P9,000,000 Earned From Pork With PRDP Assistance By Women & Workers In Cadiz City

In 2000, the community-based farm workers association Caridad Hog Raisers Association (CHRA) in Hacienda Caridad in Cadiz City, Negros Occidental, started as backyard raisers of swine for fattening. In 2020, despite setbacks in the intervening years, the association generated sales of P9 million!

Surprise. That is from a report of April Grace Padilla, “Beating The Odds, Rising Grander: Caridad Swine Raisers Opt To Upscale PRDP Livelihood Enterprise In Cadiz[1]” (15 March 2021, PRDP.da.gov.ph).

Such million-peso success has been generated by Workers, Women and Will, not necessarily in that order. In 2013, super-typhoon Yolandaimmensely damaged the breeding pens. The swine raisers persevered. In 2017, the PRDP came into the picture with financial assistance totaling P563,000, the fund going into putting up new pens and completing 2 production cycles a year. Wilma Dignos, CHRA Project Manager, says:

We only started as 30 members and we gradually grew to 51 members after three years since our implementation. The first two cycles in 2017 had been a big help in sustaining our daily needs and in supporting the education of our children. In fact, we gave as high as P6,000 dividend for each member during our first year (of) operation (with PRDP assistance).

In 2018 came another challenge – the outbreak of African Swine Fever (ASF) in the country, which resulted in decreased business by CHRA. Says Ms Wilma:

The traders bought (meat at) a really low price. This is when our group decided to open up a meat shop in order to (market) our own produce,

Wanting to ensure that quality products as well as services were provided to buyers, CHRA held a customer service orientation among its meat shop staff. Says Ms Wilma:

This posted a favorable outcome as (CHRA was) able to gain regular customers. Fortunately, (these) regulars (now) frequent our shop because of the quality meat we sell. We also made sure to equip our staff with strategies in delivering the best service among our customers through an orientation.

With the opening of the meat shop, CHRA got back on track in the business. Then came the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020. Yet business increased! CHRA saw this as “another challenge for them to increase the number of sows in order to supply the demands (in) their meat shop.” Ms Wilma says:

It is truthfully challenging to continue our operations in the midst of the pandemic. We (came) short of supply of the fatteners so we opted to buy from other backyard raisers in our neighboring towns for the (supply in) our meat shop,

Now then, CHRA is buying from other swine raisers in the area. They are increasing their association’s own business – as well as that of backyard raisers other than members of CHRA.

Supplying the local hospital used as Covid-19 quarantine facility, CHRA generated P9,000,000 (as mentioned above), with P7,000,000 being paid to backyard raisers from whom the hogs were bought for the meat.

Millions from pork. Some choice cuts the Cadiz sugarcane workers and women are producing & marketing!@517

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[1]http://prdp.da.gov.ph/beating-the-odds-rising-grander-caridad-swine-raisers-opt-to-upscale-prdp-livelihood-enterprise-in-cadiz/