Dingras, Ilocos Norte Farmer Cooperatives Earn PH Millions As Certified Seed Growers Of Mungbean!

Yes Sir! As a warrior writer in communication for development(ComDev), my reinvention of UP Los Baños’ development communication (DevCom), I am very much encouraged to see that the Department of Agriculture (DA) is, pardon my expression, “well-fully reinventing PH Agriculture!”

With 46 years working on various publications for public and private institutions and individuals, I have never been as excited as I was reading the new DA magazine Ani at Kita(November 2021 issue), which highlights details of programs derived from Secretary of Agriculture William Dar’s“The New Thinking For Agriculture” that he brought to the DA already packaged before his appointmentby PRRD. They don’t make Secretaries of Agriculture like they used to anymore!

The above image is the magazine’s cover, the main cover story screaming:

Farmers Earn Millions From Munggo.

Leilani Adrianosays the Dingras munggo farmers belong to 3 cooperatives: (1) Casalaysayan, Segundo, Dancel, Camining & Soriano Farmers Association Inc., (2) Lanas Timpuyog Farmers Association Inc,, and (3) United Barong Farmers Association. With the munggo program, the DA is assisting communities “to increase their income through the planting of value-adding commodities, aside from rice.” Emphasis: “Income… aside from rice.”

Project Leader Mark Ariel Agresor says the DA market-matched the farmers’ produce with the Nutridense Food Manufacturing Corporation:

By linking them directly to manufacturers, (farmers) get a better chance to sell their produce at a higher price rather than to walk-in traders who dictate the price….

Mr Obrero says, as translated from Filipino by Ms Leilani, “Our heartfelt thanks to (the) DA, provincial and municipal governments for their continuing support and assistance to us in (growing) munggo.”

Agri Incubation Hub

ANN says the office of Regional Executive Director Nestor D Domenden of Region 1 “is now working on the establishment of an Agribusiness Incubation (ABI) Hub “wherein science-based technologies and innovations will be showcased” (Author Not Named). Worth P234.7 million, the ABI Hub will be established at Region 1’s Pangasinan Research & Experiment Center based in Sual. The Hub “aims to promote sustainable innovations that can be offered for adoption to farmers and fisherfolk to boost diverse agro-industries, and further enhance productivity and profitability of the agri-fishery sector of the Region.” Innovations include the raising of goat, native pig, native chicken, duck, high-value crops, and bamboo – up to and including product development , processing, packaging & marketing.

School-Based Milk Program

Ma Cecilia C Irang says, “DA-Assisted Milk Cooperative Takes Lead In Government School-Based Feeding Program” in Nueva Ecija. A joint venture of the Licaong Agriculture Cooperative and food giant San Miguel Corp – they have already distributed 1.4 million cans of sterilized milk nationwide, part of the “School-Based Milk Feeding Program” of the Department of Education, with a budget of P7M.

There is more actually in those 17 pages – google the DA for your copy now! This issue of Ani At Kita Magazine is such a value-packed labor of love that with my personal experiences in years carrying out such a role, I must congratulate Noel Ocampo Reyes, Editor In Chief!@517

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