NDA revises milk production targets

MANILA, Philippines - The National Dairy Authority (NDA) is revising its projection for domestic milk production for the next four years as milk production outpaces original targets.

NDA administrator Grace Cenas said yesterday the agency now expects local producers to be able to provide for 50 percent of the country’s liquid milk requirements by 2016.  

Under the National Dairy Roadmap, the country aims to enable dairy producers to produce 43 to 46 percent of the total domestic liquid milk requirement.

“By 2016, we are hopeful that we can supply more than half of the country’s liquid milk requirements,” Cenas told reporters on the sidelines of the NDA’s 18th anniversary celebration.

Raw milk production in 2012 rose 12 percent to 18.45 million liters from 16.45 million liters in 2011. Milk production has been growing at an average of seven percent annually in the last five years.

The growth in 2012 milk production exceeded the initial target of 10 percent. The NDA intends to keep the growth rate at 12 percent and above in the coming years.

Cenas said domestic producers currently satisfy 40 percent of the domestic liquid milk demand.

The milk production target this year is placed at 20 million liters. The agency intends to achieve full sufficiency by 2021.

To increase raw milk production, the government is importing more breeding dairy animals this year to improve local stock. More multiplier farms will also be established to increase the breeding stock.

The country has a current inventory of 40,696 dairy animals. To fully meet the country’s dairy demand and replace imports, one million dairy animals would be needed.

In 2012, the government imported 10 bulls and 2,100 female cows for breeding. The offspring of these breeding stocks are redistributed to capable dairy farms.

This year, the NDA intends to procure a 700 additional milking cattle.