LA TRINIDAD, Benguet – While Philippines smallholder farmers keep increasing in number, the count of carabaos vital to the productivity of their fields continues to dwindle.
Such a situation is looked at by agriculturists in the country as a setback for agricultural productivity efforts particularly for the marginal farmers who depend more on the rumbling beast.
Known for their strength and determination, these powerful herbivores, covered in thick, light grey to slate grey hides have always been invaluable assets of Filipino farmers from Batanes to Sulu, by performing significant role in agriculture, ecosystem and other human activities.
Carabaos are deemed the national animal in the Philippines and symbolizes hard work, while closer to Filipino’s food cabinet, they are a source of carabao milk, carabeef, among other products.
Negative development for the Philippines draft animal for paddy field rice cultivation (with scientific name Bubalus bubalis kerabau) is contained in the Carabao Situation Report 2022 by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).
As of June, 2023, total Philippine carabao inventory was estimated at 2.73 million heads, a decline of negative 1.2 per cent from its previous year’s period population of 2.77 million heads.
At the same time, there are roughly 5 million farmers in the Philippines, the majority of whom operate at the subsistence, small-scale level and usually maintaining agricultural productivity on a one or two hectares of land.
Of the total carabao population, 99.1 percent were raised in backyard farms while the remaining 0.8 per cent and 0.1 per cent were from commercial farms.
By region, Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) had the least number of carabao with just over 80,000 heads, Ilocos Region, over 172,000 heads; Cagayan Valley, over 214,00 heads, and, Bicol Region having the highest total carabao population of over 322,000 heads.
Past government studies also showed that before implementation of Republic Act 7307 otherwise known as the Philippine Carabao Act of 1992 and authored by former Philippine President Joseph Estrada when he was still a senator, the Department of Agricultures (DA) noted that time a steep nosedive in carabao population spanning two decades.
In subsequent years, there was a significant decline in carabao population. In 1970, from 4,442,000, it dropped to 2, 725,000 in 1976.
Increase in its population was noted only when the act was fully implemented. In 2007, carabao count reached 3,384,000 and thereon, stabilized at 2.8 million.
Government push for farm mechanization with the use of small hand tractors was seen as contributory to carabao population decline and in 1990, concern was raised on the decimation of the carabao population.
Understandably, it may seem that a mechanical device can easily replace the carabao in plowing of the soil, considering the smallholder farms scattered throughout the country.
Reduction instead of an increase in number of carabaos in the rural areas despite government efforts to expand the size of the national herd goes for another indication of the poverty gripping the countryside.
Among reasons cited by government scientists for decrease in count of the animals is their being used for food, sold by their more destitute owners and the usual toll from diseases.
For these small-scale farmers, the carabao is the mainstay in farm work, a very tractable, uncomplaining and reliable ally in the myriad of tasks undertaken in the fields, aside being used as transport for goods and members of families.
Carabaos remain essential to efforts of small farmers to produce crops for the market and their subsistence, according to government agriculturists.
Lack of the farm animal or inability to purchase or rent one has been noticed by agricultural field personnel as one among the many factors why productivity of small farms is still to attain the desired levels.
Small farmers make up the bulk of the country’s agricultural community and the poverty afflicting the majority partly explains why farm mechanization, one of the means in doubling crop yield, is not so much visible in the Philippine setting, it was pointed out.
From being dubbed “beast of burden,” it’s also commonly referred to by rural folks as “beast of fortune,” thanks in full part to its renaissance due to RA 7307.
Unflagging efforts of Filipino government scientists resulted to vibrant carabao-based enterprises, where over the years, its contribution to local dairy production jumped to 34 per cent and has then continued to rise.
Evolving from centuries of neglect and threat of extinction, their breed suffered due to lack of knowledge of proper animal husbandry techniques, the carabao of today has emerged as an important source of social and economic security for many farmers.
In fact, before, farmers wanting to have bigger and studier animals, usually castrated carabao bulls, believing they will have good draft animals, resulting instead in decline of size and weight, explained the Philippine Carabao Center (PCC).
PCC scientists took up the cudgels for improvement of the carabao breed, passing proper care techniques to Filipino farmers and demolishing long-held but erroneous concepts of farmers regarding carabao care, breeding and increase in animal number.
Presently, with PCC technology at hand being followed by farmers, an average carabao can produce between seven to eight liters of milk and six liters for older animals and these older animals sold as carabeef. Philippine carabao crosses today possess greater capacity to produce milk.
At 24 months, a crossbreed can weigh over 200 kilos – many even weighing at 700 kilos, 28 per cent more than the native carabao. Female cross breeds can have the capacity to produce 10-12 liters of milk daily at the same time their capacity to work is not affected.
PCC was created by virtue of RA 7307, an attached agency of DA primarily mandated to conserve, propagate and promote the carabao as a source of milk, meat, draft power and its hide for the benefit of rural farmers. It’s a premier national research and development institution propelling sustainable growth of the carabao livestock industry.
It is situated in Nueva Ecija province, on the campus of Central Luzon State University (CLSU). It pioneered the first test-tube carabao in 2004. It has embarked on a nation-wide program to upgrade farmers native carabaos through artificial insemination, bull loan program and modern reproductive biotechnologies.
Recognizing the important roles of carabaos in the livelihood of smallholder farming communities, the government’s main focus is transformation of the animal from being mainly for draft into efficient producers of milk and meat in order to improve income, nutrition and general well-being of rural farming families.
As to general well-being, there is this prevailing humor but which is true that refuses to die about highlander males in CAR: that there remains a big bulk of CAR males becoming old bachelors because getting married in the region is highly expensive as it entails butchering of many pigs, and a cow. In the absence of a cow, a carabao is used.
Here is one joke circulating among highlander bachelors hesitating to get hitched because they don’t possess just as yet the desired pigs, cows or carabaos for the marriage festivity: “Apay ngata! Apay ngata dakami nga baak, haan kami met nga umas-asawa, ken haan kami met nga uman-anak! Ngem apay ngata nga umad-ado kami!”
An industry value chain analysis conducted by DA covering the meat and dairy aspects of carabao found that major constraints for faster development was feed base inadequacy by resource-deficit small-holder producers and slow absorption of management technology.
Such that market for carabeef, for example, remains depressed due to impression of consumers that carabeef is tough — which is a wrong perception.
The processing sector has also been discovered to substitute locally butchered carabeef with the low-cost carabeef of India and the mechanically deboned India carabeef, which is highly disadvantageous to the local carabeef industry.
On the other hand, while the niche market for carabao milk products like pastillas and kesong puti remain steady and growing, the fresh milk market is however flooded with low cost imported milk and labeled as “fresh milk.”
Carabao milk is richer in flavor and creamier than cow’s milk due to its higher butterfat content, making it an ideal ingredient for making desserts and other butter-based pastries.
Hence, there is a need for improving further volume of carabao milk production by increasing the number of carabao milking stocks and widening the market for it through processing as cheese and butter.
The Carabao Industry Roadmap 2022-2026 puts forth reforms which channels investments which envisions a vibrant carabao industry by harnessing the niche market for buffalo-derived products needed by the country’s growing population.
It can be achieved by improving productivity and efficiency for the carabao sub-sector, focusing on internationally competitive buffalo-derived products, the roadmap stated.
Corresponding efforts will be directed towards consolidation of smallholders by way of strengthening their cooperatives and associations and establishment of carabao business hubs that cover the concerns in the entire carabao value chain, according to DA.
General objective of the roadmap is to implement an inclusive, stakeholder-crafted and market driven master plan to improve farmers’ income, create jobs and increase the number of carabaos in the Philippines to become self-sufficient.
