THE Philippine government is aiming to increase the country’s sheep population by 30,000 in three years in its bid to boost food output, a senior official of the Department of Agriculture (DA) said over the weekend.
Agriculture Undersecretary Jose Reaño told the BusinessMirror the government has recently started the importation of commercial and breeder sheep to increase the population of the ruminant and develop the mutton industry.
“Our target is to increase sheep population by 30,000 within three years. I have given an order to start the importation of sheep now. We need to import commercial stocks first before the breeder stocks, so that we can have a big starting point,” Reaño said.
Sheep production in the Philippines, according to Reaño, is an “infant” industry.
Data from the DA Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) showed that as of April 2010, the country’s sheep population reached 49,747. About 56.12 percent, or 27,919, were raised by backyard raisers.
Federation of Goat and Sheep Producers Association of the Philippines Inc. President Noel Soliman said sheep raising holds a lot of potential, as the ruminant is resilient to weather disturbances and resistant to diseases, compared to goats.
“This makes sheep very ideal for meat production,” Soliman said.
However, he said Filipinos have yet to acquire a taste for mutton, or sheep meat.
“But it would not be hard to promote mutton, as it is more palatable because of its marbling ability. Goat meat, however, is more healthy,” Soliman said.
Sheep and mutton production in the Philippines, according to Soliman, is not enough to fill the requirement of the local market. Lamb meat sold in supermarkets is mostly imported, he said.
Private sector-led
Soliman said sheep raising in the Philippines has been mostly private sector-led.
“We tried to involve the government [in sheep raising] before. It’s only this administration that implemented concrete steps to support the small ruminant industry,” he said.
Soliman said the small ruminant industry got a much-needed shot in the arm when the Australian Trade Commission helped the private sector import breeder stocks of sheep and goats in 2005.
“That was a learning experience for the government. After that, the [small ruminant] industry was revolutionized as the stakeholders saw the results. The first importation we made [with the Australian Trade Commission] paved the way for more importations from the private sector—from Australia, New Zealand and the US,” Soliman said.
The private sector has also crafted a long-term road map for small ruminants. One of the targets set by the industry is to increase small ruminant population—goats and sheep—by at least 1 percent in the short term, according to Soliman.
Under the road map, sheep raisers called on the government to establish a national center for small ruminants to ensure the continuity of government programs and projects.
They have also proposed the government’s implementation of a Genetic Improvement Program, which would soon come into fruition with the BAI’s Mutton Development Project (MDP).
“The MDP is being implemented through the DA’s Genetic Improvement Program [GIP] and funded by the DA’s National Livestock Program,” the BAI said.
Costing P124.5 million, the project aims to infuse 2,100 of prolific commercial meat-type sheep, as initial stocks to jump-start the industry, according to the agency.
Through the MDP, the government seeks to introduce 3,409 head of breeder sheep from Australia to complement local production of breeder sheep and distribute 6,514 head offspring within five breeding seasons.
Diosamia M. Sevilla, assistant project manager of the Animal Genetic Infusion Projects of the BAI, said the procurement of 3,409 head of sheep from Australia is already ongoing. She said the first batch of breeder sheep is expected to arrive in June.
Reaño said the breeder sheep will be distributed to government production centers, multiplier farms and interested private farms. He said the Visayas region, which is prone to typhoons, will serve as the focal point for the project.