The Government of Japan approved the funding for the “Rehabilitation and Modernization of Livestock “Oksyon” MarketS (LOMs) in the Philippines” Project under the Japanese Grant Assistance for Underpriveleged Farmers, (formerly known as the 2KR Program). A fund support of Thirty Three Million Nine Hundred Eight Thousand Pesos (P33,908,000.00) from Japan's Official Development Assistance was approved for this project under the Counter-value Fund generated by the 2KR.
The project aims to increase the income of the livestock farmers by as much as 25%; generate employment in the livestock sector through increased trading activities; enhance capacities of stakeholders from national to local levels; and disseminate best practices to other LOMs to help improve their operations and thereafter contribute to the development of the country's livestock and poultry industries. The proponent of the project is the Bureau of Animal Industry of the Department of Agriculture (DA).
The project will be implemented for two years and has four components, namely: a) conduct of socio-economic profiling; b) conduct of capacity-building for the LGU and DA-RFU (Regional Field Units) beneficiaries and other relevant stakeholders; c) rehabilitation of the five LOMs; and d) conduct of monitoring and evaluation including socio-economic impact assessment. It involves the full rehabilitation of five busiest LOMs in the towns of Lemery in Batangas, Uson in Masbate, Zamboanguita in Negros Oriental, Kabankalan in Negros Occidental and Padada in Davao del Sur.
Results of surveys conducted by the Bureau of Animal Industry revealed that livestock farmers increase their income by as much as 25% by using the LOM facilities as they are not at the mercy of unscrupulous traders. On the average, LOMs capture about 80% of the animals traded in the areas where they operate. Thus upon completion, this project is envisioned to reduce poverty through increased income of livestock farmers with proper valuation of their animals and generate employment through increased livestock production and trading. It is estimated that this project will benefit around two million livestock stakeholders `in the Philippines .
For the past thirty years, the Grant Assistance for Underprivileged Farmers Program (the 2KR Program) has made a positive impact on the livelihood of Filipino farmers and this project reaffirms Japan's commitment to support the efforts of the Government of the Philippines to alleviate poverty and achieve food self-sufficiency.
Japanese Version
