The Coral Bay Nickel Corporation (CBNC) extended assistance by providing 52 sacks of certified palay seeds to the farmers of Brgy. Bonobono in Bataraza town on July 13.
Jessa Ventura, CBNC Social Development and Management Program (SDMP) officer said the seeds are intended for the four farmers association in Brgy. Bonobono, Bataraza.
Ventura said each association received 13 sacks at 40 kilos each in all or a total of 520 kilos of certified palay seeds.
“Iyong mga president ng association with the former and new punong barangay ng Bonobono [ang nag-receive ng aming tinurn-over na palay]. May policy naman ‘yan, siyempre ‘yong isang association hindi lang naman 13 iyong magiging beneficiaries, ‘yong mangyayari sa policy namin, after four months nilang mag-ani, magbabalik sila sa association natin ng 60 kilos. Sa 60 kilos na ‘yon, ang 40 kilos ay ibabahagi na naman sa ibang farmers na hindi pa nabigyan, para maging sustainable. Tapos ‘yung 20 kilos ‘yon na ‘yung mapupunta sa pondo ng association nila,” she explained.
The four beneficiary associations are the Bonobono Sentro Farmers Association (BSFA), Taguridas Farmers Association (TFA), Irajo Farmers Association (IFA), and the Yamang Butil Farmers Association (YBFA).
Ventura said the program also wants the farmers to have a more sustainable livelihood in the long run.
She also said one of the systems they incorporated with the project is teaching the farmers “to give back to their own association a portion of what they have received freely from CBNC.”
“[To the farmers and their associations] ingatan lang nila ‘yong project, para kahit wala na ‘yong company may livelihood pa rin sila. ‘Yon ‘yung gusto ko talaga para may maiwan sa kanila” Ventura said.
