The Indefatigable Pantawid Farmers Most of Pantawid beneficiaries in the municipality of Tungawan, engage in farming. They only focus one crop as a source of their family income.
The Pantawid farmers are the producers of raw products needed by the Bigmo machine to produce enough supply for supplemental feeding in Region 9. The Bigmo machine produces baby food and curls, which is very nutritious, because of the main ingredients Bigas at mongo. It consumes 5-‐10 tons of mongo grain per month to support the needs of supplemental feeding in the entire region 9.
To utilize their natural resources of having unproductive land area, and to promote livelihood focusing on diversified farming, the DSWD through Sustainable Livelihood Program, encourage Pantawid farmers, to plant high valued crops and vegetables to earn instant cash. Mongo production is a suitable crop to be planted in this Municipality due to high demand in the market. The availability of Bigmo machine, provided by DOST, and with the full support of the LGU, helps a lot to encourage Tungaweños, to plant this crop due to its good harvest, especially in dry season. The DSWD through the SLP with the partnership private companies conducted training on the technology of growing mongo production. It was find out that in every 1 hectare, a Pantawid farmer would earn 60,000.00 -‐ 80,000.00 pesos for only 62-‐65 days, depending on the current market price of the mongo grain.
Nowadays, the Pantawid farmers in this Municipality of Tungawan are happily working with their family, because aside from their primary source of income in rubber latex production; they now have other source of income, which drive them to work hard knowing the availability of market in their community. The project addresses the income generating opportunities to Pantawid farmers. Employment opportunity to the community through work force in operating the Bigmo machine and at the same time, addresses the unproductive land resources in the municipality.