Halal goat production targets satisfying demand

Halal goat production in the country is expected to increase following the conduct of a of the six-month course entitled Farmer Livestock School on Halal Goat Enterprise Management.

Members of halal goat raisers in Surallah town, South Cotabato, are now reaping the benefits of the six-month course initiated by FLS-HGEM.

It was learned that among the participants identified as Dan C. Caliwagan, treasurer of the Halal Goat Raisers Association of Surallah, has found the benefits in attending the course four months into the program

Following the implementation of what he learned from the six-month course, Caliwagan has already inched his way into halal goat production by finding a halal-compliant location for his goat farm, which is located on a slope about 200 meters from the Duengas barangay road and far from the nearest haram facility in the area.

It was gathered that from eight out of 18 kids dying prior to weaning, Caliwagan now experiences zero mortality rate at his farm.

He started with 10 does at the beginning of the FLS, which grew to about 35 goats, wherein 27 are does.

As an application of what he learned from the course, Caliwagan said he built a goat house with a separate kidding room that could eliminate the trampling of the young.

Meanwhile, Caliwagan said that he has adopted rotational grazing in order to avoid parasite infection.

According to him, he now regularly cleans the pen, as manure that litters the pen is considered haram, meaning prohibited in Islam.

Caliwagan is a member of the Halal Goat Raisers Association of Surallah or HGRAS, an association of non-Muslim goat raisers living in Duengas, Surallah, South Cotabato.

The members bonded as a group while they were mid-way through their FLS-HGEM course.

The HGRAS members started with their FLS on 5 April 2022 and graduated last November 2022.

Testing tech mix

Following the adoption of what they have learned from several modules of the course, they are now selecting and testing technology mixes on halal goat production that are suited to their respective conditions and resource capabilities.

It was also gathered that HGRAS has 30 members headed by its president Nesty Joy Vegafria.

Currently, they have started drafting their by-laws and are initiating their registration with the Department of Labor and Employment.

It can be noted that while the association members are non-Muslims, they all welcome the different technologies on halal goat production, knowing that halal goat is not only clean and wholesome but has an available market, especially in Mindanao.

It was learned that the FLS-HGEM is an extension modality developed by the Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development of the Department of Science and Technology in 2018.

At present, it is being rolled out by the Sultan Kudarat State University in region 12 under the Niche Centers in the Regions for R&D, a program funded by DoST.