Young Farmers avail training on native chicken production and marketing
A total of twenty young farmers are attending a two-weeks training course on Philippine Native Chicken (Darag) production and marketing at the Sports Pension and West Visayas State University, Iloilo City.
The training course which started on October 2, 2006 until October 13, 2006 aims to equip the young farmers with the necessary knowledge and skills in producing and marketing the Darag Chicken. Phase one of the training will focus on the basics and practical aspects of raising darag chicken and phase two will be devoted on the hands-on practicum in selected darag chicken projects here in Iloilo.
According to Regional Technical Director Larry P. Nacionales, DA 6, there is a high demand of native chicken here in Western Visayas considering that manokan restaurants are sprouting everywhere especially here in Iloilo City.
"We must produce more darag chickens in order to met the demands of poultry meat here in region 6. This training is very much needed by our young farmers especially that they have already approved project proposals on native chicken production," he said.
The training will ensure that the participants will be able to gain knowledge and initiatives in order to conserve, improve and develop darag as a strain of Philippine native chickens.
The topics discussed are: Introduction to darag Chicken Production and Marketing; Breeding and Reproduction; Care and Management; Feeds and Feeding; Prevention and control of diseases; Marketing; Financing the darag chicken production and marketing; Record keeping; and Personnel management and monitoring and evaluation.
The hands-on training will be conducted at the West Visayas State University Experiment Station, La Paz, Iloilo City and at Pudadera's Farm at Leganes, Iloilo. Also field trips to Garin Farm, Jerry Roxas Farm and Munoz Farm in Janiuay are scheduled.
The training was sponsored by the Department of Agriculture (DA), Congressional Oversight Committee on Agriculture and Fisheries Modernization (COCAFM), National Agricultural and Fishery Council (NAFC), QUEDANCOR, West Visayas State University (WVSU), and Western Visayas Agricultural resources Research and Development Consortium (WESVARRDEC).
(JEEO/RAFID 6)