BAYBAY CITY, Leyte – Duck raising is a growing livestock industry in the Philippines, valued mainly for its eggs. The sector is dominated by balut production—partially hatched embryos enjoyed for their flavor and nutrition—and by smallholder farmers, who make up more than 75 percent of all duck raisers. The Philippine Mallard Duck, locally known as “Pateros” or “itik,” is the most common breed, with the national inventory reaching 14.01 million birds by the end of 2025. While smaller in scale than the chicken industry, the duck industry plays an important role in supporting rural livelihoods through balut and salted egg production. To further strengthen this sector, the Agricultural Training Institute–Regional Training Center 8 continues to provide training programs that enhance farmers’ skills in sustainable livestock and poultry management.
Seventeen farmer members of the Livestock Economic and Enterprise Development (LEED) program beneficiaries and nine (9) project supervising agricultural extension workers (AEWs) were equipped with the knowledge and practical skills necessary to manage sustainable duck farming enterprises with a benchmarking activity at the Gato Integrated Farm, Abuyog, Leyte.
The training brought together a strategic mix of technical experts and community leaders to ensure both immediate implementation and long-term project sustainability. The Agricultural Extension Workers (AEWs) were trained to provide continuous technical support, monitoring, and advisory services, and the key Members of LEED Project beneficiaries and selected community leaders were poised to spearhead duck production initiatives within their respective groups.
One of the participants, Ms. Marisol Original, thanked ATI for the opportunity. “The training is very informative, timely, and aligned for our Duck LEED project. The training enhanced our knowledge in duck management, particularly in feeding, nutrition, breeding, health care, and egg production. This training is a vital preparation to manage and to sustain the duck project productivity and success”.
By completing this course, the LEED Project beneficiaries are now ready to establish and manage their duck production ventures, transforming the knowledge gained into tangible economic opportunities.
Concurrently, the graduation of the 9 Agricultural Extension Workers ensures that the community will have readily available, localized technical assistance to guarantee the long-term success of the project.
A total of 26 participants completed the Training on Duck Production and Management on June 23-25, 2026 at ATI-RTC 8, VSU Campus, Baybay City, Leyte.(With reports from Allen P. Goroy and Jessalyn T. Lunario)
