Abstract
Cheese production is a good method of creating a balance in the supply and demand of milk as it trend to absorb excess milk during the peak season - from July to January, which would just be sold in time during the Christmas holidays. From July to December of every year, there is a relatively low demand for fresh milk because of high expenses during the holidays season which is the best time when cheese production is in full operation. One of the components of a DA-BAR funded research project titled "Commercial Production of Soft, Semi, and Hard Cheese from Goat, Buffalo, and Cow's Milk" is the implementation of cheese processing technology transfer and adoption among dairy farmers and entrepreneurs for a more sustainable commercial production. The main objective of this study is to document the technology transfer initiatives by the project and the status of technology adoption by the beneficiaries. Key information interview was also conducted where basic questions were asked: size of operation, volume of production, market, and problems encountered in the course of their operation. Nine selected dairy farms in the Philippines were given technical assistance through capability building (trainings) and advisory services. Three of the project beneficiaries have adopted the technologies shared by the project: a) Gouda Havarti cheese by Farm A; b) Edam cheese by Farm C and c) white cheese or kesong puti, yoghurt and Kefir by Farm E. Only one project beneficiary did not encounter any problem; the remaining eight beneficiaries identified the lack of technical expertise and the lack of dairy processing facilities and equipment as their major problems. To address the problems identified by the project beneficiaries, the following recommendations are given: a) continuous provision of technical assistance and advisory services; b) conduct of monitoring and evaluation to determine if there are improvements in the operation because of the interventions; c) assistance in providing linkage with government agencies to avail of grants or loans to acquire dairy processing facilities; and d) assistance in the procurement of raw materials (rennet and starter culture) by giving referrals to supplier offering cheaper yet good quality products. These initiatives are just one of those provided by concerned government and non-government agencies which aim to provide more efficient processing technologies resulting to lower production costs and higher yield and income and motivate local dairy farmers-entrepreneurs to venture into commercialization of cheese production.
Source or Periodical Title
U.P. Los Baños Journal
Page
110-116
Document Type
Article
Frequency
annually
Physical Description
tables
Language
English
Recommended Citation
de Castro, Nenita L.; Emata, Olivia C.; and Yukit, Daryl King G., "Technology transfer initiatives on cheese processing: the case of selected dairy farms in the Philippines" (2021). Journal Article. 3914.
https://www.ukdr.uplb.edu.ph/journal-articles/3914