THE Department of Agriculture-Special Area for Agricultural Development (DA-Saad) program has released P833,130 worth of integrated livelihood project to 63 farmers in three villages in the town of Talipao, Sulu.

Saad Area Coordinator Analisa Dauring said the livelihood interventions extended to 63 farmers primarily consist of fencing materials for the cassava-corn-peanut integrated farming and vegetable production projects in the villages of Liban, Tiis and Tubod.

Dauring said the livelihood interventions extended to the beneficiaries are under the DA-Saad 2020 funding allocation.

She said the project assistance is part of the continuous delivery of support to farmers from the Saad program.

Dauring said the deliveries include barbed wires, hog wires, unshelled peanuts, papaya seeds and high-value vegetable seeds (pakbet and sinigang packs).

She said the Kasambuhan Sin Barangay Tubod Farmer’s Association received 120 rolls of hog wire, 40 rolls of barbed wire and 30 sacks of unshelled peanuts. Both the Kaadilan ha Kasambuhan People’s Association in Barangay Liban and the Barangay Tiis Kasanyangan Association received 60 rolls of hog wire, 20 rolls of barbed wire and 15 sacks of unshelled peanuts.

“All these inputs are materials for the cassava-corn-peanut production project,” Dauring said.

One of the beneficiaries from Tubod village, Muhaimin Hamid, has expressed profound gratitude to DA-Saad as he has already benefited from the previous project deliveries.

Hamid said he was able to buy additional 32 rolls of hog wire “from my own income to strengthen the fence on my farm.”

“These materials, like hog wires and barb wires, are very important to protect our cassava, corn and peanuts from stray animals and wild hogs that intrude and destroy our farms. I am very much thankful to Saad for the support given to us farmers,” Hamid said. (SunStar Zamboanga)