The National Dairy Authority (NDA) said it expects to complete five new stock farms by end-2024, boosting the country’s nearly 80,000 dairy cattle herd and enhancing the production of local milk.
“The NDA will be aggressively importing cattle for our stock farms, allowing the herd to multiply under our care. The acclimatized offspring of these dairy cattle will then be distributed to our local dairy farmers,” said NDA administrator Marcus Antonius Andaya.
The strategy is supported by encouraging figures from the first half of 2024, where milk production saw a 15-percent increase, reaching 16,020 metric tons or equivalent to 21 percent of the country’s total liquid milk supply.
Expanding the country’s dairy herd is expected to support an increase in milk consumption to 1.8 million metric tons (MT) by 2029.
Andaya emphasized the need for significant investments in increasing the number of animals on the milk line to achieve milk self-sufficiency.
“Progress doesn’t happen in isolation. The future of the Philippine Dairy Industry depends on the collaboration between all stakeholders, and the NDA stands ready to assist and lead this endeavor,” he said.
Industry experts led by Vina Milk’s By Choi reported a study of the Philippine dairy sector at the 2nd Richmade Dairy Cattle Congress on Sept. 27, 2024, showing a 10.2-percent growth rate in the market in 2022.
“A double-digit growth is a figure you cannot ignore,” Choi said, further noting the 30-percent surge in local milk production over the past decade and projecting continued double-digit growth.
