The Department of Agriculture in Caraga, a region in the Philippines, through the Trento Research and Experiment Station, and n partnership with the Caraga State University (CSU) in Butuan City, is promoting the production and propagation of ‘patani,’ the region’s very own black native chicken breed, according to the Philippine Information Agency, an official arm of the government of the Republic of the Philippines.

Patani is the only breed of native chicken in the country that possesses a high level of black pigmentation on its skin, shaft, plumage, and bone. It also has grayish meat.

In July 2019, a breakthrough in poultry farming took place when a research team from the CSU led by Tomas Austral Jr. managed to produce the black native chicken through breeding and selection from four breeds of Philippine native chickens, such as Darag, Camarines, Boholano, and Zampen.

The experiment was undertaken under the Organic Native Chicken Project, funded by the Department of Science and Technology - Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development (DOST- PCAARRD.)

However, it sought assistance from the Department of Agriculture, Trento Research and Experiment Station to guarantee that Patani would not suffer extinction, as the team was only able to initially establish 124 pure and quality breeder stocks of the black native chicken on the said campus.

“This will place the Caraga region in the limelight as a strong and stable producer of the finest black native chicken in the country, “ said Austral.

Ecolastico Cagatin, station chief at the Department of Agriculture, Trento Research and Experiment Station, said they are breeding a true-to-type population of black native chicken that is resilient to climate change conditions, especially in the region, and can perform well in growth, taste preference, and disease tolerance.

Eugene Deluta, a poultry raiser, agreed that the Patani has a well-built immune system against diseases, stating, “This breed of chicken is strong as it is the only survivor among the native chickens during the bird flu attack on our farm.”

On the other hand, native chickens and even the Ayam Cemani breed of Indonesia lay about 40-60 eggs annually. For Patani, it can produce an average of 80 – 110 eggs in a year, including better performance on egg weight, hatchability, and fertility.

According to Austral, Patani has a better market value because of its meat quality, saying, “Its higher pigmentation characteristic is a manifestation of its high antioxidant level.”

“Scientific studies showed the following benefits of a native black chicken: source of antioxidants; protection of eyesight; good source of protein; low cholesterol; source of vitamins B, E, iron, phosphorous, calcium, amino acids; energy booster; promotes a healthy heart; promotes fertility; helps prevent headaches; and treats asthma,” Austral underscored.

As reported by DOST- PCAARRD, there is a significant demand for native chicken in the country as it has established a niche market with 80.7 million inventory in 2020, which accounted for 45 percent of the country’s total chicken inventory. Western Visayas is the top producer with 12.4 million native chickens, followed by Northern Mindanao with 9.7 million native chickens.

“The end goal of this project is commercialization by increasing the production of Patani to help the Caraga region improve its distribution of native chickens to other parts of the country. We are strongly working with multiplier and commercial farms to promote Patani and make it available in the market, either live or dressed, at an affordable price, as this will significantly benefit our local farmers and poultry players,” Austral added.