THE Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) announced recently that it has formally forged ties with Pilmico Foods Corp. (Pilmico) to provide farmers technical training on agro-entrepreneurship.
The objective of the partnership is to enable farmers belonging to selected agrarian-reform beneficiaries’ organizations to learn and start easy-to-manage businesses with a quick return of investments that will boost farmers’ income.
DAR and Pilmico, the food subsidiary of Aboitiz Foundation Inc. (AFI), entered into a memorandum of agreement (MOA) that provides for the sustainable livelihood and income opportunities to agrarian-reform beneficiaries across Albay province, a statement released by the DAR said.
Under the agreement signed by representatives from both parties on February 27, Pilmico will provide livelihood packages, as well as technical assistance, to farmer-recipients, while the DAR shall provide microfinance services in the form of loans to help them gain collateral for their agribusinesses.
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 in Naga City.
In his mssage, DAR Undersecretary Bernie Cruz 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.
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 be successful partners for growth.”
“I wish these projects would go a long way to help 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 the DAR. Each kit contains 48 heads of ready-to-lay hens, galvanized-steel cages, feeders, nipple drinkers, water-gallon containers, and one-month feed supply. 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 16-month period. 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.
These livelihood packages form 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 initiative of the government.
Present during the signing were Cruz, Sales, Pilmico AEV VP for Government Relations Christopher Camba and Pilmico VP for Corporate Strategy and Business Development Santanina Castro.