Dairy in San Vicente

The Dairy Project in San Vicente is the brainchild of Mayor Antonio Gonzales after paying Hacienda Macalauan a visit. He sought for the assistance of the National Dairy Authority (NDA) to source imported animals. We first met with the Mayor on October 2006 for the initial discussion regarding the project.

The project involves the acquisition of 50 heads of Holstein-Sahiwal crosses from New Zealand. With this herd they would require a large tract of developed pasture. They requested the DA Regional Field Unit IV-A to allow them to use part of the facilities of the Carabao Breeding and Development Center (CBDC) for dairy production. We surveyed the area during several visits and found it a good site for the project. CBDC has 80 ha of developed humidicola pasture.

While waiting for the arrival of the animals, three personnel from the municipal agriculture office were trained at the Molina Farm in Malvar, Batangas. Mayor Gonzales, being a farmer himself, also joined in the training.
The animals arrived in July 2007 with an additional 2 bulls that were procured from dairy cooperatives in Mindanao.

The dairy project was conceived as part of the municipality’s strategy of supplying the food requirement of the booming tourism industry in northern Palawan. The municipality is now supplying the food needs of El Nido.