SMC to start donation of carabao milk from farmers
San Miguel Corporation (SMC) was able to initially secure as much as 5,000 liters of pasteurized carabao milk with the help of the Department of Agriculture’s (DA) Philippine Carabao Center (PCC) and is now targeting to distribute this to six cities and provinces in Luzon
In a statement, SMC President and Chief Operating Officer Ramon S. Ang said that the listed conglomerate, through the PCC, is set to procure the excess milk from farmers of the Nueva Ecija Federation of Dairy Carabao Cooperative (NEFEDCCO).
SMC, PCC, and NEFEDCCO will then jointly implement a feeding program to distribute the milk to some 5,000 beneficiaries—primarily vulnerable children, the elderly, and front-liners—across Pampanga, Bulacan, Navotas, Manila, Malabon, Cavite, Quezon, City, San Juan, and Mandaluyong.
The target, according to Ang, is to deliver 1,000 liters of carabao milk per area.
For this venture, SMC has already engaged its packaging arm, San Miguel Yamamura Packaging Corp. (SMYPC).
Ang particularly wamts SMYPC to utilize its technical expertise to provide research and development (R&D) assistance to PCC in terms of developing ways to extend the shelf-life of carabao milk by up to three to six months.
“By doing this, the PCC will eliminate spoilage and will be able to pursue worthwhile tie-ups to boost the industry,” Ang said.
“With extended shelf life, the milk can also be more easily transported and distributed throughout the country, giving carabao farmers a wider market, and even higher output and livelihood,” he added.
Raw carabao milk is only good for seven days, according to SMC.
This initiative is part of SMC’s ongoing efforts to help the agriculture industry as well as provide basic nutritional support to disadvantaged families and communities amid the COVID-10 pandemic.
“When we first heard about carabao farmers’ plight and the amount of milk that was just going to waste, we knew we had to do something to help. We will donate this specifically for the benefit of children and the elderly in poor communities,” Ang said.