The Philippine dairy industry got a much-needed boost when it received P1.56 billion from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to boost the infrastructure and technology in local goat milk production.

Under the United States Public Law 480, more known as Food for Peace program, the US government provides food commodities to countries that need assistance to fight hunger and malnutrition.

According to the National Dairy Authority (NDA), project funding was approved by the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) in 2018.

The policy direction and implementation of the program is executed by the Department of Agriculture (DA) via the NDA.

At the project launch on Wednesday in Quezon City, NDA Administrator Marilyn Mabalde said the USDA-funded dairy project aims to procure and distribute 7,875 heads of dairy goats to identified beneficiaries in new and existing dairy areas across 69 provinces nationwide.

“There is a need to increase support to the local dairy goat industry to suffice the increasing market demand for milk. Farmers in the rural areas would have more livelihood opportunities on goat farming (through this project),” Mabalde said.

Goat milk is gaining ground in the local market with its higher nutritional value compared to other milk.

The project also hopes to establish 75 dairy goat farms with shared facilities. The equipment that will serve as a source of local dairy goats, including 10 mini milk processing plants, for farms that lack such facilities. Also, six semen collection and processing centers will be built.

The program aims to supply 1.2 million liters of goat’s milk in feeding programs with the farmer recipients serving as milk suppliers.

NDA statistics show that goats are the smallest contributors to local dairy production. Inventory was pegged at 13,975 heads.

Of the total milk production of the local dairy industry for the last 5 years, an average of 64 percent came from dairy cattle, 33 percent from carabaos and only 3 percent from goats.

According to Mabalde, majority of the country’s annual dairy requirement is supplied by importers and processors, making dairy products the country’s third largest agri-import. Although local production continues to increase yearly, she said it is still not enough to cover local demand.

NDA also aims to address the concern through increased support to the local industry by distributing dairy goats to some 750 farmers and offspring of the original animals procured for some 1,150 second line beneficiaries.

Goat milk is gaining ground in the local market with its higher nutritional value compared to other milk. Consumers find it easy-to-digest and do not trigger allergic reactions.