March 22, 2010

Philippines to boost milk output

The Philippine government is targeting to procure 11,000 heads of dairy animals to boost milk production and reduce the country's dependence on imported milk.

According to National Dairy Authority (NDA) administrator Orkhan Usman, this is part of the programme of former Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap to uplift the local dairy industry.

Usman said the administration has been on track in beefing up the country's dairy animal stocks long before the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) issued a worldwide alert on dwindling livestock population that would reach critical levels in many areas in the years ahead.

Of the 11,000 heads targeted for procurement, 7,000 will be buffaloes, and 4,000 are cattle, according to reports.

Last July, NDA brought in 812 mostly Holstein crossbred cattle from New Zealand through the ports of Cagayan de Oro and Batangas. They were dispersed to various dairy farmers.

Recently, Usman said that Yap was able to unlock the so-called PL-480 funds of the USDA under the custody of the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) with an aggregate amount of PHP450 million to sustain the planned animal procurement.

The scheme calls for the imported stocks to be placed in the multiplier farms where they propagate through artificial insemination.