MUÑOZ, Nueva Ecija — The Philippine Carabao Center (PCC) under the Department of Agriculture is stepping up its herd buildup efforts in Nueva Ecija through two separate animal entrustments aimed at strengthening community livelihoods and increasing local milk production.
The PCC at Central Luzon State University turned over on Aug. 12, 2026 five female buffaloes to the IGB’s Women Association in General Tinio. The activity was conducted under the Carabao Herd Buildup Project, which seeks to expand buffalo production and provide sustainable income sources for beneficiary groups.
Through the entrustment, the women’s association is expected to develop and grow its herd for livelihood and income-generating activities. The project positions community organizations as direct managers of breeding stock, with the goal of multiplying animals over time and linking production to local markets.
Earlier, the PCC’s National Impact Zone office, together with its Animal Breeding and Genomics Section, entrusted 21 purebred dairy buffaloes to 16 members of the Pulong Buli Primary Multipurpose Cooperative (PBPMC) in Santo Domingo and Quezon. The animals were sourced from the PCC National Water Buffalo Gene Pool.
The entrustment is part of the agency’s Animal Entrustment Program, designed to increase the national dairy herd, raise domestic milk output, and create stable livelihoods for dairy communities. Under the scheme, qualified farmers receive buffaloes and commit to proper care and management to allow herd expansion through offspring.
PBPMC was chosen based on organizational capacity. DA-PCC cited the cooperative’s leadership, financial management, operational systems, and existing dairy processing facilities. The group also holds a Food and Drug Administration License to Operate and supplies milk for the government’s Milk Feeding Program.
Beneficiaries were selected by PBPMC based on experience and capacity to manage dairy animals. The recipients include both veteran dairy farmers and new members. Among them are two graduates of the DA-PCC Youth Camp whose parents are also in dairy, reflecting the agency’s push for youth involvement and generational continuity in the industry.
The PCC noted that PBPMC, like many cooperatives, has experienced a decline in its herd due in part to an aging membership. The new animals are expected to help reverse that trend while adding productive stock to the cooperative’s supply base.
Officials said placing genetically superior buffaloes with organized cooperatives that already have processing and market linkages connects herd growth directly to milk production and consumption. For the broader carabao industry, the entrustment model is being used as a strategy to rebuild dairy stocks at the farm level and tie output to established demand channels.
The PCC said it will continue monitoring animal welfare and productivity. It added that the long-term objective is to increase both the number of dairy buffaloes and the volume of locally produced milk, in line with the Marcos administration’s agenda on livestock development, farmer support, and food security.
