The Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI), in collaboration with the Philippine National Police (PNP) and local government units, continues to intensify the inspection and monitoring of animal shipments in the National Capital Region.
Meat imports rose 9.6 percent in the first six months this year to 648 million kilograms (kg) from only 591 million kilograms in the same period last year, the Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) said.
The Philippine Chamber of Agriculture and Food Inc. (PCAFI) considers the domestic dairy industry a severely underperforming sector no matter that it posted a 15 percent increase in milk production in the first half this year to 16,020 metric tons (MT) from last year’s 13,940 MT. It urged the government to continue supporting the industry.
The Department of Agriculture will expand the KADIWA ng Pangulo program to the Visayas and Mindanao in September as part of the broader plan to widen its store network, which offers lower-priced farm goods including rice, in Metro Manila and the rest of Luzon.