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SEARCA spearheads Value Chain Analysis of Carabao and Carabao-based Products in the Philippines

  • 19 February 2015

The Project Team with Dr. Liza Battad and Mr. Eric Palacpac of PCC

LOS BAÑOS, Philippines – The Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) and the Philippine Carabao Center (PCC) of the Department of Agriculture (DA) have recently collaborated on a research project titled, “Value Chain Analysis of Carabao and Carabao-based Products in Luzon, Philippines.” In recent years, carabao production has gained importance as a vital component in achieving food security and increasing farm income in the Philippines, and is now a main source of both draft power and meat for smallholder farmers. With this in mind, this project will analyze the value chain for carabao and carabao-based products in Luzon, Philippines by examining the processes through which these products pass during production, together with the resulting variety of products at the end of the chain. In so doing, product- and commodity-specific value chain maps, which identify the activities and services, key players and their functions, product and information flows as well as selling and payment schemes, will be developed.

Dr. Flor Lantican and her Project team presented the Inception Report to SEARCA and PCC on 3 March 2015.Carabao production can be integrated into conventional farming systems, but the potential for draft and milk and meat production has not been fully utilized. Hence, the project will also analyze the market and market opportunities of carabao products including market standards and requirements. Poor reproductive capacity of the animal, low productivity, high mortality rate, and poor marketing are causing the decline of carabao production in the Philippines. Therefore, an overview of the entire industry in the Philippines including local production levels, production systems and trends, from national, regional, and provincial levels will be described.

Further, in line with SEARCA’s thrust of promoting inclusive and sustainable agricultural and rural development initiatives, the project will identify the constraints and opportunities faced by the value chain players by function and segment, and find ways towards achieving inclusiveness in the value-addition activities along the chain. This is also expected to aid in the provision of specific policy directions and strategies to improve the carabao industry in general, and the specific value chains in particular.

searca-spearheads-value-chain-analysis-of-carabao-and-carabao-based-products-in-the-philippines-1SEARCA will examine existing carabao supply and value-added chains in Ilocos (R-I), Cagayan Valley (R-II), Central Luzon (R-III), and CALABARZON (R-IVA). The project started in January 2015 and is expected to run until December 2015. It is led by Dr. Flordeliza A. Lantican, renowned agricultural economist with distinct specialization in agricultural marketing and price analysis, and former Dean of College of Economics and Management of the University of the Philippines Los Baños (CEM-UPLB). (Henry M. Custodio)