Negos Occidental Aiming to Be ‘PHL Sheep Capital’

With the provincial government’s purchase of 12,000 high-bred sheep from Australia, Governor Alfredo Marañon Jr. hopes to make Negros Occidental the “Sheep Capital of the Philippines.”

“A lot of people have expressed interest in breeding sheep in the province, it is very promising... Hopefully, this will make us the `Sheep Capital of the Philippines,’” the governor said.

Marañon met with some Negros Occidental mayors and livestock breeders Tuesday to discuss the dispersal and breeding of 6,000 sheep purchased by the provincial government from Australia.

This is in addition to the 6,000 Dorper sheep that the provincial government bought in Darwin, Australia last year.

The additional 6,000 Dorper and Damara sheep from Perth, Australia are expected to arrive in Negros Occidental on the last week of January or the first week of February, depending on the weather, the governor said.

They are purchasing 300 rams, or male sheep, that will cost P20,000 each, including shipping cost to the Philippines, and 5,700 females at P15,500 to P16,000 each, he added.

The provincial government has allocated P82 million for the purchase of the new sheep as well as for the structures to house them at the 159-hectare NEGROS FIRST Ranch in Brgy. Santa Rosa in Murcia town, Provincial Veterinarian Renante Decena said.

Decena said of the new 6,000 sheep, 2,000 will be retained by the provincial government for its breeding program, while the 4,000 will be sold to interested town and city governments for their own breeding and livelihood programs, and to livestock breeders in the province.

Decena said the pure breed sheep they are buying from Australia are cheaper than the ones they bought from General Santos City.

Sheep eat only two kilos of grass a day unlike pigs that require full nutrition, he noted, adding that sheep also give birth two times in 13 months and their meat sells at P500 to P700 a kilo.
Marañon said the purchase of the sheep will boost the livestock industry and the culinary tourism in the province, as well as increase its food sufficiency.

“Right now, we are importing a lot of meat and our consumption is expected to increase. We want to be self-sufficient in meat through this program,” Marañon said.* (DBDangcalan)