USDA allocates P1.6 billion funding for goat farming

MANILA, Philippines — The National Dairy Authority (NDA) will start implementing a P1.56 billion dairy goat farming program to ensure more livelihood opportunities for farmers.

Funding for the project will come from the United States Department of Agriculture.

The program will focus on providing access to dairy goats, infrastructure, technology and other inputs to farmers in rural areas.

It will be implemented under US Public Law 480, also known as the Agricultural Trade Development and Assistance Act, which aims to use agricultural productivity to enhance the food security of developing countries like the Philippines to ensure food security.

“This program aims to develop the local dairy goat industry and boost local milk production to contribute to the achievement of significant milk sufficiency level,” NDA said.

Some 750 farmers will be the direct beneficiaries of 10 goats each and some 1,150 second line beneficiaries of offspring of original goats procured.

Other beneficiaries are goat raisers and fatteners, feed producers, milk processors and milk product retailers.

The country sources its milk from three dairy animal types, namely cattle, carabao and goat. Data showed that goats contribute the least in the local dairy production with herd inventory of only 13,975 heads.

By the end of the project, the DA aims to have procured and distributed 7,875 heads of dairy goats to identified beneficiaries in new and existing dairy areas nationwide as well as established 75 dairy goat farms with shared facilities and equipment that will serve as source of local dairy goats.

The DA aims to establish 10 mini milk processing plants, six semen collection and processing centers.  It will also train 750 farmer recipients of dairy goats and 75 project trainers.

Of the industry’s total milk production in the last five years, an average of 64 percent comes from dairy cattle, 33 percent from carabaos and three percent from goats.

“There is a need to increase support to the local dairy goat industry to suffice the increasing market demand for milk,” NDA said.

“Goat milk is currently gaining ground in the local market with its higher nutritional value compared to other milk. Consumers find it easy to digest and it does not trigger any allergic reactions when taken,” it said.

NDA also noted that smallholder farmers find dairy goat farming more appealing compared to raising large ruminants as they are easier to manage with their small to medium size built, natural temperament and low production requirements.

It was in late 2017 when former agriculture chief Emmanuel Piñol pushed for the utilization of the remaining P1.5 billion under US Public Law 480 which had not been used for many years.

He pushed for the funds use in the government’s dairy program for 2019 to 2021.

The funds, which have been with the National Treasury, have not been utilized due to the lack of concrete programs of the government.