Press Release - Villar embarks on ALAB for carabao industry' s growth

To alleviate the lives of farmers and further spur the development of the carabao industry, Senator Cynthia Villar is embarking on the so-called Accelerating Livelihood Assets Buildup (ALAB) Karbawan program.

In her speech in the opening of the training on "Capacitating Coconut Farmers on Dairy Buffalo Production for Increased Income," held at the Villar SIPAG Farm School in Las Piñas-Bacoor, Cavite last May 7, Villar called on participants to apply back to their own communities the knowledge they will gain from the three-day training to help provide better future for the Filipinos.

Villar said her support for the dairy buffalo enterprise was inspired by a visit to a barangay in Pagadian City.

She saw local families managing dairy herds, processing, and selling dairy products locally.

Curious about the economic viability of such enterprises, she thought of the the need for 50 carabaos per operation.

Because of this, the following year, she allocated a PHP170 million budget to the DA-PCC to expand this model to 17 provinces.

"Under ALAB, each province receives PHP10 million to buy 50 carabaos and a processing facility. The fund will also be used for other miscellaneous expenses," said the the chairperson of the Senate Committee on Agriculture and Food.

The ALAB Karbawan is an umbrella program for the province-wide Carabao-based Enterprise Development projects- the Carabao-based Business Improvement Network (CBIN) and Coconut-Carabao Development Project (CCDP).

"Its primary goal is to establish robust carabao-based enterprises in recipient provinces to generate livelihood opportunities for farmers," said Villar.

The training initiative is a collaborative effort between the DA-PCC and the DA-Philippine Coconut Authority (DA-PCA), in partnership with the Villar SIPAG Farm School. It focuses on educating coconut farmers about proper dairy buffalo production and management and enterprise development through a combination of lectures, demonstrations, and hands-on activities.

The training is part of the CCDP, funded by DA-PCA.

Dr. Liza G. Battad, DA-PCC executive director, thanked Villar for her continuous support to carabao-based enterprise programs.

PCA Administrator