The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)-Manila conducted an appreciation visit in line with the US PL480 Project: Strengthening the Livestock Biotechnology Center at the DA-Philippine Carabao Center National Headquarters and Gene Pool (PCCNHQGP) on August 5.
The on-going PL480 project is focused on the “Intensified Community-Based Dairy Enterprise Development” which will be jointly implemented by the National Dairy Administration (NDA) and DA-PCC with the Philippine Council for Agriculture and Fisheries (PCAF) as fund manager. It aims to produce 27.70 million liters of milk throughout the project period, increase dairy carabao inventory by 922 head through importation and local procurement of purebred or crossbred buffaloes, and increase dairy cattle inventory by 7,323 head and dairy goat inventory by 9,611 head through importation and expanded animal breeding programs.
The project also targets to increase the average family income of dairy farmers by 20 percent annually through the development of carabao-based enterprises, as well as increase the average income of dairy goat farmers by 18 percent.
With a budget of Php513 million, DA-PCC will focus on increasing the milk production and dairy buffalo herd through the following project components: dairy buffalo procurement and distribution, expanded artificial insemination, feed production and development, dairy buffalo enterprise development, capacity building, and project management, monitoring and evaluation.
Florence M. Sevilla, Agricultural Specialist of the USDA Foreign Agricultural Service previously requested an appreciation visit with the agency intending to have a better understanding and insight on the status of the dairy industry in the Philippines.
Accompanying Sevilla was Ryan Bedford, Agricultural Attaché of the US Embassy. The visit included an observation at the Cryobank laboratory, Livestock Innovations and Biotechnology Complex to showcase DA-PCC technologies, dairy and meat products and the Total Mixed Ration (TMR) machine at the agency’s Gene Pool. (Photo by Ma. Cecilia Irang)
