BANNING the slaughter of female carabao will not address the need to increase production of the said commodity in Negros Occidental thus, it is seen not to happen in the province, the Provincial Veterinary Office (PVO) said.
The Municipal Government of Mangaldan in Pangasinan has banned the slaughter of female carabao in their locality due to the dwindling supply of carabeef.
The town, which is one of the biggest tapa producers in Pangasinan, has recently ordered the slaughter ban especially on quality breed of carabao.
Provincial Veterinarian Renante Decena said the move will not be replicated in Negros Occidental.
Decena pointed out that Luzon has problems particularly on the very fast movement of the commodity, which is not being addressed due to lack of programs on the part of the local governments.
In terms of carabao development, Negros Occidental has strong initiatives like artificial insemination and breeding which result to constant increase in the commodity’s local population.
“Instead of banning the slaughtering, we need to provide more technology to the farmers and raisers to increase their production,” he said.
Given that Negros is a one-island region, it is an advantage for the Negros Occidental since people in Negros Oriental are not “carabeef eaters” thus, movement of the commodity in the region is smooth-flowing.
“We recommend that their Provincial Government should intervene not by banning the slaughter, but through implementing more programs on animal production,” Decena said.
PVO records showed that Negros Occidental produces 15 to 17 percent of the 103,000 total population of carabaos in the country.
It currently ranks second in terms of carabao production, short by 2,000 heads of Leyte. The Province of Isabela follows at third.
In terms of supply, PVO said the province has just enough to meet the reasonable demand of local consumers.
Decena pointed out that the demand and supply distribution of carabeef in the province has been “neutralized” by the complementing supply of other commodities mainly, chicken and pork.
“We are still optimistic that we can eventually surpass Leyte in terms of carabao production,” Decena said, adding that the province is already set to avail of various agreements and workshops from the Philippine Carabao Center.
