Hi Yong the current trends in the livestock industry show that the beef cattle sector has the biggest room for growth. The volume of production has been increasing from 232.34 (’000 t) in 1996 to 271.24 (’000 t) in 1999. The total output in 1999 was valued at P5.3 B. (October 2009)
source: pcarrd.dost.gov.ph. It has been evaluated, however, that beef cattle raising in the country has a comparative advantage over other animal production ventures considering the increasing demand for beef; ability to transform low-quality and fibrous feed materials; availability of other forages and favorable climate for fodder production and adequate processing technologies and increased productivity. Because cattle raising in the country is predominantly a backyard endeavor. They are usually maintained on a low to medium plane of nutrition. The are either stall-fed or tethered along roadsides and backyards with whatever available feed grown, not weeds and farm by-products like straw or corn stover, cane tops, etc. Concentrate feeding is minimal and inputs for health maintenance are generally lacking.
On the other hand, commercial ranches engaged in cattle raising are steadily decreasing in number. This is largely due to a combination of factors such as poor peace and order situation in production areas, implementation of the comprehensive agrarian reform law, land use conversion, lack of domestic source of quality stock, changing policies on pasture lease, increasing input costs and poor herd and pasture management among others. This scenario shrank the country’s cow-calf operations both in number and production performance.
