The Department of Agriculture (DA), through the National Dairy Authority (NDA), teamed up with Phylum SARL, a France-based consultancy specializing in food, animal health and welfare, to conduct a feasibility study for the Philippine Dairy Project.
The study will determine the project’s eligibility for a concessional loan from the French government.
The Philippine Dairy Project aims to establish a modern dairy farm in Ubay, Bohol, with facilities to house over 300 cows for milk production and a processing facility capable of handling up to 10 metric tons of raw milk daily.
The project will collaborate with local cooperatives for milk and fodder production.
It also plans to enhance capacity-building efforts through training and advisory services. Milk collection centers and processing facilities will be set up in key areas across Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao.
The memorandum of understanding seeks to strengthen French-Philippine relations in the dairy sector and support the modernization of the country’s dairy industry.
The feasibility study will be funded through a grant from the French government’s Fonds d’Etudes et d’Aide au Secteur Privé (FASEP).
The Philippines’ milk sufficiency stands at only 1.66 percent, with NDA targeting an increase to 5 percent, or 80 million liters, by 2028.
Low milk production per cow, averaging just 8 liters per day, remains a challenge due to poor feed and management practices, high production costs and inadequate dairy infrastructure.