CITY OF SAN FERNANDO, Pampanga – The Department of Agriculture (DA) provided feed assistance to about 1,000 duck raisers in Pampanga, strengthening livestock farming in order to enhance food security.
Recipients were from the municipalities of Candaba, San Luis, San Simon, and Apalit.
DA Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. emphasized the importance of supporting small-scale duck raisers, citing successful practices in Vietnam where rice farmers integrate duck farming to boost productivity and income.
He added that the agency plans to fine-tune this initiative to make it a multi-year program and expand its coverage to other parts of the country.
Registered duck raisers in the Registry System for Basic Sectors in Agriculture can receive between nine and 17 bags of feed, each weighing 50 kilograms.
The aid package, valued between P15,000 to P28,000 per recipient, is available to those with at least 100 ducks, with a maximum cap of 2,000 ducks per farmer.
Aside from feed distribution, DA also introduced several support measures to address the challenges faced by the industry.
These include free avian influenza testing and establishment of post-harvest facilities to ensure the sector’s continued growth.
In 2024, Pampanga accounted for nearly 60 percent of the region’s total duck population of 4.9 million heads.
Central Luzon has consistently been a leader in both duck meat and egg production. contributing 27 percent and 56 percent of the national supply, respectively. (CLJD/MJSC, PIA Region 3-Pampanga)