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Livestock raisers form coop
by R. Nessia
Dumaguete City (30 June 2005) -- In a bid to lower cost of livestock feeds in the province, around 30 livestock raisers in Negros Oriental have joined efforts to organize the Negros Oriental Raisers Multi-Purpose Cooperative.

According to Jaime Villaluz, Jr., in-charge of post production & marketing at the Provincial Veterinary Office, the livestock raisers, composed of hog farmers and swine raisers, will undergo a pre-membership education seminar on July 11 to 12, 2005 to be conducted by the Cooperative Development Authority at the Department of Agriculture compound in Valencia.

The two-day seminar is a requirement for the said cooperative to be registered, says Villaluz.

He explained that the cooperative's main objective is to put up a feed mill, which will afterwards result to local processing.

The two largest groups of meat processors and hog raisers in the country have joined forces to stabilize the supply and prices of livestock products here.

The Phil. Association of Meat Processors Inc. and the National Federation of Hog Farmers Inc. recently signed a memorandum of understanding to launch collaborative efforts to "stabilize prices of food from livestock production through the promotion and enhancement of business cooperation between two groups."

Livestock raisers in the province are in a tight spot when it comes to feeds and marketing due to increasing prices of commercial feeds. "Once the feed mill is put up, this will lower the cost because it is locally produced and the ingredients used are local," Villaluz explains.

Livestock raisers are eyeing the local produce to be cheaper by at least P200/sack compared to commercial products, he added.

Villaluz added that Valencia Vice Mayor Teodoro Olasiman has offered to loan out to the cooperative the municipality's budget for agricultural development as initial fund for the construction of the feed mill, hopefully in the town of Valencia. (PIA)

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