The Sugar Tripartite Council and the Bureau of Rural Workers have approved P7.9 million for the Sugar Industry Foundation Inc. to implement socio-economic projects for sugar workers during the off-milling season tiempo muerto, Edith Villanueva, SIFI president and chief operating officer, said.

BRW has released P5.9 million, or 75 percent of the allocated amount to SIFI for the benefit of the 9,256 sugar workers so far, Villanueva said in a press release.

The projects are being implemented in partnership with planters associations which are members of CONFED in the La Carlota Milling District, VIMACA Farmers Association and VIMACA-Kabulig Foundation in Victorias Mill District, ISEPI-Multi Purpose Coop. in Lopez Mill District, First Farmers Association in First Farmers Mill District and the Simag Foundation in the Hawaiian Mill District, Villanueva said in the press release.

Villanueva said the main objective of the projects is to provide temporary employment, or develop skills of dependents of sugar workers, or augment the food source of sugar workers’ families.

The various projects being implemented are funded from the forfeited unclaimed/undistributed cash bonus mandated under RA 6982. According to the law, after three years, unclaimed or undistributed cash bonus shall be forfeited and shall form part of the socio-economic fund and will be used to fund socio-economic projects from the mill district where it came from, the press release said.

The Asociacion de Agricultores de la Carlota Y Pontevedra Inc. is implementing sugar road repairs and vegetable production. The Simag Foundation underwent Food Processing and Marketing Skills Enhancement Seminars. The VIMACA Farmers Association provides temporary employment for Barangay Sugar Road Repairs.

The VIMACA 2-Kabulig Foundation, Inc. is introducing the Green Charcoal Production using sugarcane trash (cansiaha). The ISEPI-Multi Purpose Coop. will implement Vegetable Gardening and Free Range Chicken Raising Project. Finally the First Farmers Association have chosen Vegetable Production and Seed Nurseries for their sugar workers, the press release added.*

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