Sunday, August 05, 2007 Goat-raising eyed for N. Cotabato farmers By Ben O. Tesiorna
AFTER improving the palm oil and rubber industry in their province, North Cotabato’s Vice Governor Manny Piñol is now eyeing goat-raising as another income-generating venture for their farmers.
"This program will not only intensify goat production in the backyard level and improve the quality of goats in the province. It will most definitely assure our goat raisers and small farm families better income," said Piñol.
Piñol said goats could be an alternative source of income for rubber, which would only become productive after five to six years, coconut in five years, and oil palm after three years.
The vice governor recently present the Provincial Government's rubber/oil palm/coconut-based small ruminants program with the farmers in a meeting.
Under the program, pure breed Boer bucks will be distributed to goat farms with a minimum goat population of 20 heads to upgrade their goat stock. Serving as multiplier farms, they will supply the upgraded doe stocks that will be purchased by the provincial government for distribution to beneficiaries of its high value crops program.
According to the Department of Agriculture, Reform Saudi Arabia wants to import goats from Mindanao to ensure a reliable and safe supply of two million goats daily during the annual season of Hajj in December.
It is obligatory for a Muslim to attend the six-day festival at least once in a lifetime. Each pilgrim must offer goats as sacrifice.
In this project, each farmer is likely to earn a monthly income of P40,000 once the deal is closed. (BOT with Press release)
