Goat raising getting popular in the Ilocos

By Sosimo Ma. Pablico

Goat raising is fast becoming an important component of the agricultural system in the Ilocos region as more small farmers in the rain fed and upland areas in Pangasinan, Ilocos Sur and Ilocos Norte are now going into it.

Even as the goat population in the Ilocos has increased by 10.5 percent in a five-year period from 2000 to 2004, the Department of Agriculture led by Regional Director Nestor D. Domenden is pushing harder for the promotion of goat raising.

Earlier, it was shown in Balungao and Umingan, Pangasinan that the improved goat production technology results in better growth of the animals. Upgrading technology plus proper feeding practices and sustainable parasite control proved beneficial in increasing weight gain among stall-fed kids, which attained marketable weight in a shorter period.

Thus, the DA’s Ilocos Integrated Agricultural Research Center [ILIARC] headed by Edmund Quinit is now conducting goat technology demonstration projects to address the need for improved goat productivity in selected areas so as to ensure sustainable and profitable livestock production.

Local government units are now also pushing goat production among their farmers and amazingly, more and more farmers have responded positively. For instance, Alaminos City LGU ledby Mayor Hernani Braganza has earmarked P5 million for a city-wide goat commercialization project.

All in all, the provincial and municipal/city government units have allocated 2.848 million as their counterparts for the techno-demo project.

Six technology demonstration sites – Bani, Bugallon, Mangatarem and Alaminos City in Pangasinan; Galimuyod and Vigan City in Ilocos Sur – have been established thus far.

Farmers’ capability is being built up through a farmers’ livestock school on integrated goat management and field trips. Exactly 13 technologies have been introduced and now followed by the farmers: housing, deworming, upgrading, stall feeding, improved forage, salt lick, use of leguminous shrubs and trees, late grazing, UMMB, manure as fertilizer, composting, dual purpose crops, and use of concentrate feeds.

One positive effect of the project is the elimination of the government’s dole out system, which was earlier advocated through the livestock dispersal scheme. Instead, the farmers were empowered through capability building.

Amazingly, the number of farmers who adopted the new technology increased to as high as 220 percent in Mangatarem, Pangasinan and Galimuyod, Ilocos Sur.

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