THE Philippine Carabao Center (PCC), along with the Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development (PCAARRD), recently began the implementation of a P64-million program that aims to improve the milk production of water buffaloes.
The project, called “Enhancing Milk Production of Water Buffaloes through Science and Technology Interventions,” seeks to boost the local dairy industry through the development and application of practical technologies and innovations. It is funded by the Department of Science and Technology PCAARRD.
“This PCC-PCAARRD collaboration ultimately aims to increase the annual milk production of purebred dairy buffaloes in the PCC National Impact Zone from 500,000 kilograms to 2,000,000 kg, and of crossbred buffaloes in San Agustin, Isabela, from 17,000 kg to 190,000 kg in the duration of program implementation [of three years],” the PCC said in a statement.
PCAARRD Acting Deputy Executive Director Edwin C. Villar earlier told the BusinessMirror the program covers projects and disciplines related to reproductive management, improvement of feeding protocols, milk quality and safety assurance, health-care technologies and enterprise development on crossbreds.
An inception meeting was held on February 10 in Nueva Ecija to discuss the objectives, methodology, the expected outputs and deliverables, and the budgetary requirements of the project components. A visit to a project site in San Agustin, Isabela, was also conducted.
Meanwhile, PCC Executive Director Arnel N. del Barrio earlier said the agency will move its target to produce 2 million liters of carabao milk in Nueva Ecija from 2016 to 2017.
He said the province may only be able to produce 1.8 million liters of carabao milk for 2016, or 200,000 liters short of its target.
Data from the National Dairy Authority (NDA) showed that the country’s total dairy production for the first half of 2015 reached 10.29 million liters, 3.83 percent higher than the output recorded in the same period in 2014.
The NDA said local milk production during the period came from the dairy animal inventory of 47,967 heads. Of this figure, 17,299 are dairy carabaos. About 32 percent of the total volume of milk produced came from carabaos, according to data from the agency.