THE construction of the common dung facility for all poultry growers will start as soon as the feasibility study is done before the year ends.
Davao Poultry and Egg Producers, Incorporated president lawyer Lalaine dela Victoria, in an interview with SunStar Davao, said the project feasibility study is being done by the Medium and Small Scale Industries Coordinated Action Program-Davao Region as a continuation of their previous study on dung facilities in previous years.
Dela Victoria said the feasibility study took quite some time because they lack funds, but they target to finish it before the year ends.
"We are asking Mayor Inday Sara Duterte to provide additional budget for them to expedite the feasibility study," she said.
The establishment of a common dung facility, Dela Victoria said, is one of the most effective ways to solve the infestation issues of flies and pests around residential areas near poultry farms.
Once built, she said, all small and big poultry farms in the city shall collect the manure of their poultry animals and send it to the dung facility.
She said it has to be five to 10 hectares wide to house all the necessary facilities that would process the suppression of chicken and duck manures' odor and develop it into organic fertilizer.
"It will also serve as a source of income for farmers or growers because when converted into organic fertilizers then we can command better price in the market by using the processed organic fertilizers to their own farms," Dela Victoria said.
Poultry growers, she added, agreed to put up the common dung facility in an isolated area in Marilog District. An ocular inspection on the area was already conducted few days ago.
Dela Victoria said Department of Agriculture (DA) assistant secretary Dr. Enrico Garzon Jr. supports the plan and promised to submit the final proposal to DA Secretary Emmanuel Piñol after the submission of the project feasibility study.
"We heard that Secretary Piñol is also supportive of this and he's just waiting for our final details. Upon delivering our proposal, that's the time he can provide the budget for the construction," she said.