New facilities upgrade milk production in Bansalan

THE Mindanao Baptist Rural Life Center (MBRLC) in Barangay Kinuskusan in Bansalan, Davao del Sur is considered as the province's goat center. It is also known for its pioneering efforts in milk production, using goats as the main source of milk.

"People come to the center to buy fresh milk from us," MBRLC director Roy C. Alimoane, who is also the center’s animal science specialist. "However, there are instances when we run out of milk as the demand is high."

Recently, the center has decided to raise more goats in its 19-hectare farm to increase milk production. But as the number of volumes of milk increased, Alimoane discovered another problem: milk processing.

"We now have so much milk but processing them takes times as we have only two workers doing the job," Alimoane lamented. "We either hire more workers or lessen again our milk production."

But Alimoane found a doable solution – contacting the regional office of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST). "By teaming up with DOST, we can help boost milk production in the countryside," he said.

At present, the country's milk sufficiency level is at 40 percent. The National Daily Association hopes to increase this to 43 percent by 2016 and reach self-sufficiency by 2021. In the last five years, local milk production has been growing by an average of seven percent.

Tapping the Small Enterprise Technology Upgrading Program (Setup), one of the strategic programs under the National S&T Plan, the DOST provided technical support and assistance to the center.

After some consultations and meeting, the center needs were identified. To upgrade the goat’s milk processing the facilities, the DOST helped in the following:

* Acquisition of pasteurizer, wood-fired hot water set, ice bank and 20-liter capacity stainless milks cans.

* Provision of technical assistance through manufacturing productivity extension (MPEX), energy audit and food safety.

"Thanks to the help of DOST, we will now be able to increase our milk volume to be processed from 12 gallons to 37.5 gallons per batch," Alimoane said. "We will have also a better quality of our milk since the handling of milk of production by workers is lessened – aside from having efficient cooling time and cold storage."

Other benefits are: optimize the milk processing time of the production process; compliant with the various standards set by Food and Drug Authority; more clients catered due to increase in supply; and increased income.

"This is just the beginning of our relationship with DOST," said Alimoane.

In 1987, the national office of DOST recognized the MBRLC when it was given the DOST Outstanding Award in S&T for Private Enterprise. The MBRLC was cited "in recognition of its outstanding contribution to the advancement of science and technology in the country, specifically in the area of agricultural production."