CARABAO DAIRY PROJECT. Senator Mark Villar (center), Mayor Javier Miguel Benitez (right) and Philippine Carabao Center Deputy Executive Director Caro Salces lead the milk toasting during the blessing and turnover of the Dairy Box in Victorias City, Negros Occidental on Thursday (April 18, 2024). The facility is a component of the PHP10-million Carabao-Based Business Improvement Network Project implemented by the Department of Agriculture - Philippine Carabao Center and funded by the Office of Senator Cynthia Villar. (Photo courtesy of Victorias City Information Office)
BACOLOD CITY – Victorias City opened on Thursday the Dairy Box, the first one-stop shop for carabao dairy products in Negros Occidental.
Located in Barangay I Satellite Market, Mayor Javier Miguel Benitez and Senator Mark Villar, representing his mother, Senator Cynthia Villar who chairs the Senate Committee on Agriculture and Food, led the inauguration of the site.
“The Dairy Box will serve as support infrastructure for processing and marketing of carabao milk. We are looking forward that it will provide additional income for our carabao farmers,” Mark Villar said.
The facility is a component of the PHP10-million Carabao-Based Business Improvement Network (CBIN) Project implemented by the DA-Philippine Carabao Center and funded by Cynthia Villar’s office.
Also unveiled was the Carabao Pen, a sustainable and eco-friendly facility for animals and livestock raisers of the San Antonio Farmers Multi-Purpose Cooperative (SAFMPC) funded by the city government.
The communal pen situated in Hacienda San Antonio, Barangay XIV is geared towards optimizing the potential and reducing the setbacks of the CBIN.
“It stands as a testament to our dedication to improving livestock management and agricultural practices. It will enhance the livelihoods of our local farmers, providing them with the resources and training they need to thrive in an increasingly competitive market,” Benitez said.
The two projects were turned over to the SAFMPC, an organization of agrarian reform beneficiaries, which serves as the conduit partner of the local government unit that will manage and operate the Dairy Box.
The SAFMPC will develop and distribute carabao dairy products under the brand name Victorias Dairy or ViDa.
During the ceremony, SAFMPC members headed by chairperson Rey Barreto received the Dairy Box certificate from PCC Deputy Executive Director Caro Salces.
Benitez and Villar led the carabao milk toasting before the unveiling of the marker and blessing of the Carabao Pen. (PNA)
