Legazpi releases 3K Peking ducks as livelihood aid
By Emmanuel Solis
LEGAZPI CITY --- A total of 3,000 Peking ducks were distributed by the City Veterinary Office (CVO) to 250 farmers and 12 mothers of children with special needs across this city’s villages from May 2022 to March this year.
City Veterinarian Dr. Emmanuel Estipona, in an interview on Tuesday, said the distribution of Peking ducks is part of the city’s dispersal program that is aimed at augmenting the income of farmer-beneficiaries.
Estipona also noted that Peking ducks could control or minimize the spread of the Golden Kohol in their rice fields and help reduce the multiplication of dengue mosquito breeding grounds in the villages.
He said his office has managed a vermiculture production or earthworm culturing at the city’s slaughterhouse as alternative feeds for the ducks to reduce buying expensive synthetic feeds.
Legazpi City Veterinary Office chief Dr. Emmanuel Estipona. (PNA file photo)
Estipona said Peking duck meat is healthier and more delicious, much bigger, and has a higher demand in Chinese restaurants compared to ordinary duck.
“We will do our best to produce at least 1,500 eggs of Peking ducks for each recipient every year and these would be hatched using an incubator machine at the CVO and the ducklings would be handed for free to more farmers and also to anyone who would express interest to raise these ducks in their backyards,” he said.
Estipona said his office would also teach the beneficiaries the proper way of feeding and taking care of the ducks as part of the CVO’s Genetic Improvement and Enhancement and Government on Hunger Intervention and Expansion programs.
He added that he is also planning to conduct training sessions and seminars for all the beneficiaries on how to age the eggs of Peking ducks to produce century eggs and on “balot” and “itlog na maalat” making as part of the CVO’s efforts to uplift the livelihood of farmers and farm workers. (PNA)
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