Sagip Saka opens stable markets, boosts income of Agusan Norte farmers
By Nora L. Molde
BUTUAN CITY (PIA) — Local farmers in Agusan del Norte are gaining a more stable market and better income opportunities through the Sagip Saka Program, as the Baleguian Organic Farmers Irrigators Association (BOFIA) delivered its first batch of 38,384 sacks of well-milled rice.
The initial delivery to the municipalities of Tubay, Jabonga, Santiago, and Kitcharao on August 3 forms part of the P24.37-million partnership between BOFIA and the provincial government of Agusan del Norte under the Negotiated Procurement-Sagip Saka. The arrangement provides the farmers’ association with a guaranteed market for its produce while creating additional income opportunities for its members.
The initiative backs President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s directive to advance national efforts to strengthen the agriculture sector by expanding market access for farmers, increasing their income, and promoting direct government procurement of locally produced agricultural commodities. It also advances the objectives of Republic Act No. 11321, or the Sagip Saka Act, which encourages government agencies and local government units to procure agricultural products directly from farmers’ and fisherfolk cooperatives and associations.
BOFIA President Wenifredo S. Maldo said the program has significantly improved the price received by their farmers, who previously sold their palay to traders for only P18 to P19 per kilogram.
“Without the Sagip Saka Program, traders would only buy our palay for P18 to P19 per kilogram. But now, because of the program, our palay is being bought at P24 to P25 per kilogram,” Maldo said.
OIC Provincial Agriculturist Benjie Villaruben said the provincial government has allocated P49 million for rice procurement under the Bagong Pilipinas Rice Program, directly sourcing rice from farmers’ cooperatives and associations (FCAs), including BOFIA and the Avanceña Beneficiaries and Farmers Multi-Purpose Cooperative in Cabadbaran City.
He said the government’s regular demand for rice for the provincial jail, disaster response operations, and social welfare programs provides local farmers with a ready institutional market.
“Through this, we are localizing the supply and prioritizing local suppliers. In this way, we can directly help our farmers and fisherfolk while also strengthening the local economy,” Villaruben said.
BOFIA has also benefited from pre- and post-harvest facilities from PhilMech, along with technical and organizational assistance from the Department of Agriculture (DA) Caraga, Municipal Agriculture Office of Jabonga, and Provincial Agriculture Office of Agusan del Norte.
The BOFIA experience demonstrates how Sagip Saka can connect farmers directly to government markets, enabling them to secure better prices, increase income, strengthen their organizations, and contribute to a more resilient local food supply. (NCLM, PIA Agusan del Norte with a report from DA Caraga)
