MALAYBALAY CITY, BUKIDNON (February 20, 2024) – The Department of Agriculture – Regional Field Office 10 (DA-10) honors the top performing province and technicians of Artificial Insemination (AI) during the Unified Artificial Insemination Program (UNAIP) forum held on February 16 at the Northern Mindanao Agricultural Crops and Livestock Research Complex (NMACLRC) in this city

In a press statement from DA-10, Bukidnon has been named the Best AI Implementer Province among the five provinces in Northern Mindanao.

Johnson C. Petalcurin, DA-10 Regional AI Coordinator, indicated that the winner was chosen based on the number of calves dropped and animals inseminated in a province’s breedable animal population.

Other parameters evaluated, he continued, include the amount of UNAIP-related actions carried out, such as meetings, heat synchronization, paraphernalia distribution, information dissemination, and activation of AI technicians.

Carlota S. Madriaga, DA-10’s regional technical director for operations, commended Bukidnon and the other provinces for promoting AI in their respective areas.

She also assured the technicians that the department, led by DA-10 Regional Executive Director Carlene C. Collado, will provide full assistance for the region’s livestock industry.

Meanwhile, exceptional AI technicians were recognized at the event for the Most Number of Animals Inseminated and Calf Drop categories.

Nix D. Melendez, an AI technician from Quezon, Bukidnon, who recently retired from government service, won first prize in both categories with a total of 591 animals inseminated and 86 calves dropped

Francis Ray B. Ditona of Manolo Fortich, Bukidnon, finished second in the calf drop category with 67 calves.

Alejandro C. Bag-ao of Libona, Bukidnon finished third in all categories, inseminating 219 animals and dropping 66 calves.

Cristopher Jiss C. Tabor, an AI technician at Camiguin’s Provincial Veterinary Office, inseminated 218 animals and finished second in the category, stressing the importance of AI in the province in light of the limited number of bulls and the diminishing number of livestock heads

“Using AI, we can increase the number of heads and help our farmers earn more. Some of my clients have told me that they were able to send their children to school because of the cash they earned from selling cattle, which was made feasible by artificial intelligence. Indeed, AI is a fantastic initiative that ought to be encouraged because of its impact, not just on technicians but also on farmers who need it as well,” Tabor said.

After the awarding, the Livestock program distributed different AI paraphernalia worth P277,872 to AI technicians and coordinators, including 108 bottles of lubricant, 101 packs of straw sheath, 4 boxes of arm-length gloves, and 159 packs of medications and biologics.

The UNAIP forum was attended by AI technicians from various towns in the region, as well as provincial AI coordinators from Bukidnon, Camiguin, Lanao del Norte, Misamis Occidental, and Misamis Oriental.

Dr. Luz I. Guzman, DA-10 field operations division chief, was joined by chiefs and officials from the DA-10 Provincial Operations Centers and DA-10 research stations, as well as DA-10 Livestock Program staff led by Jamaica L. Docdoc in gracing the activity. (melbmadera)