PUBLIC and private stakeholders in Negros Occidental are stepping up efforts to strengthen the local cattle industry.
The United Cattle Raisers Association in Negros Occidental (Ucrain) along with the Provincial Government of Negros Occidental and Sagay City Government initiated a seminar on “Cattle Fattening and Marketing” at Bob’s Restaurant in Bacolod City on Tuesday, May 22.
The one-day seminar graced by Governor Alfredo Marañon Jr. was participated by association-members, representatives from local government units (LGUs) and commercial raisers in the province.
The PVO, in a statement, said the activity aims to maximize the weight potential of locally-grown cattle up to 500 kilograms before slaughtering and selling.
This will enable the industry to address the declining population of cattle while supplying the beef requirement of the province as well as promote value-adding and marketing of cattle meat as prime beef cuts to maximize profit.
“The seminar is part of the measures to get the association and its members ready towards developing the Negros Beef and positioning the province as the center of cattle production in the Visayas,” it added.
PVO records showed that the current demand for beef in the province is 8,850 metric tons at per capita consumption of 2.95 kilogram.
The available supply, meanwhile, is only 5,000 metric tons from current population of about 55,000 heads thus, there is deficiency of cattle meat in the province, it added.
Arnel Corpus, owner of a feedlot cattle fattening farm in General Santos City, was the resource speaker during the seminar.
He discussed feedlot housing and watering facilities, selection of feeder stocks, nutrition and feeding management, and silage making of corn, sorghum and napier for cattle feeding.
Through the activity, Ucrain was able to craft action plans geared towards the development of local cattle industry.
These include herd build-up or the infusion of breeding and upgrading stocks using Angus, Wagyu and Sinipol imported semen, and pasture development through mechanization in harvesting and processing or production of Silage.