July 5, 2024

 

Philippines sets funds for dairy livestock farms in Luzon and Mindanao

 

 

The Philippines' National Dairy Authority (NDA) is allocating nearly half a billion dollars for the development of four dairy livestock breeding farms in Luzon and Mindanao, which are scheduled for completion by 2025.

 

In a message to the Inquirer, the NDA said it earmarked a total of ₱498 million (US$8.5 million) to establish the farms designed to scale up local dairy production.

 

"They are being established this year and hopefully, it will be operational by next year," the NDA said.

 

In Department Order No. 11, the NDA was ordered to help develop government properties assigned to the agriculture sector for dairy farming and forage development. These properties include a 50-hectare property situated within the Peñaranda River Forest Reserve in General Tinio, Nueva Ecija; a 50-hectare land and a 15-hectare property in Malaybalay City, Bukidnon; and a 35-hectare property in Carmen South Cotabato, Bukidnon.

 

Each facility has a capacity for 150 heads.

 

The Department of Agriculture had vowed to support local milk production, noting the industry was "a low-hanging fruit" ready for the taking while also increasing the farm sector's contribution to the Philippine economy.

 

"If we increase the number of cattle in the milking-line, then we can increase production. Immediate effects will be felt," said Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. in February. "Developments in this sector will not only benefit our farmers but also help address malnutrition in the provinces."

 

The NDA aims to increase the country's milk sufficiency by 5%, targeting 80 million liters produced by 2028.

 

The Philippines produced just 29.1 million liters of milk in 2023, down by almost 4% a year prior, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority. The country imports 99% of its dairy requirements, mostly from the United States and New Zealand.

 

- Inquirer