A RESEARCHER is pushing for the improvement and additional marketing of goat-raising industry in the country as it has a much bigger untapped market than cow-raising industry.
In one of the Knowledge x Change Inaugural Lectures Series in the University of the Philippines (UP) Mindanao on Wednesday, August 30, UP Mindanao management assistant professor and researcher Jedi Ebarle-Bangcaya said there is a need for the goat industry to be visible as a contributor to the country's economy.
Bangcaya also said goat milk is a lot easier to digest than cow's milk and they are comparable to human milk much more than cow's milk. But currently, cow's milk is more available in the market than goat's milk because of lesser farmers raising goats.
"Goats are easier to manage. Growing goats also require lesser capital with only around P4,000 to P5,000 for native goats and around P10,000 to P15,000 for the Anglo-Nubian breed," said Bangcaya.
Bangcaya said that goats are much cheaper compared to the P80,000 to P100,000 capital needed for a single live cow.
She also said currently the challenges being faced by the industry is the lack of technical knowledge of goat farmers specifically of the illnesses and the vitamins and medicines goats should be taking.
Bangcaya said with the untapped export market potentials of goat's milk and meat, marketing effects for the products should be intensified.
She also said goat-raising should be mass produced to lower the price per output.
In a separate report, National Dairy Authority (NDA) said about 99 percent of the dairy demand of the Philippines is imported from New Zealand and other dairy-producing countries in Europe.
Bangcaya said NDA targets to start focus of dairy-production through goats' milk now after years of relying on cow's milk.
Aside from milk and meat, other by-products of goats include cosmetic products which Bangcaya said should be diversified and explored further.
Since a single goat can consume an average of 10,000 kilograms of grass per day, forage supply should be improved, although she also added the country still has a wide land area of grass in select provinces that can be used for this industry, which is the country's advantage.
Bangcaya also said technical and know-how trainings should also be conducted for the farmers in order to help develop the industry.
