P180 million seen to reduce poverty, improve income
for abaca farmers in Agusan del Norte
By Gil
E. Miranda
BUTUAN CITY, May 21 -- The
Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) in Agusan del Norte, through the
Convergence on Value Chain Enhancement for Rural Growth and Empowerment
(ConVERGE) funded by the International Fund for Agricultural Development
(IFAD), proposed a total of P180 million funding to support the Abaca
Value-Chain Project in Tubay, Jabonga, Kitcharao and Santiago in this
province.
The project aims to increase profitability of
agrarian reform beneficiaries, small holder farmers, Indigenous Communities and
women groups involving the San Isidro Upland Farmers Multi-Purpose Cooperative
(SIUFMULCO) and other 20 participating Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries
Organizations (ARBOs).
Provincial Agrarian Reform Program Officer II Andre
B. Atega, CESO V, disclosed that most of the projects are funded by a loan from
the IFAD with counterpart funding from DAR, Local Government Units (LGUs) and
farmer-beneficiaries.
According to ConVERGE Project Coordinator Annelyn
R. Chan of DAR Agusan del Norte, the Project ConVERGE was approved in October
2015 and took off in the last quarter of CY 2016. For Agusan del Norte, from
2016 to the first quarter of 2018, a total of P55.6 million or 31 percent
was released out of the proposed P180 million allocated up to 2021.
With the very active participation of all project
stakeholders and partner-implementers, Team ConVERGE in DAR-Agusan del Norte
was able to deliver the two-year target in a span of one year.
The project conducted 80 classes with 13 types of
capability Enhancement Trainings to 21 farmer-groups; provided 12 mobile Abaca
Stripping Machines; one-unit 10-wheeler Hauling Truck; provided planting
materials and other farm inputs covering 300 hectares distributed to ten ARBOs;
and rehabilitation of farm-to-market road to be implemented within 2018. (DAR-Agusan
del Norte/PIA-Agusan del Norte)
25
AgSur MSMEs now enrolled in KMME 2018
TRENTO, Agusan del Sur, May 21 -- Twenty five
entrepreneurs from Agusan Del Sur are now enrolled in the Kapatid Mentor Me
(KMME) program of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) for 2018.
"As mentees you share your knowledge like a
member of the DTI family after graduation," Assistant Secretary Blesila
Lantayona of DTI challenged the enrollees in her welcome message during the
launching of the KMME held recently in Trento, this province.
About 122 participants coming from the business
sector and government offices joined in the launching.
Asec. Lantayona hoped that these 25 mentees
will finish their course as batch 3 of KMME Agusan del Sur and become a
fruitful member of the DTI.
Assistant regional director Gay Tidalgo
also mentioned that these mentees were fortunate as KMME is free and it is
not just a training, rather it is a course. She further encouraged them to
strive hard in doing business.
Municipal administrator Albert Salas, who
represented Mayor William Calvez, expressed that they are honored that KMME was
done in Trento.
He further said that the municipality of Trento was
awarded as one of the most competitive municipalities in Agusan del Sur,
ranking 3rd place in the region and 110th in the entire Philippines in 2017.
“That is how DTI made us the number 1 municipality
in the province," he added.
KMME is a program that aims to assist the micro
small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) scale up and sustain their businesses
through the weekly coaching and mentoring.
This is a joint program of DTI and the Philippine
Center for Entrepreneurship – Go Negosyo, which entails a 10-module program
that covers: 1) Entrepreneurial Mind-setting and Values Formation, 2)
Marketing, 3) Product Development and Market Growth and Expansion, 4) The
Business Model Canvas, 5) Operations Management, 6) Supply and Value Chain, 7)
Human Resource and Organization Management, 8) Entrepreneurial Accounting and
Financial Management, 9) Taxation, and 10) Business Law: Basic Obligations and
Contracts.
Before graduation, these mentees will present their
respective business improvement plan, incorporating the learning from the
lectures and mentoring sessions.
Businesses that will qualify for this program are
those enterprises which has an asset of P3 million and below, operating
for at least one year.
The KMME Batch 1 for 2018 is in partnership with
the Provincial Government of Agusan del Sur (PGAS), LGU Trento, PCE and the
DTI. (DTI-Agusan de Sur/PIA-Agusan del Sur)
Bayugan
PWDs acquire new skill for business
BAYUGAN CITY, Agusan del Sur, May 21 -- Thirty four
members of the Persons-with-Disabilities of Bayugan City Federation, Inc.
(PeWDBaFI) are now equipped with a new skill that can help them establish a
business.
The participants were trained on how to make
detergent powder making in an activity held recently at the Senior Citizen
Function Hall, this city.
The training was organized by the Negosyo Center
(NC)-Bayugan City, in partnership with the Confederate Sentinels Group (CSG)
Inc.
Techniques, steps and procedures were discussed to
the participants, which also included the demonstration of the procedure.
The participants also joined in the mixing and
appreciated the process as it was simple and easy.
Jerry Micabalo of PeWDBaFI expressed his gratitude
to DTI, NC-Bayugan City and CSG as they learned a new skill.
He added that this will be another opportunity for
them to earn and start a business. CSG is a Non-Government Organization
(NGO), which provides training like detergent powder making. It was CSG
that selected PeWDBaFI as the participants.
PeWDBaFI is a beneficiary of a Bottom-up-Budgeting
(BuB) project - Metal craft and furniture shop. They were interested on
detergent powder making as they have members that can be their market.
(DTI-Agusan de Sur/PIA-Agusan del Sur)
