Goat & Native Chicken Production seen as key to alleviate poverty Created on Monday, 24 June 2013 Published Date Some 60 farmers from Lope de Vega, Northern Samar are now sold out to the idea of raising goats and native chicken, as an additional source of income for their families. This was the main idea taught to some 60 farmers coming from 8 barangays in Lope de Vega, Northern Samar during the recently concluded two day Agribusiness Investment Forum (AIF) on Goat and Native Chicken on June 18-19, 2013 at the ABC Hall, Lope de Vega, Northern Samar. The LGU has proposed for the Goat and Native Chicken Production projects which they enrolled under the Philippine government’s priority program for Bottom Up Budgeting (BUB). In her Message, Mayor Hon. Erlinda D. Cinco exhorted her constituents to properly manage the animals and ensure project continuity as their commitment to address poverty in their municipality. She admitted that her town has been the recipient of several animal dispersal programs in the past few years from the government, private and non-government sectors. But these projects failed because the people take these for granted. This time, however, she is convinced that the current high demand for goat and chicken meat will encourage them to take proper care of these projects. Municipal Agriculturist Ms Myra B. Lim likewise said that within the past two to three years, they are learning some lessons from previous animal dispersal programs, hence this time, they are requiring their farmers to put in place first the pasture and the housing for the animals before the initial stocks will be released. Ms Lim added that these projects will initially be piloted in seven barangays: Bayho, Getigo, Lower Caynaga and Cagamesarag for goat raising; and at Barangays Poblacion, Cag-aguingay, Getigo and Upper Caynaga for native chicken. In the Goat Production Project, the animals will be raised individually by the identified beneficiaries while the Native Chicken Project will be communally managed by their respective associations. These two projects were among the four approved projects under the agriculture sector for Lope de Vega. The other two are on Organic Agriculture and Farm Mechanization. Ms Menarda Alejandro of Brgy. Getigo said that growing native chicken and goat will complement their existing rice-corn-vegetables production in the FA Palayamanan. If they will be successful, it will encourage other farmers to integrate other ventures aside from growing rice only. FFA President Mr. Mario D. Antonio Sr. of Barangay Poblacion said that his interest in growing native chicken is to help preserve these flock especially that it is in demand because of its delicious meat and lesser exposure to synthetic chemicals and biologics. He expressed happiness that native chicken and goats can be fed with locally available pasture and forage grasses. Mr. Francis Ocado of the DA-RFU-8 Agribusiness and Marketing Assistance Division (AMAD) said that goats and native chicken are two of the delicious animal meat with high demand throughout the country year in year out. Other byproducts, such as milk, manure, together with selling planting materials of pasture and forage grasses can bring in additional income for farmers and their families. (MARIA CHRISTINA E. COLASITO, MPS-II)
Posted on: Mon, 24 Jun 2013 14:09:13 +0000
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