Capitol beefs up support for dairy farming in Cebu

To help Cebu become self- sufficient in terms of fresh milk supply, t he provincial government has beefed up its support f or t he dairy f arming production, allocating at least P35 million worth of assistance for the development of the industry this year.

This is in line with Governor Hilario Davide's five star development agenda. Davide said earlier t hat many will benefit from the program designed to generate l i velihood i n t he countryside.

The dairy program has five components, including dairy upgrading program, dairy multiplier farm, small hold dairy farming, forage and pasture development. Under t he dairy multiplier farm, t he Capitol also plans to build milk processing plant.

The Capitol also ech- oed the thrust of the nat i onal government t o promote the local production of milk.

Provincial Veterinari an Mary Rose Vincoy said earlier t hat f r esh milk is more complete and nutritious compared to powdered milk, which is usually imported.

Aside from helping the dairy farmers to earn, the Capitol also allocated around P16 million for the purchase of addit i onal "breedable l i vestock" and equipment.

The bidding f or almost P1 million worth of 150 heads of goats for dispersal has also started.

The equipment t he Capitol purchased i ncluded milking machines, milking canisters, and test kits. These will be given t o dairy farmers in Cebu.

Last year, hundreds of cattle, carabaos, and cows were distributed to farmers under the large animal dispersal program of t he province. The program will continue with the distribution of another P6 million worth of large domestic animals.

"The ultimate goal is to increase the number of dairy animals and (of) milk production," Vincoy said.

According to the National Dairy Authority, t he province needs 80,000 dairy cows t o produce 10 liters of fresh milk per day. This is assuming that every person of the four million people i n Cebu drinks at least two glasses of milk per day.

Presently, Cebu only has 600 dairy cows engaged in milk production in the towns of Consolacion, Compostela, Liloan, Barili, Argao, and Dalaguete.

Vincoy further said that there are also Artificial Insemination ( AI) equipment worth almost P500,000 to be distributed such as straw guns, and thermos with thermometer and retriever.

For the 37 local government units ( LGU) implementing artificial ins emination ( AI), t he Capitol would build shaded concrete AI heat centers . Vincoy s aid each LGU would get an enhanced AI heat center.

Heat centers are places where AI services are conducted so t hat t he movement of the animal i s minimized or controlled. This would also be used during veterinary outreach activities, such as vaccination, vitamins supplementation, and deworming.

Each heat center i s roughly estimated to cost P200,000 to P300,000.