MALAYBALAY CITY, Bukidnon (PIA)--The Department of Agriculture (DA)-10 recently handed over various agri projects worth P65.6 million to 22 local government units (LGUs) in Bukidnon province in a ceremony at Dalwangan, Malaybalay City.
Regional Executive Director Carlene C. Collado with Regional Technical Director for Operations Carlota Madriaga of DA-10 led the distribution of Agri machinery and equipment, livestock and poultry animals, packs of vegetable seeds, sacks of fertilizers, feeds, and seeds, including a hauling truck.
In a speech, Collado urged the farmer-beneficiaries to maximize the utilization of said farm machinery and equipment, especially its maintenance and proper handling so that it could help more local farmers.
He also commended the 4th Infantry Division, Philippine Army for the support and the partnership as the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) implements President Duterte’s Executive Order No. 70 or whole-of-nation approach.
Joannah Dumaguita of the MILALITTRA farmers’ cooperative shared that DA’s assistance will help them preserve and maintain the quality of their coffee beans.
"We thank the Department of Agriculture for providing us the opportunity to boost our products and compete with consolidators that will allow us to have a voice in the market,” Dumaguita said.
MILALITTRA, which stands for Miarayon-Lapok-Lirongan-Tinaytayan-Talaandig Tribal Association, is a beneficiary of one unit hauling truck and coffee roasting machine, which is under the High-Value Crops Development Program (HVCDP) of DA-10’s postharvest support services for coffee farmers.
Carlota Madriaga, Regional Technical Director for Operations, meanwhile, encouraged those farmers who are not yet enlisted in the DA’s Registry System for Basic Sectors in Agriculture (RSBSA) to avail of the services.
These agricultural interventions were funded by the agency's 2021 grants and special programs on corn, rice, high-value crop development, organic agriculture, livestock, and Special Area for Agricultural Development (SAAD), as well as Kabuhayan at Kaunlaran ng Kababayang Katutubo or 4Ks, she added. (DA-10/PIA-10/Bukidnon)