Members of Ocao Farmers’ Association of Rosario, Agusan del Sur received 30 bags of inbred rice seeds through the Special Area for Agricultural Development (SAAD) Program of the Department of Agriculture – Caraga on June 11, 2020.

Together with his members, Rodel Rodrigo, chairman of the Manobo Association, received the rice seeds turned over by Ariel Obillos, SAAD Area Coordinator, at Novele, Rosario, ADS

“Mapasalamaton mi nganaaygihatag [nga supply] ang DA kay usa sad ni nga makatabang mogamay among gastos. Kung mupalit mi ani nga similya mahal baya, muabot og P1,500. Dako gyud ni nga tabang ang SAAD,” said Mr. Rodrigo.

[We are thankful that the DA through SAAD has provided us with rice seeds. This would have cost us P1,500.  With these free seeds, our production cost is lessened.]

The supply of rice seeds and other agricultural inputs are part of the SAAD interventions that aim to establish agri-communal enterprises in areas with high poverty incidence in the region.

Since 2019, members of Ocao FA (27 indigenous people and 3 non-IPs) have undergone technical training on rice production.With the training and agricultural inputs, the association will have the means to plant rice by the next cropping season covering 30 hectares.

For this year, the association will receive a total worth of ₱875,800 for rice production support.

Rice production and livestock production is the main force in the labor market in ADS. As such, this intervention will eventually help address concerns on food production and poverty at the local level.

DA – Caraga, although slightly hampered by the CoVID-19 pandemic, continuously rolls out interventions to the SAAD recipients in Agusan del Sur and Surigao del Sur. (Mark Angelo Pineda, DA-SAAD Caraga, Information Officer)