PH only producing 1% of local dairy demand
An executive of the Mindanao Association of Dairy Industry Stakeholders (Madis) they are targetting to increase the production of dairy products in the country in the next five years.
“Right now, the challenge actually for the dairy industry is to produce 99 percent more to be self-sufficient on our dairy requirements. For the longest time, Filipino local producers produces only one percent of the total demand,” said Madis Chairman Isidro Albano during the Kapehan sa Dabaw weekly press conference at SM City Davao last Monday, July 31.
About 64 percent of the country’s dairy production comes from cattle, 33 percent from carabao, and the remaining three percent from goats, said Albano, who is also the Chairman of the National Dairy Confederation of the Philippines.
He added most of our milk supplies are imported from other countries including New Zealand, Netherlands, and Sweden.
Albano said the dairy industry had already presented a five-year plan to Agriculture secretary Emmanuel Piñol on how the 10 percent dairy selfsufficiently goal will be reached. This plan includes the embryo transfer project, which piloted in Mindanao and will then be carried in other parts of the country, and animal infusion.
The embryo transfer uses a sexed embryo to produce a calf draft. The technology will make sure that the produce calf is female.
Currently, Albano added, DA is also considering
on importing new cattle breeds which are called Geerlando that are coming from Brazil.
“But still quarantine protocols has to be discussed with other stakeholders or with other industry that might be in consideration of this step,” he said adding good nutrition and healthcare for the animals will also be pushed as well to encourage more backyard farmers to produce more. JPA (For full story visit www.sunstar.com. ph/davao/)