The New Zealand partners in the dairy project of Negros Occidental will give about 200 cattle for free for the improvisation and technology sharing for dairy production and development of the province.

The province and New Zealand dairy farmers Petrus Nicolaas Smit and Evan Gregory recently signed a memorandum of agreement to help develop the dairy industry in Negros. Part of the agreement is to bring five veterinary technicians to their country for training in dairy production.

Rachelle Smit, wife of Petrus, who is from Sagay City, said she and her husband want to improve the dairy industry of the province that resulted in their partnership with Gov. Alfredo Marañon, Jr.

Smit said they want to help improve the dairy farm situation in the province because there is a potential to grow cattle and cows and a shortage of milk.

She also said they are cross-breeding Jersey and Friesian Holstein cattle at their farm in South Auckland that will be brought to Negros, and are preparing the animals to adjust to weather conditions in the province.

The milk of Jersey cattle has high protein and fat while Friesian Holstein cattle produce large volume of its milk. Combining the two will make a good breed of cattle. Smit said, it is useless to bring cows that only produce volumes of milk with fewer nutrients, she added.

She also donated to the province pasture grass seeds that will be used for feeding sheep and cattle, feeders for the cows, and shears for grooming.

Smit was with dairy farm experts Marissa Kelly and Jacintha Konign and Mary Ann Kanwal, a veterinarian from Malaysia for the screening of the provincial technicians to be sent to New Zealand for the three months technical training.

Meanwhile, Marañon also received a Certificate of Appreciation from the Philippine Consulate General of Auckland, New Zealand, Consul-General Emiliana Pe Shi, for his support and dedication to the enhancement of the dairy and livestock industry of the Philippines. * LTG

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