Quedancor's hogs growing project helps OSYs

Dumangas, Iloilo—The Quedancor Financing Scheme on Hogs Growing has been benefiting the Out-of-School Youth at the Don Bosco Home for Boys in this town.

Fr. Bernardo Peralta, Director of the center said that his neighbor in Dumangas,  introduced him to  Quedancor in March 2004.  Since then, Fr. Peralta has earned an income of about P45,000 from three harvests of heads which his Hogs Growing Project  yielded. With the amount, the out-of-school boys under his care are able to continue with their training in agro-mechanized technology in the center which prepares them for livelihood activities. These are also the boys who take care of growing the hogs.

How did this happen?

The Hogs Growing Program is an income augmentation and livelihood scheme entered into by the  Quedancor and the beneficiaries through an input supplier which signs a contract with the former, to provide the hogs, feeds, and medicines to identified recipients.

In the case of Fr. Peralta, he entered into a contract with QUEDANCOR and a partner supplier for input assistance, initially with 120 hogs, feeds and medicines. As per contract, the hogs will be raised within 100 days. He had already benefited from three harvests and on his way to the  4 th harvest, which he intends to increase to 210 heads so that his income will also increase.

Quedancor District Supervisor for the province of Iloilo Mr. Jose  Antonio Muyuela said that this scheme liberates the recipients from the usual hassles of hogs growing and is guaranteed an income of from four hundred fifty to five hundred fifty pesos per head for 85 and above kilos of hogs grown in a period of four months.

The hogs are again replenished by the input supplier who at the same time shoulders the repayment of the loan for the program.  The beneficiary's only responsibility is to see to it that the hogs are grown well, kept clean and healthy for good market.

This scheme has taken grounds all over the  region and has surpassed its target of about P220 million loan assistance to partners. Meanwhile, it is noted that in Antique, the RORO route is maximized to bring hogs' meat to other parts of the country and to Metro Manila, where big markets avail of it.

Quedancor Regional Manager Mario Molina said that the scheme is very simple and many of the poor individuals or groups, like that of Fr. Peralta, even those who have other sources of income can avail of this.

Little time is needed to care for the hogs and many Filipinos are used to this kind of income augmentation project, Molina added. 

Fr. Peralta said that QUEDANCOR has provided an answer to his funding needs for the programs which he undertakes with the out-of-school boys that seek the center for direction in life. (QUEDANCOR/PIA 6).