CAGAYAN DE ORO – The government is targeting to procure 11,000 heads of dairy animals to boost milk production and reduce the country’s dependence on imported milk.

According to National Dairy Authority (NDA) Administrator Orkhan Usman, this is part of the program of former Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap to uplift the local dairy industry.

In his recent visit here, Usman said the Arroyo administration has been on track in beefing up the country’s dairy animal stocks long before the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) issued a worldwide alert on dwindling livestock population that would reach critical levels in many areas in the years ahead.

Claiming that various governments have not given priority to livestock supply in their programs, FAO called on them to arrest the situation.

Usman said that Yap had earlier initiated the establishment of multiplier farms in some areas of the country to breed dairy animals and eventually increase their number.

The NDA chief said that newly appointed Agriculture Secretary Bernie Fondevilla would continue this and other programs involving the dairy industry that Yap had started.

Of the 11,000 heads targeted for procurement, 7,000 will be buffaloes, and 4,000 are cattle, it was learned.

Last July, NDA brought in 812 mostly Holstein crossbred cattle from New Zealand through the ports of Cagayan de Oro and Batangas. They were dispersed to various dairy farmers.

Recently, Usman said that Yap was able to unlock the so-called PL-480 funds of the United States Department of Agriculture under the custody of the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) with an aggregate amount of P450 million to sustain the planned animal procurement.

Of the said fund, P129 million has been initially released by DBM, it was learned.

The scheme calls for the imported stocks to be placed in the multiplier farms where they propagate through artificial insemination.