MORE than 6,000 farmers benefited this week from displaying their produce at the three-day anti-poverty caravan at City Hall, which started on Wednesday, Nov. 5.
Now in its second year, the Enhanced Partnership Against Hunger and Poverty (Epahp) Program hosted the event. Spearheaded by the City Agricultural Productivity Operations Office (Capoo) in partnership with the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), the caravan aims to promote food and nutrition security.
The event featured educational orientations for farmers and fisherfolk, capacity-building initiatives, product exhibits, and the distribution of agricultural inputs along with Information, Education, and Communication materials. The caravan also provided crucial marketing assistance to farmers through a one-stop shop.
Girlie Asinero, a member of the Paradise Village CARP Beneficiaries Farmers Irrigators Association, expressed her enthusiasm for the opportunity.
“Sa akong kabahin, nalipay ko. Nahimamat namo ang taga Bukidnon pud. Nagka tapok mi og nakita namo ilang mga produkto,” said Asinero.
Asinero, whose association has 33 members, reported immediate success.
“Our initial sales on the first day were about P10,000 and we sold five sacks of rice,” she said.
In addition to rice, her group sold various vegetables and crops, such as eggplants and okra.
“Taman lang ni siya na mahurot (ang mga baligya),” Asinero added, referring to the duration of their sales until all products are sold out.
Senior Irrigators’ Development Officer Maria Annabelle Tejada of the National Irrigation Administration-Bukidnon Irrigation Management Office in Valencia City, and her team, also displayed produce from farmers around the Pulangui River Irrigation System.
Tejada noted that their farmers’ associations also supply the feeding programs and food centers of the DSWD.
“We always encourage our irrigators to market their harvested rice to partner agencies such as Epahp. It is under the negotiated procurement of the government,” Tejada said.
The Pulangui-RIS Confederation of Irrigators Associations comprises about 46 associations and approximately 6,000 farmers. Tejada noted that these farmers cover 10,600 hectares of operational rice fields within the 11,000-hectare service area.
The Epahp partner agencies supporting the caravan included the Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Training Institute, Philippine Crop Insurance Corp., Cooperative Development Authority, Securities and Exchange Commission, and the Bureau of Internal Revenue.
Meanwhile, Agriculture Secretary Francisco P. Tiu Laurel Jr. earlier announced that the government will extend the ban on rice importation until the end of this year, allowing imports only starting January 2026. Local farmers remain dependent on the rice trading price.
