By Erwin Nicavera/Philippine News Agency
BACOLOD CITY — Negros Occidental is pushing to strengthen the development of the local cattle industry amid the deficiency in the supply of cattle meat in the province.
As part of an initiative to address this concern, the Provincial Veterinary Office (PVO) recently organized a seminar on “Cattle Fattening and Marketing” for the United Cattle Raisers Association in Negros Occidental in partnership with the provincial government and the city government of Sagay.
Dr. Renante Decena, provincial veterinarian, said in a statement on Friday that through the seminar, they want to make the cattle raisers ready towards developing Negros Beef and positioning the province as the center of cattle production in the Visayas.
At present, the demand for beef in Negros Occidental is 8,850 metric tons at per capita consumption of 2.95 kilograms while the available supply is only 5,000 metric tons from the current population of about 55,000 heads.
Decena said the industry seeks to address the declining population of cattle while supplying the beef requirement of the province.
“We also intend to promote value-adding and marketing of cattle meat as prime beef cuts to maximize profit,” the PVO chief said, adding that they aim to maximize the weight potential of locally-grown cattle up to 500 kilograms before slaughtering and selling.
Decena said that during the seminar, the association was able to craft action plans geared towards the development of local cattle industry.
Among these are 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.
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