TABUK CITY, Kalinga – Fourteen barangays in the province were added to the coverage of the Special Area for Agriculture Development (SAAD), including eight villages under the list of End Local Communist Armed Conflict areas.
The new covered barangays are Balantoy and Mabaca in Balbalan; Guinang in Pasil; San Francisco and San Quintin in Rizal; Western Uma in Lubagan; Baay, Limos, and Wagod in Pinukpuk; Mallango in Tinglayan; Lay-asan in Tanudan, Ambato in Tinglayan; and Dupag and Bagubayan in Tabuk City.
Kalinga now has 31 SAAD-covered barangays. Seventeen barangays were covered in 2019 and 2020.
SAAD is a locally-funded program of the Department of Agriculture intended to help alleviate poverty among the marginalized sectors on agriculture and fishery.
The program is composed of four major components: Program management, social preparation, production and livelihood interventions, and marketing assistance and enterprise development.
Sabaway said the new beneficiary barangays will be provided ready-to-lay chicken and ducks for egg production; carabao and goat for meat production; fruit bearing seedlings, vegetable seeds, farm tools, poultry net, and feeds. She said these will be released starting the second quarter of this year.
Some previously covered barangays in 2019 are on their sustainability stage to become income-generating enterprises with training interventions on marketing and processing while those covered in 2020 are still being assisted through the provision of agriculture inputs. – Peter A. Balocnit
April 25, 2024
