.

The RRP is part of DA’s Ahon Lahat, Pagkaing Sapat Kontra COVID-19 (ALPAS COVID-19) quick response measure approved by the IATF to address food security concerns amid the pandemic.

Considering favorable climatic condition, adequate irrigation and appropriate production technologies, the RRP subsidy is forecasted to increase yield of hybrid rice by 1.5 metric tons per hectare and 0.5 metric ton per hectare for inbred rice.

DA-10 Regional Technical Director for Operations, Carlota S. Madriaga substantiated the LGUs and the farmers’ roles in attaining the agency’s tripartite endeavor to increase the region’s rice sufficiency rate.

“While DA provides the needed assistance, the LGU and rice farmers are bound to their roles, too. The LGUs are responsible in identifying rightful farmer-recipients, collect and submit documents needed by DA, then spearhead the distribution of the subsidy. The farmers on the other hand should put the subsidy into proper use and adopt appropriate rice farming technologies,” Director Madriaga said, elaborating DA, LGUs and farmers’ interplaying roles.

Key to the attainment of the agency’s goal are close monitoring and evaluation of the RRP implementation, strong partnership with LGUs, seed companies, and commitment of the farmers to adopt appropriate technologies.

“By increasing our rice sufficiency we will be able to lessen rice importation. This, in return, will help our farmers to be more prosperous and profitable” Director Madriaga accounted.

“Our end goal really is to be self-sustaining. That means we have enough rice supply in the local level adequate for local consumption,” she added.

While settling for 94 percent rice sufficiency, DA-10 is confident the region’s 4.6 million inhabitants will not be experiencing rice shortage.

The six percent offshoot of the target sufficiency rate can be filled in through rice importation and consumption of alternative crops such as corn, banana, sweet potato, among others.

“Our priority is to ensure that Northern Mindanao is rice-sufficient, especially since the COVID-19 pandemic holds still. For now, we are looking at expansive rice production by providing optimal farming support to our farmers in the region,” DA-10 OIC-Regional Executive Director, Carlene C. Collado said.

“DA-10 will be utilizing all resources on hand to help our rice farmers. With this effort we are hopeful everything will turn out favorably,” Director Collado auspiciously concluded.

To continuously improve the rice industry situation in the region, DA-10 will continuously provide farm inputs subsidy, farm mechanization support, financial and rice production trainings.#

Cagayan de Oro  City, May 19 – Joint verification of documents with the Department of Agriculture Region 10 (DA-10), Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) and DA-Bureau of Plant Industry-Plant Quarantine Services (DA-BPI-PQS) on the delivery of imported rice from Vietnam, as part in intensifying efforts to ensure sufficient rice supply.

Aside from the Bureau of Custom’s clearance, the cargo truck with a foodlane pass issued by DA, loaded with 600 bags of imported rice, part of the 4,000 bags delivery is owned by an accredited importer.

According to DA-BPI-PQS  NorMin Regional Manager  Manuel A. Barradas, the importer’s documents are in order based on the agency’s issuance of sanitary and phytosanitary import clearance and phytosanitary certificate and other pertinent documents.#

To complement its provision of vegetable seeds since the COVID-19 contagion, the Department of Agriculture – Regional Field Office 10 thru OIC-Regional Executive Director Carlene C. Collado handed 50 packs plant growth enhancer worth Php35,000.00  to the Provincial Local Government of Camiguin represented by Vicente Ligan, Jr., in the presence of High Value Crops Development Program (HVCDP) Coordinator Kersten S. Pagalan.

With such reinforcement, the island-province is eyed to intensify its production of food amid the ongoing health crisis, as it helps plants become more resistant to insect pests and diseases.

Each packet at 100 grams is good for a one-hectare planting area and can be diluted in about 200 liters (drum) of water and is ideally sprayed once a day during 5:00 A.M.-9:00 A.M or 4:00 P.M. once a plant’s seeds have sprouted. #

The Department of Agriculture in Region 10 thru its Livestock Program turned over seven units automatic egg incubators to the local government units (LGUs) of Jimenez, Baliangao, Ozamis City and Aloran in Misamis Occidental.

Each LGU received 3 units, 2 units and 1 unit incubator, respectively on May 12, 2020.

The agri-livelihood project is granted to the LGUs upon proposal and request from DA-10.

The incubators will be distributed to qualified farmer-associations in the province.

The turnover ceremony was done during the Provincial Consultative Meeting convened by Governor Philip T. Tan in Tangub City.

DA-10 OIC-Regional Executive Director, Carlene C. Collado led the turn over ceremony.#

Dalwangan, Malaybalay City, Bukidnon, May 18 – Two farmer-cooperatives, in the province of Bukidnon received one unit each of 100-horsepower farm tractor from the Department of Agriculture in Region 10 (DA-10).

The Maray-Maray Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries Cooperative (MARBC) of Don Carlos, Bukidnon and the First Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries Cooperative (FARBECO) of Talakag, Bukidnon received each unit worth P2.5 million for the development of the agricultural sector, specifically the corn production in their locality.

The farm tractor comes with complete implements which include disc harrow, disc plow and trailer.

OIC-Regional Executive Director Carlene C. Collado of DA-RFO 10 said, “the distribution is a component of the Corn Program which aims to increase farmers’ productivity thru farm mechanization.”

RED Collado added, that the equipment is also part of DA’s commitment to mechanize farm work by helping farmers and farmer-associations/cooperatives or local government units in acquiring their own farm machinery.

“After 30 years, it is the first time nakadawat nami ug tractor diin maka benepesiyo dili lang ang mga miyembro apan ang ubang mga mag-uuma sa among dapit,” said Rey M. Mapano, Vice-Chair of FARBECO.

[After 30 years, it is the first time we have availed a tractor that would benefit not only the members, but including the non-member farmers in our area.]

FARBECO exists for 30 years now with 209 active members, tilling 407 hectares of corn area in Talakag, Bukidnon.

“Maayo nga ang mga mag-uuma mo mechanize aron dali ang pang-uma busa dako among pasalamat sa DA niining tractor nga nadawat namo,” said Benedicto S. dela Cruz, member of said coop.

[It would be best for farmers to adopt mechanization for efficient farming, that’s why we are thankful to DA for the tractor we have received.]

The MARBC has an existing 140 active members, cultivating around 360-hectare corn area in Don Carlos, Bukidnon.

Noting that not all cooperatives or associations were granted with their request, RED Collado emphasized, “the machineries is a full grant from DA, with no equity. I am requesting you [beneficiaries] to maintain and use the equipment properly.”# (ATCabig)

CdeO City, May 14 – Misamis Oriental farmers will now have greater access to boost their productivity and income through completion of the nearly Php10 million seed storage with warehouse, nested within barangay Lumbia, this city.

Adopting the ‘new normal’ amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the Project was officially turned over by the Department of Agriculture – Regional Field Office 10 (DA-10) helmed by OIC-Regional Executive Director Carlene C. Collado to the Provincial Local Government Unit of MisOr thru Governor Yevgeny Vincente B. Emano, in a simultaneous virtual and on-site turnover.

With fund source from the agency’s Corn Program, said facility is primarily built in support to the buffer stocking of corn seeds while ensuring its quality by maintaining its acceptable germination rate through improved seed storage.

“It is high time that we have this turnover, as there are a lot of seeds and fertilizers coming for the province,” Collado, the executive director reported, especially amid the ongoing global health crisis, creating an even more challenge for the so-called food security frontliners.

Lying in an area of 312.5 square meter, with an approximate total capacity of 265 tons at 13,203 bags, in which the cold storage can house 114 tons consisting of 5,658 bags at 20 kilograms per bag while the ambient storage can hold 151 tons consisting of 7,545 bags at 20 kilograms per bag.

“The department will be delivering and storing about 15,600 bags of seeds and fertilizers costing around at Php32.5 million for Misamis Oriental,” he detailed.

As the Project will also be home to DA’s other interventions like rice and high value crops seeds and farm equipment, the agency head elaborated that provision of hybrid and inbred seeds will be directly given to the [municipal] local governments and to be arranged for distribution to farmers.

“The remaining stocks, however, will be stored in said facility,” Collado further said.

In response, Gov. Emano pinned his hope in said Project, as it will address the plight of farmers every planting season, paving easier access to withdraw quality farm inputs.

“We are very grateful for what you [DA] have done for MisOr. I guess this is the time where we will be able to deliver the seeds at the right time,” the provincial governor remarked.

Even he acknowledges that the agency is exerting its efforts of buying the much needed seeds at the soonest time, the challenge is buying them too early and not being able to transport the seeds fast to its intended beneficiaries.

“With the finished Project, the agency precisely addresses the Misamisnon farmers’ stocking needs for seeds to focus and promptly start their planting activities,” Emano concluded. #

The Department of Agriculture-Region 10 (DA-10) is granting a total of 30 automatic incubators worth Php 3 million to farmer-groups, local government units (LGUs) and academe partners in the region through its Livestock Program.

Bonafide beneficiaries from Bukidnon, Misamis Oriental, Lanao del Norte and Misamis Occidental will receive the 500 egg-capacity incubators in May 2020.

The project aims to provide livelihood enterprise to qualified recipients who may engage in balut business, selling of days-old-chicks and production of live chicken or poultry meat.

Each incubator comes with a module of 10 male and 100 female chicken or ducks as start-up agribusiness kit.

Led by Director Carlene C. Collado, DA-10 OIC- Regional Executive Director, the agency turned over on May 11, 2020 a total of 4 units incubator to the qualified recipients in Lanao del Norte.

Two units incubator were given to Lanao del Norte Agricultural College (LNAC) in Sultan Naga Dimaporo, 1 unit each to LGU Tubod for the town’s techno-demo farm and Tago Ranao Farmers Association of said municipality.

According to Virgie V. Cabrera, the Municipal Agricultural Officer of Tubod, Lanao del Norte, eligible recipients of eggs incubator in their town are those assessed and found active, willing and knowledgeable marginalized farmer-groups.

Project recipients are trained on poultry production beforehand by the National Livestock Program of DA and the Bureau of Animal Industry last October 2019.

Provision of egg incubators to farmers in Lanao del Norte is a prelude to DA-supported Halal food production project in the province.

Through this initiative, DA-10 is slated to turn over 11 units egg incubators in Bukidnon, 8 units in Misamis Oriental and 7 units in Misamis Occidental.#(ATalib)