  
News From : DagangHalal.com (16 Nov 2009)
Tacloban City (November 16) — The Department of Agriculture Region 8 called on farmers to turn their simple goat-raising sideline into a viable enterprise.
As part of the implementation of the Rural Enterprise Development through Innovative Goat Production Systems, the Department of Agriculture conducted a training on generating business opportunity from goat-based enterprises on November 12 and 13 at the Ritz Tower de Leyte in Tacloban City, Mr. Rodel Macapanas, Information Officer 1 of the Regional Office of DA, informed.
“We are fortunate that Region-8 was included in the 4 pilot areas under the project. It was started in 2007 and will end this year. We are grateful for the all-out support of the municipal and provincial government as well as the other collaborating agencies and most especially the farmers in the successful implementation of the project,” DA-8’s Regional Executive Director Leo P. Caneda said.
RED project is a collaborative development initiative funded by the Philippine Consortium for Agriculture and Resources Research Development (PCCARD) and is being implemented in Regions 1 in La Union, 2 at the Isabela State University, 3 at Central Luzon State University and 8 in Villaba, Leyte.
The training which was attended by around fifty farmer-entrepreneurs coming from the different municipalities and cities in the region, sought to provide a venue for sharing and exchange of technologies, information and experiences on goat-based entrepreneurship for the RED project partners in Region-8.
The activity was conducted in coordination with provincial government of Leyte, local government units of Villaba, Tabango and Matag-ob, in Leyte; Tacloban City, and Calbayog City, Samar.
The RED project is partly responsible for the increasing goat population inventory in Region 8, Director Caneda said. Based on the latest inventory, we have 115,122 goat population in the region in which Villaba, is known as the region’s goat capital. There is a need to keep such uptrend as the demand for goat not only in Region 8 but in the entire country is still very high, the good Regional Director added.
Dr. Wilson Cerbito, Technical Director and Concurrent National RED Project Leader, said that the DA is glad there are more farmer-entrepreneurs who a considering goat production as a business option unlike in the past when it was merely for rural farm households.
There is more than just raising and selling goats for slaughter, Dr. Cerbito disclosed. There is a wide variety of popular allied goat-based enterprises such as, processing of goat’s meat, milk and manure; canning of chevon recipes, with special focus on production of Halal goat meat; vacuum-packing of frozen choice cut-ups of chevon; and fresh goat’s milk production.
Also included are production of goat milk-based personal care products such as soaps and lotions; processing of organic fertilizers from goat manure; production of flavoured yogurt, yogurt drinks, pastilles and milk gelatin; production of feed materials; commercialization of forage seeds and forage cuttings and; production and marketing of urea molasses mineral, concentrates, leaf meals, and pelletized total mixed rations.
Among the salient topics discussed during the two-day training are Values Re-Orientation; Introductory Situationer: the forward and backward linkages to the main enterprise of goat raising; Concept and Practice of Entrepreneurship; Goat-based Enterprises; Breeder Goat/Buck 4-hire Enterprise; Canning of Chevon recipes and running a Kambingan restaurant/Litson Kambing.
The other topics were Production of Milk-based Skin Care Products; Production of Goat Milk-based Cajetas and Cheese; Marketing of Forage Planting Materials; Commercialization of Urea-Molasses-Mineral Tube; Marketing Scanning, Comparative Analysis and Planning for Goat-based Enterprises; Product Planning: Designing, Packaging and Mandatory Labelling Requirements of Goat-based Products and; E-learning on Goat Enterprise. (PIA 8)