Philippine seeks France’s assistance for dairy project

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines is seeking technical support from France to roll out its dairy project in Bohol next year.

National Dairy Authority (NDA) administrator Farrell Benjelix Magtoto presented its proposed OneDAiry Hills project to the French delegates who recently visited the country. The delegation was accompanied by French Ambassador Michèle Boccoz.

The pitch was made in hopes of obtaining experts and heifers that can withstand tropical temperatures for the project, which is targeted to be implemented by 2023.

The OneDAiry Hills project aims to put up a nucleus farm in Bohol and produce tropically adapted heifers that can be utilized by the NDA and farmers’ cooperatives and associations.

It will also provide training centers for capacity-building of extension officers and cooperative managers, among others.

In April this year, the NDA and the French delegates visited the NDA dairy multiplier farm and Bohol milk processing plant in Bohol for an introductory meeting and initial assessment of the project site.

During their meeting with the Department of Agriculture (DA), Boccoz said the French government committed to help the Philippines in terms of farm mechanization, development of the dairy industry, irrigation and agricultural insurance as some of the new possible areas for collaboration.