Story and photo by John Bello / Correspondent
LUCENA CITY—Swine farmers from four towns in Quezon province will be given a 20-week training at a Farmers’ Field School on Sustainable Pig Farming (FFS-SPF) during the mass launching on Wednesday at Kalilayan Hall at the Governor’s Mansion Compound here.
The farmers are from the towns of Atimonan, General Luna, Gumaca and Lopez.
The launch was led by Maritess Cosico, center director for the Agricultural Training Institute (ATI) in Region 4A; Provincial Veterinarian Dr. Flomella Caguicla; First District Provincial Board Members Aileen Buan and Claro Talaga Jr.; and Provincial Government Administrator Rommel Edaño representing Quezon Gov. David C. Suarez.
Cosico said the 20-weeks training at the four Quezon towns will be the first in the Calabarzon region and will ensure an environment-friendly, healthy livestocks, good meat and lucrative income for pig farmers enlisted in the program.
Edaño expressed elation with the launch of the FFS-SPF and asked the participants to make the most of the training and technology offered by the program. He said Quezon pig farmers have to rise to the challenge of competition in the era of globalization.
Aaron Puno, agricultural technologist of the municipal agriculturist office in Lopez, said between 25 and 35 participants will be undergoing four hours of training once a week for 20 weeks.
Five piglets will be provided by ATI in Region 4A, which funded the program. Participants will undergo a series of lectures, actual preparation of natural feed, concoctions, educational tour, field day, harvest festival and graduation.
At the end of the course, the swine farmer-participants will have a harvest festival which includes mass eating and merry-making, sale of the animals and continuation of the project.
Cosico said the conventional pig-farming system allows farmers to earn only up to P500 per head of the pig, but with the use of technology the farmers will be earning up to P2,000 per head.
Caguicla said the natural pig-farming system will raise tastier and healthier pigs, and trained technicians will be assigned in the target municipalities.
The training will start in January and will end in June. There will be a mass graduation in Santa Cruz, Cosico said.
Cosico noted traditional backyard hog raising is fast disappearing so that a new natural-farming system using technology and training has to be undertaken for famers to earn more.
Buan expressed eagerness to duplicate the technology and training in her First District, stressing “we are engaged here t in a sustainable pig-farming method where the farmers will surely earn more.”
During the launch, Cosico, Caguicla, Edaño and Talaga led the participants in signing a pledge of commitment to ensure the success of the program.
Image credits: John Bello