The Philippine Carabao Center is expanding its carabao upgrading program to the different towns of Ilocos Norte with the help of local government units (LGUs) to boost rural income.
Interviewed in Batac City on Monday, Philippine Carabao Center (PCC) director Joel Cabading reported that carabao milk production in the Ilocos Region has doubled in the past three years.
“From 50,000 liters per year, we are now producing 100,000 liters and we are still in the month of October,” Cabading told the Philippine News Agency.
He gave credit to the national government’s program on genetically improving the Philippine carabao breed, which produced 145,181 genetically improved calves in the last five years.
Approximately 90% of these calves are meant for milk and meat purposes, while the remaining 10% is for draft power, Cabading said.
In Ilocos Norte, some of the animals were entrusted to farmers’ organizations such as in Dingras and Badoc towns. Farmers in these areas are now harvesting milk to supply the local market.
Aside from milk production, Cabading said the PCC is also helping farmers market their products by linking them to institutional buyers and government feeding programs like the Department of Education’s School-Based Feeding Program (SBFP) and the Department of Social Welfare and Development’s Supplementary Feeding Program (SFP).
This market channel alone has generated PHP2.4 billion from 2019 to 2024 for the SBFP and PHP504 million from 2020 to 2024 for the SFP nationwide, according to the PCC.
With this development, Cabading said other LGUs in the province have manifested their support to boost dairy farming industry by allocating funds for the purchase of carabaos for milk production.
Initially, the Pagudpud government has purchased 20 female crossbred buffaloes to jumpstart dairy farming in Barangay Caparispisan. This will soon be added with additional 100 buffaloes from the Philippine Coconut Authority to be funded under the coconut levy fund.
According to Cabading, there is also an ongoing livestock enterprise and economic development project with 20 buffaloes to boost carabao milk production in Dingras town. The project is being undertaken by the PCC in collaboration with the municipal government and the Mariano Marcos State University.
From PHP63.27 in 2020, a liter of raw carabao milk is now pegged at PHP84.87. Carabao milk and carabao-based products are also gaining popularity in the local market as it being promoted in government-organized trade fairs as well as in Kadiwa stores. (PNA)