Aiming to strengthen the country’s dairy industry, the country, through the National Dairy Authority (NDA), will be importing 1,500 cattle.
P300 million worth of funds has been allocated by the NDA for the purchase of Girolando dairy cattle, according to its administrator Marilyn Mabale.
Rebidding for the purchase of 1,500 cattle will start in April after the agency has finished farmers’ consultations and complying with the technical requirements.
Mabale said that the agency is hoping to distribute the dairy cattle by October this year.
The imported cattle are usually from either Australia or New Zealand. According to Mabale, these countries have representatives in the country who will join the bidding, as part of the government procurement process.
The program, with financial assistance from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), intends to help small farmers through the distribution of the animals.
The NDA is anticipating a substantial increase of about 6 percent growth in the dairy sector. To help achieve this target for the next three years, Mabale said, the country will be pursuing the annual infusion of 2,500 dairy goats.
PH dairy production
Data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) shows that dairy production in 2018 has reached 23,690 metric tons which are valued at P901.30 million. It is way higher than the volume and value of production in 2016 at 21,160 metric tons and valued at P715.28 in 2016 and 22,760 metric tons valued at P809.33 million in 2017.
Majority of the sector’s growth may be attributed to small farmers. Backyard farming accounts for 60 percent of the total dairy output, according to the NDA. For this year, the NDA expects that the most significant contribution in terms of the dairy sector growth come from Bukidnon, Batangas, and other areas in Southern Luzon.
Mabale said that that dairy sector is optimistic that by 2022, it will achieve the 10 percent milk and dairy sufficiency target.
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