Masbate cattle raisers go organic

ROASTER Mary Jane Dalanon, one of the primary manufacturers of beef products in Masbate, with a roasted cow during the recent Rodeo Masbateño to showcase the quality of beef produced in Masbate province. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

Beef manufacturer Mary Jane Dalanon is curious about how the “new” Masbate cattle meat will taste compared with the beef she now processes to make her products.

Dalanon, 41, owner of the largest beef products store in Masbate province, usually buys native cattle from ranches in Masbate City and nearby towns because the organic farming techniques employed by farmers and cattle raisers give Masbate beef a distinct succulent taste.

Now that the Department of Agriculture (DA) has turned over a mini liquid nitrogen plant to the local government of Masbate, the businesswoman is anxious to know whether the cattle to be produced through artificial insemination (AI) will be of better quality than what Masbate farmers and cattle raisers produce. More than the prospect of a better income, her concern is getting the meat that will continue to meet consumers’ standards, she said.

City Mayor Rowena Tuason said the nitrogen plant would help ranch owners and cattle raisers to produce better quality beef by allowing them to store genetic material or semen that they selected from their best specimens for cattle breeding.
 
The P6.5-million facility at Masbate Fish Complex and Bus Terminal has begun selling buckets of liquid nitrogen worth P80 each to cattle raisers to store cattle semen in preparation for AI exclusively performed by city veterinarians.

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Livestock Production Report January to June 2013

Agriculture grew by 1.44 percent in the first half of 2013. Output increments from the livestock, poultry and fisheries subsectors contributed to the overall production gain during the period. The crops subsector suffered a contraction. At current prices, gross earnings in agriculture amounted to P697.2 billion, higher by 0.88 percent than last year's record

The crops subsector which shared 51.79 percent in total agricultural output recorded a 0.54 percent decline. Palay output grew by 1.34 percent. Corn, coconut, sugarcane and banana came down with lower production during the period. The subsector grossed P375.1 billion at current prices. This was 4.30 percent lower than last year's performance.

Livestock production increased by 2.12 percent. The subsector contributed 15.53 percent to total agricultural production. Production increases were noted for hog at 2.36 percent and cattle at 2.28 percent. At current prices, the subsector grossed P111.8 billion, up by 11.43 percent from last year's earnings.

The poultry subsector accounted for 14.58 percent of the total agricultural production. It registered 4.39 percent growth in output. Chicken production which increased by 5.05 percent was the main source of growth. The subsector grossed P86.4 billion at current prices. This was 6.25 percent higher from last year's earnings.

On the average, farmgate prices went down by 0.56 percent in the first half of 2013. The crops subsector posted an average price decline of 3.78 percent. Prices in the livestock subsector increased by an average of 9.12 percent. Poultry subsector had a 1.78 percent price gain this year. In the fisheries subsector, prices inched up by an average of 0.94 percent.

Source: Bureau of Agricultural Statistics