Online newsletter for the citizens of Sagunto, Sison, Pangasinan, Philippines
These photos were shared by Mr. Rolly Benosa who was among the Sagunto delegates.
In the photo above: Steve Tapiod, Jason Mangante, Willie Capuyan, Edison Benosa, Boy Aurea Back left: Christofer Telles, Rolly Benosa (in black cap), Raymond Balinao (in striped shirt) Not in the picture are Elmer Eliseo and Gilbert Castillo.
The two varieties of big tomatoes 1.5mos after transplanting by Sison trainees, also shown in the pix are the two technicians that served as assistant instructors.
Rolly (in blue long sleeves with black cap) giving additional pointers to Raymond Balinao and Steve Tapiod
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Why I like this trend spreading in the rural areas:
1. The younger generation is beginning to realize the importance of agriculture and food production to speed up economy.
2. Other walks of life and professions now find this agribiz more lucrative that other slow trade and commercial activities.
3. Lots of idle lands will now become more productive and tilled by more enthusiastic farmers who do not feel any shame or bear stigma but feel proud being farmers.
4. Farmers are now becoming more trained and skillful as they look at education and tech know-how as one of the solutions for success.
5. The gov’t and private sector are getting more serious in providing the needy with equipment and knowledge to survive, knowing how to fish for a lifetime, than just supplying a fish for the day.
Lots more to say…but what do you think, guys? Let us know.
Congratulations to these farmers on their graduation day in January, 2009, after several months of training.
Emily
wow!congratulations to all are farmers!pag ako nakaluwag-luwag dito e magdodonate din ako kahit konti para sa magandang proj.na yan for our farmers para mas marami pang dumagdag sa number nyo.kararating ko pa lang kasi e.manang just want to clarify di po ba kailngan ng farmers each ang financiers?how much would it cost ba sponsoring each farmers?it is for the training(its for free di po ba o food and travelling allowance nila?)or for capital sa cucumber,etc.sorry just to update and for my own awareness..hehehe.para mashare ko dito kina mom and relatives in UK.merry christmas and happy new year!
Hi Nicole! Masaya kami uli at nandito ka na naman. Maginaw ba masyado sa UK? I know, siguro super kapal ng coat mo no? Okay, we’ll wait for your support again. Hayyy, nakahinga ako ng maluwag at maganda yang idea mo to support any of these farmers. Pagkakataon na as sole supplier sa SM ang Sagunto, baka mawala pa ang opportunity dahil kokonti ang sumusuporta. Do you have a business mind, Nicole. This one is a good project as it is not just an income -earner, it is also good for our environment, community economy, and a timely encouragement to the many youth who just stay and do galivanting around our vicinity. Imagine, SM supplier! Nicole, pumili ka na dyan ng papartnerin.
These farmers are the new entrepreneurs of the decade. Tingnan mo nga sila, di ba new breed of promising farmers? This new project is a business venture for each and every one of them. Each is trained to become an independent farmer/entrepreneur and will graduate soon (January, 2009) to embark on a continuous deal with SM as a supplier of cucumber and cherry tomatoes. Each one of them is looking for a financier who will benefit from the farmer’s 50/50 share offer of the profit…well that depends on the contribution of the financier, of course.
The initial cost to start an individual farmer project is 25 thousand pesos, more or less, Rolly told me, assuming there is a ready land to cultivate. He is acting as leader of the trainees meantime. Last week, I was told that all of them are having difficulty finding investors. Even the 2 big shot Artacho trainees we often see as “ready to go”, are still chasing their prospect investors. Our Sagunto farmers have now agreed to start together to work on one lot as their practicum for a few months, so that would need about 25 thousand pesos of basic needs, just for this one-lot practicum for all of them, altogether. After a few months of practicum, each farmer should be ready to fund his own, or find a financier to proceed to a continuous supply to SM. There is a need to make all of them working, to meet and maintain the quota for SM. They will put all crop products together to send to SM. All of them should eventually be successful in finding funds, with at least 25k each as initial capital, to be able to arrive at enough products to satisfy the SM requirement. Each farmer should have his own accounting of his expenses after the practicum. Each should deal business and discuss agreements with his own investor. To arrive at enough amount of cucumber and cherry tomatoes, there should be at least 5 up to 10 hectares of combined land to work on. That’s big, isn’t it? If there’d be oversupply, food processing and canning, pickling should come next for our Tribal women, I hope…As this is SM, imagine how many SMs around Luzon alone are in need of this supply? Hey, use your Maths and think BIG!
I suggest, Nicole that you support as many farmers as you can. Each one anyway will be supervised by their mentors occasionally, have thorough support in disease prevention, watering, crop care, best seedling supply, etc. I will see what is left to pick up once they have searched for other investors…but of course, I don’t have enough for now to finance all of them, hehehe. This should be shared to many Saguntonians out there, so we could finally call Sagunto as financier and supplier for these wonder vegetables.
Next year, I will help build a small room where the farmers and others can have easy access to agriculture information, via short seminars and internet lesson with Rolly’s technical support. This can make our own farmers become models for the entire of Pangasinan.
Please don’t think twice, Nicole. This is the chance we have been waiting for. Ask your relatives, kabaryoan and friends there in UK consider these projects.
Hello All,
We would like to thank all those who have helped and supported the fund campaign of the Farmers. This tshirt campaign to benefit some farmers and students earned some funds where they could call initial support for their future projects. Many USA-Saguntonians through the leadership of Mr Boying Annaguey and Ophelia “Babot” Glasser purchased tshirts that would benefit the 9 farmers who recently had training. The farmers have raised about 3 thousand pesos from that, and some more shirt sale funds from individual customers from Canada and local Saguntonians. The group and Rolly Benosa, their current leader and elected chairman in their newly formed board of directors wish to express their gratitude to all their supporters especially the USA Saguntonians. Rolly will send some of the leftover tshirts and Mr Annaguey’s tshirt purchase to USA soon.
What other good thing that came up from this campaign was the big support our beloved Mayor Kimi has promised our farmers group. She plans to give full initial financing to all these trainees that would also include the first group of SMFI trainees who attended training in the previous years. This will compose of about thirty or more members now who are determined to raise the farmers’ flag for agriculture. Mayor Kimi and the Sison Department of Agriculture want the first agriculture initiative start in Sagunto, inspired by the sample initiatives in Rolly’s tomato farm, and the promising abilities/skills of these new SMFI trainees. Rolly’s land and the Capuyans’ will serve as initial venues of the first farm project . The initial fund will finance the first project to be located only on these connecting sites, that will serve as work and training grounds for all the members of the cooperative. Rolly has mentioned about the interest of some of the members to have their own plots and farm in their own yards once they are confident to be independent and have proven effective farmers, so such farmers would be searching for their individual supporters in the near future. I’ve learned that even those in Pilaoan are interested to join in the veggie production. Any other donors and finaciers wishing to help individual farmers start their own family farm in their own yards, different from the Mayor’s initial project in turod could just directly contact their prospective farmer partners. As many farmers and product yields are needed in this tomato and cucumber projects, so the more farmers working and producing more than the SM quota, the better. As I learned through the Farmers’ chairman, Rolly, the Mayor has a lot more buyers to supply products to, so think of these opportunities now to help and earn. The Sagunto project will be the first of its kind, and may spread in the future in other barangays in Sison .
(Disclaimer) That’s all what I heard so far. I am not their official farmers’ representatine, so I’m posting these details as my personal comments. If there would be any new development, I will post here soon.
Emily Homma