DA’s Municipal Food Terminal Marketing Hub for Farmers and Fisherfolks

Tandag City Mayor Roxanne Pimentel and Isabelita Ocampo of DA RFO 13

Tandag City – In an effort to bring producers closer to buyers and consumers, the Department of Agriculture Caraga launched another Municipal Food Terminal (MFT) in Tandag City, Surigao del Sur last January 30, 2015.

The said project is the second MFT launched in the area and is situated in Barangay Bongtud, Tandag City under the management of the recipient Tandag Boholano Fishermen Association (TANBOFISA).

TANBOFISA was formerly a barangay food terminal recipient with outstanding track record having won the Regional Search for Best Barangay Bagsakan in 2014 and ranked third in the national level.

Recognizing its role in the community, DA Caraga granted TANBOFISA an additional capital of P1M upgrading it into a municipal food terminal.

Lucita Solis, president of TANBOFISA said that the amount they received from DA will be used for the expansion of their business mainly on rice trading.

“Hangyo ko sa mga membro nga makighiusa aron ta molambo kay wala koy mahimo kung dili mo musuporta” (I am appealing to the members for unity so together we will make progress because I can do nothing without your support), Solis said.

Tandag City Mayor Roxanne Pimentel directed the City Agriculture Office to closely monitor the project to ensure its success.

“Aron masiguro nga hapsay ang operation, ang LGU magmonitor niini ilabi na ang financial nga aspeto” (To ensure smooth operation, LGU will monitor particularly the financial aspects), she said.

To ensure steady supply of farm products such as rice and rootcrops, the first MFT of Tandag under the Maitom Farmers Association inked a marketing agreement with TANBOFISA.

Under the agreement Maitom MFT will supply TANBOFISA of not less than 200 bags of rice  and other alternative food staples and vice versa TANBOFISA will supply to Maitom MFT the aqua marine products.

Maitom Farmers Association President Ricardo Fernandez said that both fisherfolks and farmers could directly benefit from the project since they now have sure market for their produce.

“Dako gayud ni nga bentaha kay ang tanang abot sa Maitom among paliton ug among isuply sa TANBOFISA, ang mga mangingisda pud sa Tandag mahalin pud ang ilang mga kuha, so sure gayud ang income sa mga mag-uuma ug mga mangingisda” (It is a great advantage since we will purchase farm products in Maitom to be supplied for TANBOFISA, while fisherfolks in Tandag, their catch will be purchased also, so both farmers and fishermen have sure market), Fernandez said.

To date, DA Caraga had launched a total of 57 Barangay Food Terminals and 9 Municipal Food Terminals strategically located across the region.

BFT is a community-based food depot and distribution system offering safe and quality agri-fishery products at low prices to the consumers through directly linking farmers and fisherfolks to the consumers. (Aurell P. Arais/DA Caraga)

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DA-GPB FMRs to Boost Economic Activity in Dinagat Province

One of the FMR under DA-GPB  in Basilisa, Province of Dinagat Islands

Basilisa, PDI- Residents of Basilisa, Province of Dinagat Islands were optimistic that the farm to market roads implemented by the Department of Agriculture in their town will further trigger its economic activities.

DA Caraga is implementing six farm to market roads in the said town of which 3 are on 60% completion stage while another 3 were completed funded under the Grassroots Participatory Budgeting (GBP).

Underway on its construction are at Ritaglenda – Sombrado, Benglen and Roma Montag while completed FMR’s were in Sto. Nino, Sering – Melgar and Villa Ecleo Highway.

The six farm to market roads stretching 100 meters each and fully concrete has a total allocation of P9.9M.

Benglen Barangay Captain Wilson Escalera Sr. said that DAs FMR will be a contributing factor towards the realization of their dream to be a trading center.

The FMR in Benglen is leading towards its barangay port projected to be a convergence area for the communities residing along the river areas.

“Kung mahuman na ni nga kalsada dinhi na unya muagi ang mga katawhan sa mga silingang barangay  so dako gyud ni ug ikatabang sa mga katawhan” (Once this road will be completed, it will be a major way for the residents of our neighboring barangays, so it will greatly help to the populace), Escalera said.

Aside from the riding public, DAs FMR will help ease in transporting goods in the area such as aqua products, cereals, rootcrops and copra.

“Nagpasalamat gyud mi sir nga nia na ning kalsada kay kaniadto diha gani senior citizen nga nausdak dinhi kay lisod gyud kaayo agian, pero karon arang-arang na makaagi na gyud ang mga motor, unsa pa kaha kung mahuman na” (We are really thankful for having this road because previously there was a senior citizen who was slipped down here due to very poor condition, but nowadays its better, motor can now pass through easily how much more if it will be completed), he added.

Motorcycle is a common public transport in the area due to its terrain.

Aside from six FMR, DA through GBP also extended livelihood projects such as vegetable production, organic fertilizer production and aqua related projects in the said municipality.

The local government unit through the Municipal Agriculture Office conducted monitoring to keep abreast of the project status and make the necessary measures to ensure its sustainability and success. 

Grassroots Participatory Budgeting (GPB) is an initiative to make the planning and budgeting processes of both local and national government more participatory through the genuine involvement of grassroots organizations and communities, strengthening the convergence of the delivery of national services in the community. (Aurelius P. Arais/DA CARAGA)

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UOA on White Corn Production Brings Farmer Closer

Pose with the graduates of Nasipit, Agusan del Norte

“Learning together is fun”.

This was the words shared by Ma. Lourdes Bacsarpa, a barangay kagawad of Aclan, Nasipit, Agusan del Norte and one of the students on the University on the Air (UOA) on White Corn Production.

She said that every 5:30 in the afternoon farmers in their community converge together to listen the radio program and afterwards they themselves discussed and shared what they had learned.

“Imbis nga manglibak, among estoryahan ang among mga nadungog sa leksiyon sa radyo, at least nahimong kalidad ang among oras ug wa masayang” (Instead of gossiping, we will discussed what we had heard on the radio, at least we had quality time and it was not wasted), Bacsarpa narrated.

She is just one of the 400 farmer students who successfully graduated after three months of listening the radio program discussing the right technology on white corn production.

UOA on White Corn Production is a radio program teaching the farmers on the right technology on white corn production jointly undertaken by the Information Section and AgriPinoy Corn program of the Department of Agriculture Caraga in collaboration with the municipal local government units of Nasipit, Agusan del Norte; Loreto, Agusan del Sur; Madrid, Surigao del Sur; Pilar, Surigao del Norte and their respective provincial LGUs.

In Agusan del Norte it was aired over Real Radio Butuan; in Agusan del Sur over La Vida FM, a community radio in Loreto; in Surigao del Sur over Sure FM and Heart FM and in Surigao del Norte over DXSN Surigao.

Successful students received their certificate of completion during the mass graduation held on their respective municipalities recently.

Lucita Aninao, an outstanding student in Loreto, Agusan del Sur said that she feels so privilege of enrolling the course.

“Nalipay kaayo ko kay daghan kaayo ko ug nakat-unan unya magamit gyud sa akong panginabuhian” (I am so happy because I’ve learned a lot which is so useful for my livelihood), she said.

Meanwhile Vice Mayor Loreto Resurreccion, Jr. of Pilar, Surigao del Norte expressed his gratitude to the Department of Agriculture because despite of their distance, DA eyed their constituents to avail of such kind of program.

The University on the Air on White Corn Production is on second year of its implementation since 2013 with a total of 960 students mostly corn farmers themselves graduated from the broadcast course.

UOA on White Corn Production is an Information Section’s way of supporting the AgriPinoy Corn Program of promoting white corn for human food consumption in conjunction with the Food Staples Sufficiency Program (FSSP).

FSSP promotes alternative food staples aside from rice such as corn, banana, adlai, cassava and other rootcrops. (Aurelius P. Arais/DA CARAGA Information and Public Relation Section)


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