The Department of Agriculture-Caraga is intensifying its support for the family to be resilient amid the pandemic through the Livestock-based Livelihood and Enterprise Development Program.

Around P1.4 M worth of livestock and poultry animals were distributed by DA-Caraga for the month of November, 2020 to various recipients in the region.

The distributed animal stocks were comprised of 400 heads of free-range chicken for eight farmer associations of RTR, Agusan del Norte; 30 heads of cattle to San Franciso and Esperanza, Agusan del Sur for 22 farmer-recipients, 20 heads of goat for learning sites through the Agricultural Training Institute (DA-ATI); 50 heads of hogs to Small Hog Raisers Association of La Paz, Agusan del Sur, and 250 chicken for five farmer associations at Bayugan City, Agusan del Sur.

On November 25, 2020, DA-Caraga also distributed 610 heads of chicks to 61 families at Barangay Matho, Cortes, Surigao del Sur with one bag of feeds, and vitamins, and vegetable seeds for each recipient.

The turn-over ceremony was graced by Regional Technical Director (RTD) for Operations Rebecca Atega, RTD for Research and Integrated Laboratories Nicandro Navia, Jr., Provincial Administrator Pedro Trinidad and Mayor Josie Bonifacio of the said town together with other provincial, municipal, and barangay officials.

“During these trying times, the government is doing its best to help the family to earn through an enterprising livelihood such as animal raising,” Atega said.

Meanwhile, Mayor Josie Bonifacio of Cortez, Surigao del Sur expressed her grateful appreciation to DA-Caraga for extending its services to her constituents.

“Many need government support such as this, so I am appealing to the recipients to take care and developed it for additional income and food source of the family,” Bonifacio stressed.

On the other hand, Center Chief Sammy Calonzo of DA-ATI bared that the goat they received will serve as an additional intervention to the selected learning sites in the region.

“The chosen learning sites will serve as a multiplier farm for the given ruminants,” Calonzo bared.

Among the recipients is a tribal association of Sitio Cantagan, Barangay Lucac, San Francisco, Agusan del Sur.

“We have been longing for an animal like cattle to be raised, and it is now being fulfilled. This is a big help for our group, so we are so thankful to DA for extending the services of the government for us,” Edwin Almado, one of the board of director of Cantagan Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries Association, a tribal group composed mostly of the Manobo tribe.

The said interventions is an offshoot of the commitment of DA-Caraga through Regional Executive Director Abel James I. Monteagudo to help the families to cope-up with the challenges the country is facing today. (Aurelius P. Arais & Kent Warren Fuguso/DA-CARAGA)