With the growing demand for hogs and pork in the market amidst the threat of African Swine Fever (ASF) in the country, the ATI MIMAROPA spearheaded the assessment, evaluation and inking of Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) between the Bongabong Coconut Farmers Multi-Purpose Cooperative (BOCOFAMCO) on Community-based Swine Production through Clustering and Consolidation Project. The project will also integrate the Green Barley Project for an alternative, safe and nutritious feeds for swine.

The said project to be downloaded to BOCOFAMCO is worth PhP 5 million primarily consisting of building swine structure with waste management facilities and land acquisition.

During MOA signing, Ms. Alma Mae L. Manalo, Livestock Point Person discussed the overview of the project and the responsibilities of each party in the implementation of the project. Mr. Pat Andrew B. Barrientos, ATI MIMAROPA Center Director said that the project was supposedly lodged in Marinduque but due to ASF cases in the province, it was diverted to Oriental Mindoro to pursue the project.

“This project will benefit our farmers particularly the backyard hog raisers in augmenting swine and pork production in the province as well as nearby provinces for the next three years,” Center Director Barrientos said.
Among the responsibilities of BOCOFAMCO in the project is to contribute in the supply of safe, nutritious pork and promote quality hogs and meat in Oriental Mindoro through the production and marketing of 1,164 heads of finisher for three years. They should also adopt modern facilities with climate-controlled system and biosecurity.

Meanwhile, Mr. Reynaldo Malaluan, general manager of BOCOFAMCO said that although that the project was not really intended for them, but they were very grateful to be the recipient of the project. He also assured the ATI that BOCOFAMCO is an institutionalized and successful cooperative having diverse services in the province; hence, the project will be properly implemented and they are willing to cooperate to ATI and finance whatever agricultural endeavors for the betterment of the farmers.

“Although we were not the first direct beneficiary of Community-based Swine Production but we are very much willing to accept the project for we know that this would benefit many farmers and hog raisers in the province,” Mr. Malaluan added.
Moreover, he said that since the BOCOFAMCO already acquired a three-hectare land which will be converted into an eco-farm (with crops and livestock component), they proposed instead to establish a solar power in the area.

The Community-based Swine Production is part of the Bantay ASF sa Barangay or BABAy ASF Program launched by the Department of Agriculture in complement with Integrated National Swine Production Initiatives for Recovery and Expansion Program (INSPIRE) which aims to calibrate repopulation and enhancement of the local swine industry to recover the sector’s capacity to locally produce sufficient supply of hogs and pork.

MOA signing was held on December 14, 2021 at ATI MIMAROPA, Barcenaga, Naujan, Oriental Mindoro.