The Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA) has partnered with Thailand’s biggest agricultural and food company, the Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP), and a Mindanao agri-business company to establish community poultry and hog farms in areas affected by the recent earthquakes in Mindanao.

In a Facebook post, Secretary Emmanual Piñol said that the recipient provinces will be the focus areas of the project, dubbed as “Livelihood Opportunities in Villages for Economic Upliftment (LOVE-U)”, which was designed to help calamity victims recover and become self-reliant.

Davao del Sur and North Cotabato were the two hard-hit provinces by the recent earthquakes in Mindanao.

Piñol said the LOVE-U Project will also be implemented in other villages in Mindanao with very high poverty incidence levels.

He added that Thailand’s Charoen Phokpand Foods (CPF) executives Sakol Cheewakoset and Udomsak Aksorphakdee earlier committed to establishing at least two model farms for hogs and poultry in the earthquake-affected areas by the first quarter of 2020.

“Other farms will be established in other areas, especially for earthquake victims who had to be relocated because of risks posed by landslides in their mountain villages,” he said.

Piñol said under the program, MinDA will organize earthquake victims into cooperatives or associations, some to run the MinDA Tienda outlets and the others to operate the poultry and hog farms to be established in their communities.

Linking up with its partner, the Development Bank of the Philippines, MinDA will work on the grant of loans for the establishment of a common service facility needed for the poultry and hog projects.

“The poultry and hog farms will be located in a specific area where the cooperative members could go to every day and work on their community projects.

CPF Philippines will provide the piglets, chicks, feeds and veterinary services for the farms after which it will buy the product of the farmers,” Piñol added.

Piñol said after deducting the cost of the piglets, chicks, and feeds, CPF Philippines will turn over to the farmers’ cooperative the profits gained from the project.

CPF Philippines will also be linking up with a South Cotabato company, iFreshCorporation, for the implementation of the project.

iFresh Corporation will provide the tolling services for the feeds, hatchery and slaughter and dressing plants for the produce.

“We are willing to do this in other disaster-affected areas so we could help people recover while at the same time contribute to the growth of the Philippine agricultural economy,” Sakol told MinDA during the meeting in Manila on Tuesday (Nov.12).

On November 19, MinDA, CPF Philippines and iFresh Corporation will present to the DBP officials the project proposal. (PNA)