LOCAL goat raisers revealed that they would be hard pressed to help the government achieve a 10- percent hike in the annual output of goats without a comprehensive program, the Federation of Goat and Sheep Producers and Associations of the Philippines Inc. (FGASPAPI) said. 

In a recent forum during the Agrilink 2011, FGASPAPI President Bienvenido A. Rara pushed for the roll-out of a program which would include an artificial insemination scheme to improve existing goat breeds in the Philippines. 

“Goat raising holds a lot of promise because more and more local consumers are eating goat meat,” said Rara during a forum held in Pasay City recently. 

Agriculture Secretary Proceso J. Alcala, for his part, urged the FGASPAPI to take the lead in drafting their suggestions and coordinating with the Department of Agriculture (DA) to draw up a road map for the sector. 

In a previous interview, Rara lamented that a majority of goat raisers are small farmers who are badly in need of support from the government. 

“Unlike the swine-breeding industry, goat production is still at its infancy despite the fact that it has been around for years. Around 99 percent of our goats are being raised by small farmers in the provinces and they do not have the capability to buy imported breeds of bucks,” he said. 

Apart from goat meat, Rara noted that goat milk is considered a healthy alternative to cow’s milk and is recommended for lactose-intolerant babies. 

Figures from the Bureau of Agricultural Statistics (BAS) showed that goat production reached 39,380 metric tons (MT) in January to June or 0.72 percent higher than what was produced in the same period last year. 

BAS, an attached agency of the DA, attributed the increase in the number of animals slaughtered in the Ilocos Region, Central Luzon, Central Visayas and the Davao Region.

In terms of value, gross earnings of goat raisers went up by an average of 8 percent during the first half of the year.