“The Philippine Rural Development Project (PRDP) is willing to help to improve and develop this dairy industry for the benefit of our children, of dairy farmers, and of our country.”

These are the words of Adelina A. Losa, Deputy Project Director of PRDP Regional Project Coordination Office (RPCO) 5 during the Business Conference on Dairy Cattle Industry conducted by the PRDP I-REAP (Investment in Rural Enterprises and Agriculture and Fisheries Productivity) Component in Legazpi City, Albay on April 3-4, 2024.

A total of 80 participants representing the various stakeholders of the dairy cattle industry attended the two-day event.

Different Local Government Units (LGU) representatives from the different provinces in Bicol like Camarines Sur, Albay, Catanduanes, Masbate, Sorsogon, and Camarines Norte participated in the activity. Likewise, representatives from Financing Institutions, Agribusiness companies, Technology Innovators/Academe, Farmer Cooperative and Associations (FCAs), National Government Agencies (NGAs), Non-Government Associations (NGOs), PRDP National Coordination Office, and Project Support Office were also present in the event.

Dan Panganiban, Officer-in-Charge Manager of National Dairy Authority (NDA) Southern Luzon Department sent his staff to give his message. According to him, the NDA is grateful to the Department of Agriculture Region 5, particularly to the PRDP and its components and also to all agencies involved in the implementation of PRDP.

“Kung pwede sana magkaroon tayo ng tuloy-tuloy na mga investment and strong partnership. We will overcome challenges, cease opportunities or development and continue our efforts to propel a vibrant and prosperous dairy sector in Southern Luzon,” he said.

During the conference, Adelina Losa discussed the PRDP Scale-Up which is a project designed by the government for a modern climate-resilient and market oriented agri-fisheries sector. 

“This is one of the projects of the Department of Agriculture that will address the gaps of the commodity value chains by improving the efficiency in the food supply chain towards greater connectivity, mobility, accessibility, availability, and affordability of foods in the market,” she said.

Patrocinio B. Callo I explained the Rationale of the Activity. He emphasized the important participation of the stakeholders in validating the results of Value Chain Analysis (VCA) and addressing the key gaps and challenges encountered by the dairy industry. John Jeric Batanes, Planning Officer of PRDP RPCO 5 I-PLAN discussed the Presentation of Constraints/Opportunities and Interventions of Dairy Cattle VCA.

During the Plenary Discussion, Abegail Liggayu and Gianne Manzano, NPCO I-REAP moderators, asked the participants on what type of support they can offer to the dairy industry. 

One FCA present was the Basud Development Cooperative represented by Romeo Cabilles. He shared that aside from savings and credit, the cooperative ventures in agriculture including cattle industry projects.

“With other projects we can collaborate, kagaya po ng gamit na pagkain ng baka ay pwede po kaming pumasok. Halimbawa na po rito yung leaves ng aming pineapple which can be used as feeds for the cattle, he said.

Seth Aguinillo from Camarines Sur Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CSCCI) said that by enhancing and upgrading the packaging can aid the shelf life of dairy products.

The business conference was aimed to facilitate deeper collaboration among wider networks of stakeholders toward sustainability and higher growth rate of the Bicol region’s dairy cattle industry. ### (Shaira Enimedez, PRDP RPCO InfoAce Unit)

Beneficiaries from Brgy. Bulawan Jr. and Brgy. Bangon participated during the CMT Assessment in Lupi, Camarines Sur

Beneficiaries from Brgy. Bulawan Jr. and Brgy. Bangon participated during the CMT Assessment in Lupi, Camarines Sur