By ELLALYN RUIZ
The Department of Agriculture (DA) will be working with farmers for the formulation of a five-year development roadmap for the country’s poultry and livestock industry, amid the recent bird flu outbreak in Pampanga and Nueva Ecija.
The decision was reached following a dialogue between DA Secretary Manny Piñol and the poultry and livestock raisers last Wednesday.
DA also committed to help poultry farmers market their poultry products with a program to ensure fair farmgate price for poultry products following complaints that live birds are still being sold at P20 to P30 a kilo while market prices for dressed chicken has reached P120-P130 per kilo.
In the dialogue supported by the Philippine Council on Agriculture and Fisheries Committee on Poultry, Livestock and Feed Crops, Piñol announced that he has also created a task force headed by Dr. Ernesto Gonzalez, director of the National Meat Inspection Service, to conduct seminars all over the country to teach farmers proper methods in raising chicken and other poultry.
Piñol said he agreed with poultry raisers to respond with better measures through stronger coordination between the government and poultry industry stakeholders.
The planning session for the poultry and livestock industries’ five-year development roadmap will also be presented to Trade and Industry Secretary Ramon Lopez, Interior and Local Government Acting Secretary Catalino Cuy, and Health Secretary Paulyn Ubial to ensure their departments’ role in the different aspects of the development roadmap would be attuned to their own department’s plans.