Nine (9) out-of-school youth (OSY) farmers from the Municipalities of Trinidad and San Miguel in the province of Bohol received a total of P1.8 Million worth of loans under the Department of Agriculture – Agricultural Credit Policy Council’s (DA-ACPC) Credit Program for Out-of-School Youth (OSY).
The ceremonial loan release formally signals the launch of DA-ACPC’s Credit Program for OSY in Bohol. The loan is to fund the purchase 27 heads of cattle of the beneficiaries.
Under the credit program for OSY, out-of-school youth ages 18 to 24 may borrow up to P200,000 to acquire cattle stock, feeds, vet supplies, construction of cattle housing, and to cover the cost of labor. The program aims to provide affordable and accessible credit to OSY who are willing to engage in cattle raising; generate jobs and income opportunities for OSY; and increase beef production as a support to the development of the Philippine cattle industry.
Aside from receiving cash assistance, DA-ACPC Director Noel Clarence Ducusin said the OSY beneficiaries will also undergo a series of training to capacitate them in cattle fattening.
“Ang launching ng OSY credit program ay resulta ng ating mga pagpupulong upang maisakatuparan ito. We had our soft launch early this year — OSY beneficiaries received initial loan releases for preparatory activities such as the forage area and housing,” he said.
” The beneficiaries have also been trained by the Agricultural Training Institute,” he added. On March 21, the DA-ACPC, through the Cooperative Bank of Bohol (CBB), one of ACPC’s partner lending conduits in Bohol, disbursed an initial amount of P25,000 to the nine beneficiaries for land preparation and cattle housing.
Also present during the launching were Trinidad Municipal Administrator Judith R. Cajes and San Miguel Municipal Agriculturist Felix Lucip, along with Philippine Crop Insurance (PCIC) Team heads Rocky Tidon and Christian Owen Vallejos as well as CBB representative Marbie Adiong.