GK-Osmenia chicken project expands

Three-day old chicks feed at a chicken shed at GK poultry project at Baranggay Osmenia outside of Jose Panganiban poblacion.

By ALFREDO P HERNANDEZ

 

THE Gawad Kalinga (GK) poultry contract growing project at Baranggay Osmenia outside the poblacion of Jose Panganiban is expanding its monthly production.

Emerson Jeres, 27, poultry manager, told MWBuzz that they are currently building a third shed to house at least 7,000 fast-growing chicken variety.

With the third chicken house, GK which has been renamed as Ancop (Answering the Cries of the Poor), will increased its monthly production of 28-day chicken to 18,000 heads.

Currently, Ancop is producing 11,000 1.5kg-chicken from its two sheds, with the first raising 6,000 heads while the other, 5,000.

The expanded project, which will employ this time about 15 workers from the GK Village from the present workforce of 10, supplies live chicken to Talisay-based company Bounty Fresh.

The chicken company distributes fresh chicken and frozen across the province of Camarines Norte and elsewhere in the Bicol region.

The live chickens are bought by the company at P16 per kilo.

The project was initiated by rural banker and Daet businessman Roberto Torres to provide livelihood to the 76 GK families.

He owns the only rural bank in town as well as the Rural Bank of San Vicente and the RVT Hardware in Daet.

Torres, 52, a member of the JPHS Alumni Association, is also the project director of Ancop-Gawad Kalinga for Camarines Norte.

He donated the property where the GK village at Baranggay Osmena now stands.

Jeres said the Rural Bank of Jose Panganiban extended a loan of close to P200,000 to the GK families to start the project.

The loan was to be repaid quarterly over two years from profits earned, says Jeres, who, incidentally, is employed by RBJP as one of its agro-project managers.

Jeres said that every harvest, the project earned an average of of P7,000, that is after deducting the operating expenses and the loan amortisation.

With the full-payment of the bank loan, the families would have more income and funds every after harvest.

A portion of the income would go to the communal funds, such as the GK Kapitbahayan funds, the funds for the maintenance of the GK facilities and repairs of the housing units and school funds for the village's school children.

Under the contract-growing arrangement, Bounty Fresh will supply day-old chicks and veterinary products at discounted prices, as well as free services of a veterinarian.

The company also supplies the project with feeds and other materials, also at discounted prices.

Emerson Jeres, 27, poses next to a pile of poultry feeds in one of GK chicken houses. - MWBuzzpics by ALFREDO P HERNANDEZ