Bohol P25M equity nets

P120M agri-enterprises

TAGBILARAN CITY, Bohol (PIA)—For a P25 million equity, Bohol and its farmer organizations obtained nearly 120 million worth of agriculture-based start-up enterprises facilities, through the Department of Agriculture’s World-bank-funded Philippine Rural Development Program (PRDP).

As Bohol leveraged only some P25,002,833.75 of its development funds, farmers organizations and agrarian reform beneficiaries now have a commercial feeds production facility, a silage processing plant, a highland vegetable trading post and a cassava processing plant, all supportive of each other for sustainability.

Playing convergence of efforts to stretch its scant resources and fulfill its promise of spurring agricultural activity for food security, the provincial government of Bohol turned over to people’s organizations key infrastructure that supports pre-identified community enterprises.

Through Governor Erico Aristotle Aumentado, Bohol tapped the Department of Agriculture in a shared funding for four critical agricultural support for sustainability in production, through a local facility offered by the World Bank in the Philippine Rural Development Program.

SUPPORT FOR NATIVE CHICKEN

For P3,098,977 equity and leveraged by the P2,964,293.78 funds from the national government and the P8,892,881.36 proceeds for the loan of the Government of the Philippines, now rises the Bohol Feeds Production and Marketing Enterprise (BFPME), in a building in Lagtangan Sevilla.

Turned over to the Bohol Native Chicken Growers Association (BONACGA), the start-up small enterprise looks at supplying the gap on affordable but highly nutritious pelletized native chicken feeds by putting up a feedmill that can provide high quality, readily available and affordable feeds to Bohol’s thousands of native chicken growers.

BONACGA envisions a feed that is formulated from locally grown legumes with high protein content and other readily available raw materials like cassava chips, corn kernels, rice brans, coconut, indigofera and azolla mixes with molasses, pelletized to fill in the gap on feeds as identified during the value-chain analysis under the Provincial Commodity Investment Plan on the native chicken production.

Beyond addressing food supply needs, BFPME is expected to generate employment and livelihood opportunities in feed production and raw materials cultivation, Gov Aumentado pointed out.

Ultimately, the availability of affordable feeds will motivate farmers to go into native chicken production, improving their income and sustaining the local poultry industry, the governor added.

SUPPORT FOR LIVESTOCK

Also turned over a few weeks ago to First Consolidated Cooperative Along Tañon Seaboard (San Miguel Branch) is the P 40,172,457.84 Bohol Silage Production and Marketing Enterprise in Poblacion San Miguel.

Using a provincial equity of P8,465,861.24, the provincial Government accessed a national government convergence fund of P7,926,649.15 with the World Banks PRDP help of P23,779,947.

Taking the bold step towards producing affordable and premium quality feeds for ruminants, FCCT San Miguel’s 250 members agree to contract-grow and cultivate 200 hectares with corn, sorghum, napier grass and other high protein forage grasses, which is harvested and processed into silage.

Using microbial inoculants and molasses to further improve its palatability, the harvested grasses are fermented for a few weeks before they are vacuum packed and distributed to target markets, especially those that support the dairy industry in Bohol and in the Visayas.

Silage also works best when during droughts, ruminants run out of nutritious forage grass, that silage making can provide for this gap when the grasses dry and the animals start to hunger for high quality feeds to continue its milk production.

The primary objective of the enterprise is to address the input supply limitations faced by the buffalo dairy industry, which tags a high selling rate for buffalo milk.

Not only will the enterprise supply the essential feed requirements of dairy industry, it also benefits farmers involved in producing the raw materials like corn, sorghum, and other forage grasses, Aumentado commented.

SUPPORT FOR THE FEEDS INDUSTRY

With an equity amount of P10,432,552.51, Bohol gets to have a P49,757,588 Bohol Cassava Production , Consolidation , Processing and Marketing Enterprise (BCPCPME).

Turned over recently, BCPCPME in Katipunan Carmen resurrects the cassava industry that centered here in the 90s, and ut aims to scale up the cultivation, industrial processing and marketing of food-grade cassava through the initial 200 farmer beneficiaries of the Department of Agrarian Reform’s Agrarian Reform Communities.

Farm-harvested cassava would be consolidated and processed into granules, flour and starch for the markets in Bohol and Cebu.

Sourcing its raw materials from farmer members, the enterprise would create a symbiotic relationship, consistent income for ARCS and effectively cover idle lands into productive areas while providing a sustainable livelihood that contributes to the local economy.

Meanwhile, the dried cassava granules will supply as raw materials for the native chicken feed mill.

SUPPORT FOR HIGHLAND VEGETABLES

Leveraging funds from a P3,005,443 equity, Bohol has obtained the Bohol Highland Vegetable Consolidation and Marketing Enterprise for Guio-ang Agrarian Reform Community Beneficiary Cooperative engaging in production and mainstreaming marketing of highland vegetables in Guio-ang Guindulman.

Known for its lettuce, cauliflower and cabbage produced by its farmers, members of the start-up enterprises intend to enhance vegetable farming while creating a reliable and efficient trading and marketing of these high value products.

The project includes the establishment of a trading post with cold storage facilities and delivery equipment to support the transport and delivery requirements of harvested vegetables.

The P14,999,296.49 project co funded by the PRDP World Bank and the national government, eyes to allow farmer beneficiaries to cultivate the quality seeds provided and sustain the enterprise that will not just provide income but also uplift economic conditions of farmers.

SUPPORT FOR AQUACULTURE

Looking into the steep price of commercial high quality fish and the dwindling catch, Gov Aumentado and the Sangguniang Panlalawigan ventured into strengthening its aquaculture industry using natural impounding and irrigation facilities.

With the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources and under its Special Areas for Agricultural Development Program, Bohol partnered with the BFAR to put up High Density Polyethelene Fish Cages in 6 key areas in Bohol to people’s organizations, stocked government facilities with tilapia and bangus and co-funded the establishment of Bohol Island State University’s bangus grow-out areas, in a bid to mainstream bangus and tilapia in the Boholano diet.

The governor believes that with the flooding of aquaculture fish in the markets from these facilities, it could tame fish prices even and the BFAR also implements its Fisheries and Coastal Resiliency for towns in southern Bohol. (PIABohol)

FEEDING EACH OTHER; One facility produces chicken feeds, another processes silage for feeding ruminants, and yet another facility ties to production of cassava to feed the feed mill while another PRDP facility produces highland vegetable to feed all those that produce the feeds. (PIABohol/PLGU Bohol)