Philippine Goat News:

[mikey]

Farmers introduced to goat raising



Cebu Daily News
First Posted 14:44:00 02/04/2009

Filed Under: Agriculture, Livestock Farming


Taiheiyo Cement Philippines Inc. (TCPI) has come up with a comprehensive and sustainable goat-raising program for farmers in the hinterland barangays (villages) of San Fernando town, southern Cebu.

The first phase of the program is designed to improve the breed of goats in the town by introducing bigger goats, said TCPI senior HR/administration manager Esther Cola, who oversees the program.

TCPI pursued the program with the collaboration of the Department of Agriculture in Central Visayas (DA-7) and the San Fernando Municipal Agriculture Office.

At least 20 farmers in Barangay (village) Bugho have already benefited in the initial implementation of the project realized under the Social Development and Management Program of TCPI, together with Solid Earth Development Corp.

“If the first batch (in Bugho) becomes successful, then we will expand the (goat-raising) program (to other areas),” said Cola, referring to the mountain barangays of Cabatbatan, Ilaya, Magsico, Tabionan, Tañañas, Tinubdan and Tonggo, as well as the coastal barangay of Panadtaran.

The pilot beneficiaries first attended a training last December 16 at the TCPI recreation center on goat production, management and processing by DA-7 senior agriculturist Dr. Agapita Salces, beef keeping regional coordinator Emmanuela Bagares, animal products and by-products coordinator Alicia Laput and municipal livestock technician Rommel Pinatil.

On January 8, the trainers accompanied the farmers to assist them during actual farm assessment, especially in checking the availability of good forage to ensure a sufficient supply of food and the availability of a goat's shed.

In her remarks, Cola said the sustainability of the project will depend on the commitment of the goat-raisers, with the support of the technical experts from DA.

“The Taiheiyo Group is committed in this project, and we are providing you the opportunity. But it’s your endeavor and perseverance that will make the project work," Cola told the farmers

[mikey]

[3 July 2009] The Philippine Department of Agriculture is boosting its goat production program to meet the rising demand for goat meat and tap possible export markets. Livestock Development Council Executive Director Carlos Mendoza said the recently established Small Ruminant Center in La Union province in Northern Philippines will be the centre of research and also the source of breeder animals. Mr Mendoza said that by the third quarter this year, the Agriculture department will spend PHP 24 million (USD 500,294) to distribute goats in 80 municipalities. Current local goat production is just enough to meet the daily domestic demand of 2,000 heads, however, Mr Mendoza said if goat production increased, the country could tap the Middle East markets like Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, which require about 4,000 head of goats monthly.

[mikey]

Goat’s milk, meat good substitute to beef, cow’s milk       
Agri-Commodities 
Written by Danny O. Calleja / Correspondent     
Monday, 08 June 2009 19:48 
SORSOGON CITY—The Department of Agriculture (DA) is encouraging Bicol farmers to raise goats and tap the breed’s full potential as a source of milk and meat.

The goat is the poor man’s cow because children and the elderly who cannot afford expensive cow’s milk prefer drinking its milk which is cheaper and easier to digest, according to DA regional executive director for Bicol Jose Dayao.

Besides, the goat is a clean animal—contrary to beliefs—and does not eat thrash. Male goats emit a stinky odor that lasts during breeding season but not the female, he said.

Presently, a handful of farmers who own a handful of goats raise the animal in Bicol—except Masbate province.

In Masbate Island, several commercial goat raisers merge herds of goat in their cattle ranch. The goat is used mainly for its meat, as ranch owners prefer selling live goats to traders who supply specialty restaurants in Metro Manila and other parts of the country with its meat.

“They are less interested in producing goat milk,” Dayao said.

In a study, Dayao said the DA found out that goats are multipurpose ruminants producing 58.4-percent milk, 35.6-percent meat, 4.3-percent hide and 1.7-percent fiber.

These ruminants can help improve the nutritional needs of the country’s rural farm families, he said.

Goat population in the country in 2000 was estimated at 3,125,556 compared with 2,981,900 in 1995, or an average annual increase of 2.57 percent.

The rate of increase is low, and Dayao said the DA Regional Field Unit (RFU) is initiating an aggressive campaign to encourage farmers to raise goats on a commercial scale for both meat and milk.

This would make goat milk available to households in the region, particularly those that cannot afford cow’s milk while giving farmers a new source of income, he said.

Farmers who want to engage in commercial goat raising but do not have the capital should form a cooperative and take advantage of loans from lending institutions like the Land Bank of the Philippines.

The Sorsogon Goat Raisers Association also provides guidance on the proper ways of goat raising, breeding and marketing.

Backyard goat raising is advisable as it does not require much time and effort, not to mention a large amount of capital. Dayao said, if a barangay household could afford backyard hog raising despite the high cost of feeds, the more they could afford raising goats that thrive on grass and leaves.

The DA regional executive recommends several high-breed goats that are more expensive but deliver more profit: Anglo Nubian, Boer, Saanen, Toggenburg and Alpine.

The Anglo Nubian is basically a tropical breed that has a long, slender body and usually weighs 70 to 90 kilograms at maturity and produces as much as 21 liters of milk a day.

The Boer is a meat-type breed with distinct white body and weighs 90 kg on average, while the Saanen, which originates from Switzerland, is pure white to off-white in color and holds the distinction as the highest milk producer compared with other breeds. It weighs 70 kg on average.

The Toggenburg, also from Switzerland, produces 1.5 liters of milk daily, and the Alpine is a European breed whose color ranges from off-white to red and black. It weighs 70 kg and produces 1.5 liters of milk per day.

Backyard and commercial raisers in the region prefer the native breed. Small, stocky and low set, it weighs 20 kg to 30 kg and produces milk enough for its kids.

Stock of high-breed goats could be obtained from commercial raisers particularly in Pangasinan and Batangas, Dayao said. The DA regional office has a demonstration nursery of appropriate grass varieties suitable for goat feeds, he added.


IN PHOTO -- HiGH-breed goats are a good source of meat and low-cost milk to those who cannot afford the more expensive cow’s milk. Danny Calleja

 

[mikey]

  Sunday, October 18, 2009 
 
Forum pushes for a competitive goat marketing system
 
   Picking up from a renewed interest in goats, PCARRD and the Livestock Development Council (LDC) of the Department of Agriculture (DA) recently held a forum on the “Competitiveness of goat marketing system in the Philippines.”

With backyard farms keeping 99.30% of the total goat population in the country, support from all sectors was seen as the key to improving the goat industry’s marketability.
 
 
 
 
Through the forum, commercial private goat raisers, goat meat processors, and representatives from DA regional offices came up with an action plan to concretize the strategies to revitalize the goat industry.
The plan, which includes strategies for breeders, slaughter animals, and milking animals, addresses the marketing-related issues and proposed possible interventions.

For example, participants saw the need to establish a Goat Marketing Board (GMB) that would address issues such as variations in prices, quality, and standards, as well as seasonality of demand.

The DA-LDC and the private sector will create the board, whose implementation will be private sector-led.

The forum also identified the need for the marketing system to be “forward-looking, employing up-to-date strategies such as e-marketing through the Internet.”

 
 Moreover, to standardize the marketing system, some proponents spoke of putting in place a breed registry to curb the lack of accredited breeder farms.

Participants also saw the need for good goat genetics, which government could help smallholders acquire at affordable prices.

 
 
The need to establish centralized halal slaughterhouses and processing centers as well as triple-A slaughterhouses was put forward to address export market requirements.

In the end, even with problems such as seasonality of demand, low price of goats at the farm level, high cost of feeds, unavailable veterinary services, lack of capital and high interest rates on loans, and minimal profit due to high taxes and business permits, the forum highlighted the goat industry’s economic potential. (Maria Estela H. Facundo and Edwin C. Villar, S&T Media Service)