CLSU hosts small ruminant congress

The Livestock Development Council (LDC) of the Department of Agriculture is inviting stakeholders and interested parties to its 2nd Small Ruminant Congress at the Central Luzon State University (CLSU) in the Science City of Muñoz, Nueva Ecija. The event scheduled on March 25-26 is organized with the cooperation of the Federation of Small Ruminant Association.

The congress aims to pursue the following objectives: 1) Update raisers of new technologies and undertakings in worm control and feeding/housing management; 2) Showcase genetic resources available in the market; and 3) Link farmers with animal breeders and other major stakeholders of the industry.

During the two-day congress the goat road map will be launched. The roadmap being pushed by DA calls for the following program thrusts and targets: Reducing mortality rate from 45-60 percent to 25 percent. Increasing current reproduction efficiency from 1.72 percent to 10 percent. Increasing the slaughter weight from 15 kilos to 20 kilos.

Other activities include farm demonstrations, technical paper presentations, exhibits, goat show and sale of live animals and pasture plant seeds. Under the farm demonstrations, scheduled activities are: artificial insemination, hoof trimming, silage making, urea molasses mineral block making and de horning. Technical papers will focus on feeds and feeding, breeds and breeding, economics of goat raising, integrated and sustainable worm control, worm control in farming communities, regional (Asia) status and perspective of small ruminant industry and financing for goat raising.

The congress is one of the initiatives of the DA for the development of the country’s goat industry. Prospects are huge as demand is higher than supply and goat raising requires relatively simple technology.

Registration fee will be collected to cover food, materials and raffle tickets. Door and goat show prizes await winners. Interested parties may contact deputy executive director Felix Valenzuela, at tel. no. 02-922-09-31; Marcia Lanuza at 02-920-3991; and Susan Foronda at 02-929-6065. – Ramon Ma. Epino