KABACAN, Cotabato Province (PIA) -- The Department of Agriculture-Philippine Carabao Center (PCC) has pushed for the expansion of carabao as a leading product of the Philippines’s agriculture sector.

“Naniniwala ako na kung sama-sama natin itong pagpursigehan, magiging primary commodities ang kalabaw sa buong Pilipinas,” emphasized Dr. Liza Battad, executive director of DA-PCC, during the 31st PCC anniversary celebration at the University of Southern Mindanao (USM) in Kabacan, Cotabato, on March 14.

[I believe that if we pursue this together, buffalo will become a primary commodity in the entire Philippines.]

This is possible if the country is able to increase production of female genetically improved buffaloes suitable for several purposes, including dairy production, meat, livestock trading, and other carabao-based enterprises, she said.

“There are almost 2.8 million buffaloes in the Philippines,” Battad noted. 

“Kung kalahati nito, magpo-produce ng babaeng genetically improved, ma-sustain natin na maging primary commodity ang kalabaw dahil mas dadami at mas bibilis ang pagdami ng kalabaw for multipurposes,” she stated.

[If half of this produces a genetically improved female, we will be able to sustain the buffalo as a primary commodity because there will be an increased number of buffalo for multipurpose use.]

She added, though, that making carabaos a major economic contributor should also entail increasing the budget of PCC.

The official disclosed that PCC centers across the country share among themselves only about P300 million for their operations, which translates to barely P10 allocation for each breedable carabao.

“Kung  tataasan ang budget namin, hindi lang 45,000 ang kaya namin i-produce na genetically improved carabaos bawat taon,” she said.

[If we had an increased budget, we would not only be producing 45,000 genetically improved carabaos every year but much more.]

During the anniversary celebration at USM, Battad noted that PCC’s efforts have resulted in a change in the Philippine carabao population, which is now “darker, stockier, smarter, and stronger.”

She also cited that the agency developed an improved Philippine Dairy Carabao breed, with its semen now being used to strengthen the carabao populations in strategic areas, and empowered farmers, farmer associations, and farmer cooperatives into entrepreneurs, or “caraprenuers.”

PCC also hopes to finally implement "sexed semen" technology, which, she said, will ensure that all calves born are female.

Speaking about carabao-based businesses, the official said that, with the help of the Office of Senator Cynthia Villar, there are nearly 400 dairy boxes in different parts of the country, with 86 more currently under construction.

“Dairy boxes are an icon of a fully integrated carabao-based agribusiness system,” Battad explained.

Sold in dairy boxes are fresh and processed milk-based products, as well as carabao-derived souvenir items from carabao farmers and farmer cooperatives.

At the same event, the PCC Mindanao Cluster reported that since 2004, they have provided 159,689 artificial insemination (AI) services that produced 13,318 calves. 

They have also recorded 8,419 bull loan services, especially in areas unreached by AI services.

Meanwhile, from 2021 to 2023, centers in Mindanao have assisted 172,249 clients towards improving their production capabilities and 22 farmer-cooperatives and associations for market development support.

In total, PCC Mindanao-assisted farmer-cooperatives and associations produced 2.14 million kilograms of carabao-derived products, valued at P476.8 million.

Assisted farmer-cooperatives have also become essential partners in implementing the national government’s feeding program as mandated under Republic Act 11037, otherwise known as the “Masustansyang Pagkain Para sa Batang Pilipino Act.”

For the Department of Education’s school-based feeding program, seven PCC Mindanao-assisted farmer groups supplied 20.47 million milk packs that benefited 898,649 beneficiaries, providing the supplier cooperatives with a gross income of P262.66 million.

On the other hand, six farmer-cooperatives supplied 2.21 million milk packs for 18,670 beneficiaries of the Department of Social Welfare and Development’s supplemental feeding program. 

The cooperatives were able to generate from this activity P42 million in total earnings.

PCC Mindanao Cluster includes PCC at Central Mindanao University in Maramag, Bukidnon; PCC at the University of Southern Mindanao in Kabacan, Cotabato; and PCC-Mindanao Livestock Production Center in Kalawit, Zamboanga del Norte. (DED - PIA Region 12)