GENERAL SANTOS CITY (MindaNews/05 May) — Dairy industry stakeholders from various parts of the country will gather here this week to discuss various challenges and new strategies to further enhance the thriving dairy industry.
Juan Lozano, national chair of the Dairy Confederation of the Philippines, said Monday around 400 industry players have so far signified to attend the 17th Dairy Congress and Expo (DairyConEx), which is slated May 7 to 9 at the Family Country Hotel and Convention Center here.
He said the three-day 17th DairyConEx will be joined by top government officials as well as foreign dignitaries.
They include New Zealand Ambassador to the Philippines Reuben Levermore, agricultural attaché William Verzani of the United State Embassy in Manila’s Foreign Agricultural Service, Dr. Krailas Kiyothong of the department of livestock development of the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives of Thailand and Batangas 4th district Rep. Mark Llandro Mendoza.
In a statement, Lozano said the 17th DairyConEx will be highlighted by presentations of updates on the dairy industry and the National Dairy Authority’s (NDA) dairy upgrading program.
The other major topics that will be discussed are new technologies and best practices in calf rearing, feed nutrition and forage, food quality and safety and dairy buffalo production.
Several experts will hold presentations on the improvement of dairy products, organic farming, feeding supplementary fats to dairy cattle and Halal certification of milk and milk products.
“The 17th DairyConEx is geared towards substantially raising the productivity and incomes of dairy farmers, augment the base herd, create new market niches, and accelerate the realization of a self-reliant countryside,” Lozano said.
He said the gathering will work to raise the competitiveness of the country’s dairy industry and contribute to the national government’s quest to attain food security and agricultural modernization.
Lozano said they intend to come up with fresh strategies to help secure the country’s position in the liberalizing and expanding global market.
The 17th DairyConEx is hosted by the Northern Mindanao Federation of Dairy Cooperatives in collaboration with the provincial government of Sarangani and the city government of General Santos.
It is supported by the NDA, Philippine Carabao Center and Department of Agriculture Region 12. (MindaNews)