JALAJALA, Rizal, Philippines — With a newly-built factory that can process 300 liters of buffaloes’ milk per day, technical know-how, trained personnel, and a grant from the national government, this town is eyeing to be the country’s premier source of fresh carabao’s milk.

To achieve this dream, however, the municipal government and local stakeholders are appealing for support in acquiring a special breed of milking buffaloes.

Mayor Elionor “Ely” Pillas said more than 100 farmer-members of the Llano Multipurpose Cooperative based in Sitio Llano are urging the Department of Agriculture (DA) to release the 50 heads of the Murrah breed of water buffaloes which are reportedly being restricted at the Philippine Carabao Center in Nueva Ecija.

Pillas said the release of the Brazilian water buffaloes to the farmers’ cooperative through the local government are the only key to the realization of the town residents’ dream for their municipality to become one of the largest source of dairy products in the country.

Municipal Agriculture Office head, Eliner Delos Santos said if the buffaloes have been released to the farmers, the latter can supply the much needed volume of fresh buffalo milk to the only dairy processing plant owned by the Llano Multipurpose Cooperative. The plant was built in May, 2011 under the P3.6 grant from the National Economic Development Authority.

At present, the cooperative’s dairy production is the municipal government’s entry to the Department of Trade and Industry’s One-Town One Product (OTOP) program which aims to promote entrepreneurship and job generation in the locality.