The Bangsamoro Autonomous region is set to enter the billion-dollar Halal industry with its very own Halal beef, a product grown and processed at their very own cattle production facilities in Mindanao.
The multi-million peso project starts with a Cattle Fattening Facility right inside the main camp of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF). The area, now owned by the Bangsamoro Development Agency (BDA), is located in Darapan, Sultan Kudarat, Maguindanao.
“With Lanao del Sur taking the lead, provinces in the Bangsamoro Region will be engaged in a Cattle Production Program which aims to supply the needs of the residents in the region and other provinces in Mindanao,” said Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA) secretary Emmanuel Piñol.
The Cattle Fattening Facility project will soon be replicated in four remaining provinces of the Bangsamoro: Basilan, Sulu, Tawi Tawi, and Lanao del Sur.
Meanwhile, other cities and municipalities in the BARMM will embark on community-based cattle breeding projects to support the main program.
Future plans include artificial insemination and embryo transfer, and the importation of heifers for breeding.
This will ensure the propagation of high quality cattle to provide Halal Beef enough to supply the local market and the country’s neighbors in the BIMP-EAGA.
Halal beef is expected to be the banner product of the BARMM region for entry into the $2.1-billion halal industry as the market is expected to grow to $2.3-billion by 2023.