MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Agriculture (DA) will roll out a P85.2-million chicken layer program this year that seeks to boost egg production in the country.
The DA said it would implement the chicken layer project or the LOVE project that would establish small-scale egg production in identified areas nationwide.
“This will provide an immediate source of food and livelihood and immediate return on investment which will redound to food security,” Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said in the implementing guidelines of the program issued yesterday.
The DA noted that eggs remain the country’s most affordable and accessible source of protein, vitamins and essential minerals that are critical in combating malnutrition and having a healthy diet.
The DA said the target beneficiaries of the project are farmers, community groups and farmer cooperatives and associations that will be determined by the respective regional field office (RFOs) and local government units.
The identified beneficiaries would receive a module worth P79,500 that shall contain 48 heads of ready-to-lay chickens, three-tier battery cage with feeder and nipple drinker, two bags of pre-lay and six bags of layer feeds good for two-and-a-half months, set of vitamins, medications and shed type house for chicken.
The DA said there would be 11 beneficiaries in 82 provinces across all regions nationwide. The allocated budget for the distribution of the interventions to the beneficiaries is about P71.72 million. The allocation will be downloaded to the RFOs of the DA.
The DA allocated P6.52 million for the Bureau of Animal Industry, which would manage the project and P6.96 million to the Agricultural Training Institute for training and extension support. The fund would be downloaded directly to the implementing agencies.
The country’s chicken egg production from January to September last year rose by six percent to 575,576 metric tons (MT) from 5423,722 MT in the same nine-month period in 2023, based on Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) data.
During the nine-month period, chicken egg production was valued at P57.54 billion, contributing almost 28 percent of the country’s total poultry output during the period, PSA data showed.