DA RFO 8 visits SLSU-Bontoc for project monitoring

SLSU-Bontoc received its guests from the Department of Agriculture Regional Field Office VIII (DA RFO VIII) on Sept 20, 2023, for monitoring of its two ongoing student-manned enterprise projects: tilapia-ulang polyculture and tilapia-vegetable integrated farming; and for a site visitation of SLSU-Bontoc facilities that will house the newest funded enterprise project on lettuce and ornamental fish commodity, one of the Provincial winners of the 2023 Young Farmers Challenge under Processing category.

Mr. Francisco D. Ocado, Supervising Agriculturist at DA’s Agribusiness and Marketing Assistance Division, assisted by Ms. Jovie G. Judilla, Agriculturist II, in discussion with SLSU-Bontoc team, learned of the opportunities and challenges in implementing the funded enterprise projects. Mr. Ocado commended the volume of entries received from Southern Leyte and, in particular, acknowledged SLSU-Bontoc’s support to its student applicants, from conceptualizing the project proposal until its actual implementation. In response, SLSU-Bontoc committed its help in promoting DA’s program and vowed to strengthen its support to aspiring student agripreneurs.

Since 2022, SLSU-Bontoc has received the Young Farmers Challenge (YFC) Start-Up Fund, a government financial aid channeled through the DA. It aims to assist young agripreneurs in coming up with innovative and profitable agri-fishery-based enterprises and, in turn, are provided financial assistance of up to ₱100,000 to start their businesses.

The on-site monitoring ended with a refreshing treat: freshly harvested young coconut from the SLSU-Bontoc agri farm.