Community based dairy products manufacture: high value products from locally produced milk- pastillas de leche, improved kesong puti, pizza-type cheese, cheese spread, milk-O-Jel, pinoy ice cream

An action-research project was conducted to effect a mechanism that will sustain a community based enterprise for locally produced milk. One of which is a viable link between and among production, processing and marketing concerns. Milk produced by small hold dairy farms as in the case of KKMI (Kapisanan ng Kooperatiba ng mga Maggagatas), private entities, as well as institutions like DTRI (Dairy Training and Research Institute) and PCC [Philippine Carabao Center] were used for the manufacture of dairy products aimed at being sold among consumers in the locality itself. DTRI mature technologies for high value products in terms of price and nutritive content, longer shelf-life, least perishable as milk were chosen: Pastillas de Leche, cheese spread, pizza cheese, milk-O-Jel, premium Pinoy ice cream and improved Kesong puti. The products' acceptability among school age group was conducted. Hedonic rating among public school children of DEC's [Department of Education and Culture] Los Banos district showed high acceptability index. The products were introduced to school canteens targeting 5% market share of the total snack items sold. The limitation for continued patronage is the children's inability to buy the products even if the products cost much less than the commercial product. This may necessitate subsidy from somewhere else if indeed to create a generation of dairy product consumer or acculturize them till they develop a food habit or preference for highly nutritious foods as an alternative to junk foods. Technology transfer was carried through lecture-demos and training among home economics teachers of each public school in Los Banos as well as members of ARCs [Agrarian Reform Communities] around Calabarzon [Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal, Quezon, Philippines] through the project 'Malayang Pagsasaka Radio Program'. The immediate impact of the project to other agencies and institutions is the inclusion of the module in the training packages of the PCC's 25-carabao dispersal program to primary cooperatives and also as a component of the SRA-PAF 2 capability programs of DTI for Region 3 [Central Luzon] and 4 [Southern Tagalog] in 1998 which shall be implemented and continuously monitored in 1999. In Los Banos, the project was dubbed 'Balikatan sa Kalusugan at Kabuhayan- Dairy Nutrisnacks for Schoolchildren' which became the LINK being sought in this action-research. Results showed that a small scale dairy products processing can utilize all the milk that can be produced by small hold dairy farms, which means no drop of milk go down the drain, farmer's produce is converted to cash to sustain production expenses as feeds, supplements and the like. To the processor namely the pastillas makers, the cheese makers, the vendors, it means raw material availability which means more finished products they could make and sell. Since volume is still low, the community must be served first. When volume gets bigger, the benefits will radiate to the nearby towns as a 'riffle effect'.