The Department of Agriculture (DA) is implementing a P1.56 billion four-year community-based dairy enterprise development project that will increase the production of milk, cattle and goat.
Usuung accumulated commodity loan proceeds under the United States Agricultural Trade Development and Assistance Act or Public Law 480 (US PL480) Title 1 program, the project was originally approved in 2018 by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) to provide livelihood opportunities to rural farm families through goat raising.
DA Secretary William Dar said the Philippine Council for Agriculture and Fisheries (PCAF) revised and expanded the project to also include dairy cattle and carabao.
“In addition to dairy goat, cattle and carabao production, the project includes infrastructure development, technology transfer, and other initiatives to ensure increased fresh milk production in the next four years, starting this year,” Dar said
About P987 million will go to the National Dairy Authority for dairy cattle; P512 million for the Philippine Carabao Center; and P67 million for PCAF, for project monitoring and evaluation.
The project is expected to result in additional production of 27.7 million liters of fresh milk; increase livestock population of dairy cattle by 7,323 head dairy goat by 9,611 head through importation and expanded animal breeding programs; dairy carabao by 922 head through importation and local procurement of purebred or crossbred buffaloes and production of additional 10,992 head of dairy buffaloes by 2025.
