To alleviate the lives of farmers and further spur the development of the carabao industry, Senator Cynthia Villar is embarking on the so-called Accelerating Livelihood Assets Buildup (ALAB) Karbawan program.
In her speech in the opening of the training on “Capacitating Coconut Farmers on Dairy Buffalo Production for Increased Income,” held at the Villar SIPAG Farm School in Las Piñas-Bacoor, Cavite, Villar called on participants to apply back to their own communities the knowledge they will gain from the three-day training to help provide better future for the Filipinos.
“My support for the dairy buffalo enterprise was inspired by a visit to a barangay in Pagadian City.”
The veteran legislator said her support for the dairy buffalo enterprise was inspired by a visit to a barangay in Pagadian City.
The seasoned lawmaker saw local families managing dairy herds, processing, and selling dairy products locally.
Curious about the economic viability of such enterprises, the lady senator thought of the need for 50 carabaos per operation.
Because of this, the following year, she allocated a P170 million budget to the DA-PCC to expand this model to 17 provinces.
“Under ALAB, each province receives P10 million to buy 50 carabaos and a processing facility. The fund will also be used for other miscellaneous expenses,” said the chairperson of the Senate Committee on Agriculture and Food.
The ALAB Karbawan is an umbrella program for the province-wide Carabao-based Enterprise Development projects- the Carabao-based Business Improvement Network (CBIN) and Coconut-Carabao Development Project (CCDP).
“Its primary goal is to establish robust carabao-based enterprises in recipient provinces to generate livelihood opportunities for farmers.”
“Its primary goal is to establish robust carabao-based enterprises in recipient provinces to generate livelihood opportunities for farmers,” Villar explained.
The training initiative is a collaborative effort between the DA-PCC and the DA-Philippine Coconut Authority (DA-PCA), in partnership with the Villar SIPAG Farm School. It focuses on educating coconut farmers about proper dairy buffalo production and management and enterprise development through a combination of lectures, demonstrations, and hands-on activities.
The training is part of the CCDP, funded by DA-PCA.
Dr. Liza Battad, DA-PCC executive director, thanked Villar for her continuous support to carabao-based enterprise programs.
PCA Administrator Dr. Dexter Buted also thanked the senator, citing the crucial role of coconut-carabao farmers in sustaining the country’s agricultural productivity.
