November 2, 2012

Philippine's Mindanao province to boost livestock, dairy production

In the next four years, Philippine's Mindanao's agricultural industry will increase production in its livestock, poultry, and dairy sectors to improve their national competitiveness.

This is according to the five-year Livestock Industry Roadmap prepared by the Philippine's Department of Agriculture (DA) and its Livestock Development Council (LDC) which was revealed at the Davao Agri Trade Expo on October 25, 2012.

By 2016, it expects that production will have increased over-all, from up 0.8% in duck meat to up 9.5% in dairy.

LDC executive director Manuel Jarmin presented strategies on achieving this goal, as well as the problems they expect to encounter along the way. One of the strategies is to increase production in sectors that have negative growth, such as the goat sector, as well as increasing the demand in small, "sunrise" industries like dairy and sheep.

Another is the genetic improvement programme of native livestock species through the DA's Philippine Native Animal Development Programme. The LDC will invest in liquid nitrogen plants to support genetic improvement research and projects in Mindanao.

The LDC is also looking into strengthening research efforts in partnership with universities like the University of the Philippines-Mindanao. The research focuses on alternative nutrition and feeds and improved post-harvesting methods, in response to the rising global cost of feeds and in line with creating a self-sufficient and sustainable agricultural industry in Mindanao.

Several infrastructure projects are also in the works: building liquid egg processing plants all over the region; upgrading local slaughterhouses to conform to halal requirements, Double A or Triple A standards; improving diagnostic facilities to keep livestock free from diseases like foot-and-mouth disease, avian flu, and Surra.

The department is also dealing with the problem of declining grassland areas in Mindanao-from 414,000 hectares in 1990, the grassland area left for livestock dwindled to 99,000 hectares in 2010. It also acknowledged having difficulties monitoring its market development assistance programmes.

As of 2011, Mindanao contributes 38.45% of the country's total agricultural sector and 28.12% of its livestock sector.