The PHP10-million swine breeder and techno-demo farm that will be built in the municipality of Bingawan in Iloilo is expected to boost the livelihood of small farmers in Barangay Cairohan, who are already into hog production.

The project is a grant from the Agricultural Training Institute (ATI) under the Integrated National Swine Production Initiatives for Recovery and Expansion (INSPIRE), part of the Department of Agriculture’s (DA) recovery and repopulation plan for the swine industry.

“We are one of the five recipients in Region 6 (Western Visayas). This will have great impact on employment and business as well as our youth, because we intend to share the technology with them,” Concepcion Carillo, president of the KCARSI (Kryz Culinary Arts and Restaurant Services Institute) Farmers Association, said in an interview on Tuesday.

The Carillo family gave a one-hectare lot through a usufruct for the project that will be managed by the farmers’ association, composed of 40 members.

“This multiplier farm is the first project that we received from the government as an association. We are now preparing for the groundbreaking on June 27,” she said.

The association will be provided with 38 heads of grandparent gilts and one head of boar for breeders, building, artificial insemination package, and feeds for the first cycle.

The group is expected to produce quality stocks that will be used to develop herd size or supply animals as livelihood or post-training kits to identified beneficiaries.

Thirty percent of the produce will go to the DA for their identified beneficiaries as a pass-on gift while the remaining 70 percent will be for the members and the association to help sustain the project.

To assist the farmers further, Carillo said that they plan to pay back the grant, which is supposed to be for three years.

The Concepcion Carillo Farm is an accredited ATI training provider and recipient of various awards integrated and diversified best agriculture practices. (PNA)