Balik Sa Farming! Roxas, Isabela Ventures Into Sorghum, Meat Goat Program

Roxas, Isabela – Hindi naging maganda ang kinalabasan ng mga laban ng mga boxers from Cotabato here in Roxas, Isabela last night but the visit to this agricultural town had been fruitful for our agricultural advocacy.
Yesterday, while waiting for the fights to start, I had very interesting discussions with Mayor Totep Calderon and Vice Mayor Nick Sebastian on what innovations could be undertaken for the town’s agriculture sector.
Since I saw the vast upland areas of the town, I introduced to Mayor Calderon and Vice Mayor Sebastian the Sorghum and Meat Goat Production Program.
Napakalawak pa ng area ng Roxas na puedeng taniman ng Sorghum, a project which I and former Senator Ping Lacson had been pushing, to contribute to the production of grains for the country’s poultry and livestock industry.
Since our main partner in the Sorghum Production, CP Foods Philippines, a Thai multi-national corporation involved in poultry and livestock production, has a large feed mill in Tarlac, producing Sorghum in Isabela and later Cagayan Province could be a right move.
To make full use of the benefits of Sorghum farming, I also suggested to the two leaders of the town to consider establishing a Meat Goat Multiplier Farm using the hardy Spanish Goat breed from Texas.
I had long crafted a program to introduce the Spanish Goats to the Philippines to start an upgrading program for our smaller native goats.
The Spanish Goats of Texas actually were brought to America by the Spaniards in the 1500s and for hundreds of years were considered feral goats.
They are hardy and large and could survive in challenging climatic conditions which make them ideal for an upgrading program in the Philippines.
I proposed to Mayor Calderon and Vice Mayor Sebastian the establishment of a Spanish Goats Multiplier Farm to be owned by the LGU which would later on undertake a dispersal program for families involved in Sorghum farming.
The reaction of the two leaders was very encouraging as they both asked me to provide them the details of the program, which I did early today.
With Sorghum farming, Silage will be readily available for the goats and since goat meat is in demand in the Cagayan Valley Region, including Ilocos Region, the project holds a lot of promise.
For the Sorghum Program, I will submit my recommendation to our SAAV Inc. Board Chaired by former Senator Ping Lacson to expand our operations in Isabela and later, the whole of Cagayan Valley.
Expect me to make more visits to Isabela now, with the help of my fraternity brother and fellow agriculture advocate, Arnel Corpuz, to finalize this program and make it work before the end of the year.
#KungGustoMaramingParaan!