P1-5 million ASEF loans set for farmers, fishers

18 Mt Province farmers get funds 

By Janice Ogalde

BONTOC, Mountain Province – Farmers and fisherfolks can now borrow P1 million up to P5 million under the Agricultural Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (ASEF), a program under the Dept. of Agriculture-Cordillera Highland Agricultural Resource Management Project (CHARMP)

The fund maybe availed of by registered entrepreneurs, farmers and fisher folk cooperatives and associations.

Eighteen farmers from Mountain Province have already availed of the ASEF in Mountain Province.

The funding support will be used by beneficiaries for construction of greenhouse, pig pens, cattle house and for vegetable or rice seedlings production.

Of the 18 farmers, 10 of the beneficiaries were from Bontoc, six from Bauko, and two from Sagada.

Through this program, ASEF had helped farmers become more productive in agriculture and for them to sustain their own farm,” said Kris Floribel Baniasen, administrative assistant in provincial loan facilitation team.

ASEF targets individual farmers and fisherfolk, micro and small enterprise (MSE), farmers and fisherfolks cooperatives and associations engaged in agricultural production, farming and agribusiness.

In availing funding support, Baniasen said applicants need to complete requirements to avail the loan.

“They should have feasible and marketable projects, no unpaid loan from lending institutions nor from Land Bank, and they should have no adverse findings on the borrower,” Baniasen said.

Individual farmers should be cultivating not more than five hectares of land and engaged as small poultry or livestock raisers.

Individual fishers are those in fishing and fishery-based production and processing.

Farmers and fisherfolk organizations and associations must be registered with the Dept. of Labor and Employment while MSEs must be registered with the Dept. of Trade and Industry. 

Eunice Noble, 54, and Dominga Fagyan, 59, both farmers, said they were not aware of the program but interested in availing upon hearing about it.

They said this program will be helpful for them in buying materials they need in their farms.

Fagyan added that if she will be granted the loan, she will use it to put up a piggery as additional source of income.

Interested applicants for the ASEF may submit the required documents to the CHAMP-Bontoc through the Municipal Agriculture’s Office. (Janice Ogalde is a BSU DevCom intern)