DAR, Pilmico forge partnership on agro-entrepreneurship projects for farmers

NAGA CITY - Livelihood packages, as well as series of technical training, will be provided to selected agrarian reform beneficiaries’ organizations (ARBOs) and its farmer-members which will enable them to increase their household incomes through easy-to-manage businesses with a quick return of investments.

On February 27, the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) here and Pilmico Foods Corporation, the food subsidiary of Aboitiz Foundation Inc. (AFI) recently entered into a memorandum of agreement (MOA) that provides for the sustainable livelihood and income opportunities to agrarian reform beneficiaries across the province.

Under the agreement, Pilmico will provide livelihood packages as well as technical assistance to farmer-recipients while DAR shall provide microfinance services in the form of loans to help them gain collateral for their agri-businesses.

The highlight of the activity was the distribution of 12 piglets (three piglets per beneficiary) to four farmer-recipients who are members of the Pacol Magsasaka Prime Community (PMPC) in Naga City.

DAR Undersecretary Bernie Cruz in his message expressed his support to further strengthen and improve partnership with Pilmico consistent with the DAR’s mandate to provide support services such as enterprise development programs by implementing community-based projects which are accessible to everyone especially those living in the countryside.

For her part, Camarines Sur II agrarian reform chief Maria Gracia R. Sales was hopeful the agreement can do “even more to help the farmers and their organizations to be successful partners for growth.”

“I wish these projects would go a long way helping our agrarian reform farmers here flourish in their new venture (to go into business) especially on swine and egg production, as they are now assured of livelihood packages or starter kits from Pilmico,” Sales said.

Aside from piglet dispersal, Pilmico is also set to provide six kits of egg machines to farmers’ organizations that will be selected by DAR. Each kit contains 48 heads of ready-to-lay (RTL) hens, galvanized steel cages, feeders, nipple drinkers, water gallon containers, and one-month feed consumption. The succeeding feed requirements will be shouldered by the organization-recipients.

An ‘egg machine’ is a backyard farming starter kit that allows the continuous production of eggs in a period of 16 months. The Ready-to-Lay hens have a lifespan of 16 months while the cages can last for 10 years. In a day, a flock or kit can produce up to 96 percent of eggs or about 46 eggs per kit.

Said livelihood packages formed part of Pilmico’s flagship advocacy program, “Mahalin Pagkaing Atin,” a campaign introduced in mid-2014 to push sustainable entrepreneurship through the promotion of locally produced foods.

This community-based partnership is under the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) initiative of the government.

Present during the signing were DAR Undersecretary Bernie Cruz, Camarines Sur II Agrarian Reform Chief Maria Gracia R. Sales, Pilmico AEV VP for Government Relations Christopher Camba, and Pilmico VP for Corporate Strategy & Business Development Santanina Castro. 

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