A farm tourism destination in this city will be offering artificial insemination services to hog-raisers as part of its commitment to help backyard piggeries in communities in Palawan.
Yamang Bukid Farm, a farming attraction in Barangay Bacungan, has partnered with the Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Training Institute (DA-ATI) Mindoro, Marinduque, Romblon, Palawan (Mimaropa) for the Artificial Insemination in the Barangay program in the island-province.
According to Cristina Gonda-Magnaye, ATI-Mimaropa High Valued Commercial Crops Program (HVCCP) focal person, the package is worth P300, 000 consisting of AI laboratory equipment from the department.
“Yamang Bukid (Farm) was chosen after it was able to comply with the necessary requirements,” Magnaye said, adding the Farm will give as counterpart the venue (laboratory) and technical personnel for the use of the AI equipment by the public.
The turnover ceremony of the equipment was done in Quezon City of YBFP’s parent company, health, and wellness beverage maker Yamang Bukid Healthy Products Inc. recently, with DA-ATI represented by Magnaye and Alma Mae Manalo, livestock program focal person.
Dr. Glen Calipus, a University of the Philippines-Los Banos (UPLB)-educated veterinary and molecular biology expert and Yamang Bukid Farm consultant, represented the farm tourism destination.
Magnaye said the AI facility at Yamang Bukid is one of two such projects for the region this year, with the other one housed in a private-run farm in Mindoro.“We want to have more of these facilities in Mimaropa so more hog raisers can avail of these,” Magnaye said.
Aside from the pieces of equipment, the technology package also included two heads of the high-quality breed of boars as a source of genetic material (ejaculate).
Known for its well-manicured flower and vegetable gardens and an unending bloom of sunflowers, the farm tourism draw is also into the sustainable and organic way of growing plants and vegetables and is among the biodiversity havens in Palawan farm tourism industry.
