Keeping the dairy industry afloat

MANILA, Philippines - We would like to thank Mr. Ray Butch Gamboa for citing what he described in his Dec. 5 column (“Dairy cattle business — a milking cow”) as the “tireless efforts” by Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap “to keep the industry afloat by giving incentives and supporting the dairy farmers who are still struggling to keep their business afloat.”

Our domestic dairy industry has a long way to go before we can attain milk self-sufficiency in our country. This is why the Department of Agriculture (DA) has been focusing under Secretary Yap’s watch the development of this sector so we can reduce our dependence on imports and raise the incomes of local dairy growers.

As Mr. Gamboa had accurately noted, the DA has taken steps to support the development of our fledgling dairy industry.

Secretary Yap, for one, has worked out a donation by the Brazilian Association of Girolando Breeders for 2,000 doses of semen of the Girolando breed of dairy cattle last June during the working visit of President Arroyo to Brazil. The Girolando breed of cattle is particularly productive under tropical conditions.

Moreover, 812 dairy animals from New Zealand comprising 600 Holstein Freisian Sahiwal crossbreeds and 199 Kiwis, 8 brown Swiss, 2 Jersey bulls and 3 Holstein Freisian bulls have also arrived for distribution to dairy farmers across the country. This was the first time that the National Dairy Authority (NDA) had acquired a multi-dairy breed for animal loan dispersal.

On Secretary Yap’s orders, the NDA is now beefing up its stock of “island-born” dairy cattle to make it more affordable for local dairy producers to develop their herd. “Island-born” dairy cattle are born locally from important pregnant heifers and are much cheaper to acquire. An imported pregnant heifer costs P120,000 while an island-born one costs only P50,000 to P70,000.

Secretary Yap has also directed agriculture officials to pursue a program on creating multiplier dairy farms to increase the quality and volume of milk-producing animals in the country as part of the DA’s long-term milk self-sufficiency program.

He has likewise been talking to big establishments like Starbucks to link up local dairy farmers to new markets.

During the recent 13th Dairy Congress held in Camarines Sur, farmers from all over the country converged in this resort island to discuss the future of their business and, together with the NDA, formulate new policies and techniques.

Because most of these dairy farmers have long-established businesses, they are likely to stay with the business despite the setbacks. With the recent typhoons, some dairy farms in North Luzon were severely affected, particularly in Bulacan. One such farm in Sta. Maria, Bulacan was helped out by the NDA with a P6 million loan to put up a new processing plant to replace the one damaged by Ondoy. — BERNIE FONDEVILLA, Undersecretary, Chief of Staff, Department of Agriculture