NDA eyes new funding from US to beef up local dairy herd

MANILA, Philippines — The National Dairy Authority (NDA) is exploring possible new funding from the US to beef up the country’s dairy herd as the state agency seeks to achieve a five-percent self-sufficiency in milk by 2028.

NDA administrator Marcus Antonius Andaya said they are now studying the possibility of seeking a new round of funding from the US as the P1.56-billion four-year grant under the US PL480 program will end this year.

While waiting for a possible foreign funding, the NDA would capitalize on available domestic budget such as those from the General Appropriations Act and the agency’s share from the Coconut Farmers Industry Development Plan to import cattle.

The NDA needs at least P1 billion annual budget, double than its current funding of at least P500 million, to achieve its goal of increasing the country’s milk production.

“At our present budget we will be unable to reach that goal,” Andaya said.

The NDA is eyeing to import about 5,000 heads of dairy cattle until 2028 as part of its measures of hiking the country’s milk self-sufficiency to five percent from the present 1.5 percent.

Under its program, the calves of the imported dairy herd would be distributed to farmers. There are at least 150,000 dairy inventory nationwide, according to the NDA.

At least 600 heads of dairy cattle from Australia are being procured by the NDA and are scheduled to arrive by the middle of next year.

Aside from increasing the country’s dairy herd, the NDA is also keen on at least doubling the average milk output per cow to 20 liters per head per day by upgrading cattle through artificial insemination.

Furthermore, the NDA wants to reduce mortality of dairy cattle by capacitating farmers and educating them on proper caring and handling of their animals.

The agency also wants to ramp up demand by encouraging the commercial sector, such as milk manufacturers, to buy locally produced milk to meet a certain portion of their raw material requirements pursuant to existing laws and regulations.

“They should absorb a certain percentage of local production before they import milk,” Andaya said.

Dairy output in the first half rose by 15 percent to 16,020 metric tons from 13,940 MT in the same period of last year, based on Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) data.

Value wise, dairy output in current prices expanded by 23.6 percent to P879.88 million from P711.750 million, PSA data showed.