THE National Dairy Authority (NDA) wants more funds to achieve its target of 5 percent milk sufficiency by 2028.

At a media briefing late Friday, the agency's newly appointed administrator, Marcus Antonius Andaya, said: "Achieving our target will require approximately P1 billion annually, up from our current budget of P500 million. With this support, we believe we can double our production capabilities." The NDA currently manages a dairy cattle inventory of 79,000, though only 16,000 are actively in the milking line.

Andaya also urged for improved infrastructure and stock farms to support domestic production, highlighting the challenges of importing dairy cattle without enough facilities to house them. Its immediate goal for 2025 is to raise milk sufficiency by 2.66 percent, an increase from the present rate of 1.54 percent.

Andaya expressed optimism about these targets, noting that expanding production would also generate additional jobs in the agriculture sector. In addition, the dairy agency is also set to finish building five new stock farms by yearend, to be operational by early 2025 to increase the existing herd of nearly 80,000 dairy animals.

From January to June, milk production grew by 15 percent, reaching 16,020 metric tons (MT) or 21 percent of the country's total liquid milk supply. The country's milk consumption is expected to rise to 1.8 million tons by 2029 from 1 million tons in 2018. Andaya said the NDA's overall goals include importing dairy cattle, expanding herd sizes, increasing milk yields and providing training for farmers.