The native animal industry needs to be self-sufficient to meet growing demands and address rising prices of food products, Senator Cynthia A. Villar said Saturday, as she stressed the importance of training programs to the sector.
Villar, chairman of the Senate Committee on Agriculture and Food, said training will update the skills of farmers and native animal producers and arm them with modern know-how and technology to improve their production and increase their incomes.
‘It’s a never-ending cycle of trainings, seminars, production, marketing, and planning. There is always room for improvement. You must always be open to learning new things and strategies,” Villar told the 50 participants who attended a two-day training for trainers on native animal production held at the Villar SIPAG Farm School in Las Piñas.
The training was offered jointly by the Villar SIPAG Foundation and the Department of Agriculture‘s Bureau of Animal Industry. It was attended by trainers for animal breeders and meat producers from Batangas, Camarines Sur, Bacoor, Dasmariñas, Laguna, Masbate, Las Piñas, Makati, Pasay, Taguig, Quezon, and Rizal.
Participants were taught Native Animal Development, Native Duck Production and Management, Native Pig Production and Management, Native Chicken Production and Management, and the use of natural feeds and concoctions for native animals.
Data from the DA shows meat consumption among Filipinos has increased from 15 kilos per person (historical figure as per FAO) to 35 kilos per person per year. However, 65 percent of local livestock continue to be raised in small-scale backyard farms.
Villar is the author of Senate Bill No. 144, or the proposed “Philippine Native Animal Development Act of 2016,” which seeks to promote the scientific propagation, processing, utilization and development of native animals.
It likewise proposes the creation of the Philippine Native Animal Development Center in coordination with the Department of Agriculture, Department of Science and Technology, Department of Environment and Natural Resources, and native animal growers’ cooperatives and organizations.