Minda businessmen eye miniature cattle growing

Businessmen here are exploring the possibility of raising miniature cattle in Mindanao.
Mindanao Business Council (MinBC) chair Vicente Lao said businessmen could work with the Davao City Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DCCCII) and the University of the Philippines Mindanao on the feasibility of miniture cattle raising.
He said the Federation of Cattle Raisers Association of the Philippines (FCRAP), headed by its president Benjamin C. Albare, and the council had discussed during a recent meeting how could the group promote the innovative business model.
Also present during the meeting was Cecilio Felix, a cattle farmer from Rancho Murieta from California, USA who presented basic facts about miniature cattle farming.
Lao expressed optimism that miniature cattle-growing would be another promising industry that could generate new investments and contribute to the expansion of Mindanao agri-business sector.
Felix said some of the advantages of miniature cattle include their smallness requires less space and even a small acreage can support a herd.
He added that miniature cattle’s rib eye is significantly bigger than its normal counterpart and the short cell structure of miniature cattle makes for tender beef that can be as highly competitive in the market as the most in-demand Angus beef.
The MinBC is the lead organizer of the annual Mindanao Investment Conference (MinICon) which, so far, has highlighted new and promising investment opportunities such as Pangasius (Cream Dory) farming, seaweeds propagation, coffee, cardava banana, honeybee and rubber production. (PNA)