The Department of Agriculture (DA) and the National Dairy Authority (NDA) on Tuesday launched the General Tinio Stock farm in Nueva Ecija, which will serve as a new model for the government’s herd expansion program.
In a statement on Wednesday, DA Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said the PHP59 million worth of stock farm will help address the shortage of productive dairy animals in the Philippines.
The level of local milk production remains a challenge in the country’s industry.
“Hindi na tayo papayag na manatiling mababa ang milk sufficiency ng bansa (We will not allow our milk sufficiency to remain low),” Tiu Laurel said.
To date, the NDA said it has reached 2.3 percent out of its 2.5 percent target milk sufficiency for the year.
“Kung hindi natin pararamihin ang ating dairy herd, mananatili tayong umaangkat at patuloy na mawawala ang oportunidad para sa ating mga magsasaka (If we will not increase our dairy herd, we will continue to import and the opportunity for our farmers will be lost),” Tiu Laurel added.
For his part, NDA Administrator Marcus Antonius Andaya stressed the facility’s long-term benefits in supporting the income of local dairy farmers.
“This facility is a blueprint for dairy modernization. Ito ang magiging (this will be the) model farm na susundan natin sa mga susunod pang pasilidad (for our upcoming facilities),” he said.
The General Tinio Stock Farm is the first of the NDA’s five stock farms to finally reach the inauguration stage.
Moreover, Andaya said the model stock farm will help imported dairy cattle adapt to the climate of the Philippines.
Its space will be maximized for a “breeding, development, and acclimatization center for imported dairy animals,” with a capacity of 150 dairy cattle, modern misters, and cow brushes.
It also features a 15-hectare forage area to promote animal comfort and proper nutrition.
Besides the General Tinio Stock Farm, other facilities are already in the final phase to reach full operationalization, including those in Ubay, Bohol; Malaybalay, Bukidnon; Carmen, Cotabato; and Prosperidad in Agusan del Sur. (PNA)