More Bukidnon farmers get DTI livelihood kits

TWENTY more farmers in Bukidnon received livelihood kits on early last week, as the second batch of beneficiaries of Livelihood Seeding Program-Pangkabuhayan sa Pagbangon at Ginhawa (LSP-PBG) of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Bukidnon.

Each of the identified farmer-beneficiaries received a knapsack sprayer after attending an entrepreneurial mind-setting seminar conducted by Negosyo Center (NC)-Talakag in Sitio Kibulag, Barangay Lantud, Talakag, Bukidnon.

During the assessment made prior to the kits distribution, knapsack sprayers were identified as ‘immediate need’ in the community because farming has been the way of life for most of the residents.

Aside from the farmers’ main issue on the lack of fertilizer, they openly asserted that lack of such farm tools limit their farming activities as they often rent knapsack sprayers from their neighbors at P100 per day.

But now with the newly-owned knapsack sprayers and additional knowledge on entrepreneurship through the seminar provided, the farmer-beneficiaries will be able to increase production of their fresh produce to be sold in neighboring barangays, including Talakag Public Market.

Mike Dimdim Datu Pinto, one of the farmer-recipients of DTI’s second round of knapsack sprayer distribution, thanked the government for the livelihood kit received.

“Nagpasalamat ko sa DTI nga naghatag ug knapsack sprayer nga magamit sa akong pag-uma (I am thankful to DTI for giving me the knapsack sprayer that I can use in farming),” Pinto said.

The first batch of livelihood kits was distributed to 20 farmers during the official launching of the Poverty Reduction, Livelihood and Employment Cluster (PRLEC) project in Bukidnon on June 30, 2020.

PRLEC is one of the clusters formed through President Duterte’s Executive Order 70 that aims to develop sustainable communities through harmonized and culturally responsive government development programs. (DTI-10/PIA Bukidnon)