The Department of Agriculture in Davao Region (DA-11) bared Wednesday that artificial insemination (AI) technicians and service providers will receive a hike on the grant of their Artificial Insemination Cash-Calf Incentives (AICCI) from PHP100 to PHP500 per live calf starting this year.

Dr. Karl Laurence Pineda, the DA-11 Unified National Artificial Insemination Program (UNAIP) coordinator, said the increase was based on an order dated Jan. 11, 2023, from DA Senior Undersecretary Domingo Panganiban.

He said those qualified for the subsidy are local government units (LGUs) and village-based AI technicians, cooperative dairy technicians (CDTs), and other frontline AI service providers.

“We have not yet released it and most probably it will be given (subsidy) in the fourth quarter of this year,” Pineda said in an interview.

DDA continuously implements the UNAIP for large ruminants to increase the program’s AI diffusion rate in target “breedable” cattle and carabao populations and further improve AI efficiency, he added.

“We hope that the 400 percent incentive increase will further motivate AI technicians to deliver and render more AI services at the local and village levels,” Pineda said.

The LGU and village-based AI technicians, CDTs, and frontline AI service providers are entitled to the AICCI if they accomplish at least two required UNAIP forms submitted to the Provincial AI Coordinator (PAIC) every first week of the month of every quarter.

The Regional AI Coordinator (RAIC) will validate the supporting documents and sign the UNAIP forms to certify the correctness of the reports. It will then submit the payroll to the DA-11 director and endorse the request to release the verified AICCI to the Bureau of Animal Industry director. (PNA)