by Jorie C. Valcorza
CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY, Misamis Oriental, October 22 (PIA) -- The Philippine milk herd productivity performance hits an annual average yield of one ton per animal for the last five years, comparable to the world’s market productivity parameter.
Rene Martin De Guzman, manager of the Planning and Management Services Department of the National Dairy Authority (NDA) announced this during a Dairy Forum held at SM City, a side event of the Brunie-Indonesia-Malaysia-Philippine East ASEAN Growth Area (BIMP-EAGA) Trade Fair cum Cagayan de Oro Chamber of Commerce and Industry Foundation, Inc. (Oro Chamber) Business Enterprise Services and Trade (OROBEST) exposition.
Although the country lags in terms of total milk production and number of milking cows than to its ASIAN counterparts it still continues to gain good marks in the area of productivity, from top 30 in 2008, it pushes on to top 20 in 2009.
“Hindi sinasabi na kesyo maraming animals, mataas din ang produksyon, kung pagalingan sa bakang hinawakan hindi tayo pahuhuli (Not because there are a lot of animals,the production is also high. If we are going to look on how good the cows, the country can compete),” De Guzman said.
Given such edge, local farmers were encouraged to follow the required handling of these animals in order maximize its milk produce.
In the Philippines, milk was listed among top five agricultural imports next to rice and wheat.
De Guzman noted that out of the 468 million liters of milk consumed only 14 million were locally produced or only one out of every four glasses is supplied locally.
To reverse the current dairy trend in the country and maximize its potential, the NDA crafted a dairy roadmap for the next five years that targets to double up local milk production and contribution, as well as triple the daily milk yield by strengthening its asset build up and public-private partnership, increasing the number farm families and setting up of a dairy cow financing facility.
In Northern Mindanao, the current farm gate price of raw milk reaches to P22 per liter, a little lower that Luzon’s P25 while Visayas pegs at P18.
De Guzman emphasized that despite the current dairy statistics, farmers in Mindanao and Visayas still earns a minimum of Php 500.00 to Php 600.00 per day, while the Luzon dairy farmers get a higher daily perk.
He said the figures were not at all bad.
De Guzman likewise encouraged dairy farmers present in the forum to interest and train more young people on dairy farming to ensure increase and sustained supply of locally produce milk over the years. (PIA 10)
