RP to import dairy animals from New Zealand

CEBU, Philippines - The government, through the National Dairy Authority (NDA) of the Department of Agriculture, will soon import cows, goats and carabaos from New Zealand to augment the quantity as well as quality of the dairy animals in the country.

Orkhan Hofer Usman, NDA Administrator, said the agency has allocated some P130 million for the purchase of high-breed cows, which is priced at P125, 000 to P135, 000 per head.

This is so, after the national government recently released P150 million of the P450 million approved budget for NDA’s multi-year development program.

“We will be doing this as soon as the election ban (for government spending) is lifted after the elections,” Usman told The Freeman on the sideline of the three-day 13th Dairy Congress and Expo last Friday at the Cebu International Convention Center (CICC).

The Dairy Confederation of the Philippines (DairyCon) has been “vigorously fighting” for government to consistently allocate budget for the massive importation of dairy animals to develop the country’s dairy industry, Grace Cenas, National Dairy Authority (NDA) Visayas Island Office Regional Manager.

“Before, the budget for the agency was not consistent. But for seven years now, we have been receiving funds,” she said.

Cenas said the country’s production of fresh milk pales to the demand of the local market because of the quantity and quality of the dairy animals in the country. This is why the Philippines is still dependent on imported milk.

In 2008, total actual milk dairy production was 13. 81 million liters, which is equivalent to 37, 836-liters per day. The liquid milk equivalent of total dairy importation on the other hand is 1.618 billion liters or about 4. 49-million liters per day.

Of the country’s 10 million livestock population (2008 figure), only 31, 000 are dairy herd.

Usman said that instead of directly distributing the animals, NDA plans to establish multiplier farms, where the animals can breed, all over the country. Their offspring will then be distributed through loan scheme to the farmers at P50, 000 to P70, 000 per head.

He said the government has started to develop the multiplier stock farm for region 7, which is located in Ubay, Bohol.

“Dairying is a very viable business for farmers. (In the country,) cooperatives buy the milk (from the farmers) at P20-P22 per liter. Only 70-percent of this is their cost of production. (They earn as profit) 30-percent,” Usman said.