THE DEPARTMENT of Education and the Department of Agriculture aim to provide fresh milk to some 3.3 million students in more than 34,000 public schools nationwide this year.

Dr. Maria Corazon Dumlao, DepEd Bureau of Learner Support Services-School Health Division, said that the DA’s National Dairy Authority and the Philippine Carabao Center supplied 75 percent of the target milk volume for 2021 under the School-Based Feeding Program.

“From April 6 to 28, 2021, the DA-NDA has supplied 46% of the total milk requirement, benefitting 1,540,087 children, ranging from kindergarten to Grade 6, under various School Division Offices in the country,” Dumlao said.

“Meanwhile, the DA-PCC has also supplied milk rations, benefitting 974,022 students or about 25% of the total DepEd’s target beneficiaries. The remaining 822,275 students will likely receive commercial powdered or sterilized milk from other sources,” she added.

For School Year 2020-2021, 3,138,223 children in 33,760 schools benefitted from the milk component of SBFP.

Agriculture Secretary William Dar said the agency will pursue and continue the investment “to make the children and the succeeding generations of Filipinos healthier, stronger and smart.”

“As we conduct more milk feeding programs, we also support and expand the livelihoods of thousands of farmers and their families who are members of carabao and dairy cattle associations across the country,” Dar said.