BAYBAY CITY, Leyte - In August 2019, the Philippines reported the African Swine Fever outbreak in the Province of Rizal. Despite the joint efforts of the Department of Agriculture, LGUs, the private sector, and all stakeholders, the disease spread to many areas around the country, causing massive damage to the swine industry.
With agricultural economic damage brought by African Swine Fever, the Department of Agriculture crafted the “Integrated National Swine Production Initiatives for Recovery and Expansion” (INSPIRE) Program. The program aims to repopulate and enhance the local swine industry by modernizing and re-structuring the industry for efficiency, sustainability, disease resiliency, and enterprise development.
In line with the INSPIRE Program implementation, ATI-RTC 8 conducts the Swine Project Enterprise Development Training, which aims to provide the project beneficiaries with essential knowledge and skills in the organization’s management and the swine enterprise development towards project sustainability.
Mr. Danilo Lagado, a member of the Campagal Farmers’ Association in Jaro, Leyte, shares: “This is my first time attending the ATI training and it is very comprehensive and enjoyable. The training venue is conducive and comfortable. Thank you for the training, especially to ATI management, resource persons, and as well as the very interactive and cooperative participants who were sharing their experiences and knowledge. Our benchmarking at SANCRIFA cooperative was a big help to us, an eye opener in making business more profitable and managing the organization effectively.”
Seven beneficiary organizations of Swine Clustering under the INSPIRE Project gained fundamental knowledge on swine management and how to enhance income through enterprising. Further, participants crafted a simple business plan anchored to their swine clustering project.
The beneficiaries visited the SANCRIFA Cooperative at San Isidro, Leyte, a beneficiary of Swine Multiplier Farm of 2023 which is currently operational. Chairman Donald Yparraguerre shared their learning experiences on managing the building construction and acquisition of the animals. He also shared his experience as a lead person in handling the cooperatives’ farms and business stalls. He further highlighted that everything should be put in a plan before engaging in the project.
A total of 22 participants completed the INSPIRE Swine Project Enterprise Development Training on June 24 - 28, 2024 at ATI-RTC 8, VSU Campus, Baybay City, Leyte.(With reports from AP Goroy)
