BALBALAN, Kalinga – The Department of Agriculture-Special Area for Agricultural Development (SAAD)-Kalinga in partnership with the Provincial Veterinary Services introduced a low-cost feed formulation process to a farmer’s group here to help reduce their expenses on hog feeds and increase their income.
The Gubang Tribe Farmers’ Association (GTFA), composed of 116 members belonging to the Gubang group in Balbalan, benefitted from the training.
With the rising costs of hog feeds and expenses for delivery, the technology is an alternative way of sustaining backyard piggery through the use of locally available crops such as banana trunk, trichanthera leaves, and rice bran as ingredients to their organic hog feeds.
The GTFA is a beneficiary of the SAAD Program’s Swine Repopulation Project in 2021 to boost their swine production following cases of African swine fever in some parts of the region.
It is also a recipient of the Integrated Root Crops, Cross-breed Swine and Poultry Production Project in 2019.
Agricultural Technician II Jackilyn Odlus who discussed the benefits of producing low-cost feeds, its materials and procedure, and proper storage emphasized the importance of locally available crops.
The participants were also taught on how to ferment fruit/plant juice using kangkong or water spinach and molasses as raw materials. These are additional nutrient source additives for the feeds.
The training was the first of the four sessions under the Advanced Farmer Livestock School on swine production.
The succeeding session will be on artificial insemination, housing, and biosecurity requirements for multiplier farms and marketing.
The main source of livelihood of the GTFA members is growing various crops such as rice, coffee, and vegetables, and their swine and poultry production projects are additional sources of income. – Peter Balocnit
