Fresh Milk is the 'Official Drink' of Philippines Region
The U.S. News Las Vegas featured a report about Land O'Lakes' efforts to develop the dairy industry in the Philippines. The Governor of Mindanao Island's Davao Del Norte region has declared milk the 'official drink' during a ribbon cutting ceremony to celebrate a new dairy processing plant.
Gov. del Rosario Makes Fresh Milk Davao Norte's 'Official Drink'
By PNA and U.S. News Agency/Asian
Governor Rodolfo P. del Rosario has enjoined local officials to serve fresh milk to guests during official and social functions in the province, particularly in the barangays. He said nutritious fresh milk will soon take the place of soft drinks in official events and social gatherings in the province.
“Starting today, in every official event of the barangays, such as anniversaries and fiestas, I want to see bottles of fresh milk rather than bottles of cola being served to guests,” he said at the inauguration of the dairy processing plant here.
Aside from his desire for people to enjoy the health benefits of milk, del Rosario wants the communities to patronize dairy products to ensure the sustainability of the P23-million dairy development project being implemented by the US-based Land O’Lakes and funded by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).
A component of the dairy project, the governor said the P11-million processing plant here can process 1,500 liters of fresh milk into dairy products that include fresh milk with plain, choco, mango, durian or ube flavors, milk bars and yogurt.
The raw milk will be supplied by 157 milking cows being tended by 77 farmers who are beneficiaries of the dairy project.
The provincial government put up a counterpart of P3.6 million for the structure, while the municipal government of New Corella provided the lot.
Meanwhile, the province also launched its milk-feeding program, as a component of the dairy project, in order to “rehabilitate all severely underweight pre-school children, as well as severely wasted and stunted children.”
Some 2,251 severely malnourished pre-schoolers in the province were already included in the first batch of the 120-day feeding program.
“We will work for the sustainability of this project until such time that malnutrition is eliminated and every single child in the province is well-nourished and healthy,” del Rosario said,
He said the provincial government wants to meet its commitment to the Millennium Development Goals and is pushing the project in his desire to make Davao del Norte the “Dairy Capital” of Davao region, if not of the whole country.
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