Tuesday, December 13, 2016

Corn silage production as an enterprise


Isagani Cajucom, entrepreneur and farmer leader for the Silage Production project of PCC and DOST-PCAARRD shares his experience on corn silage production to attendees of the Pistang Kalabaw in PCC, Nueva Ecija.

Enterprising farmers can look at corn silage production as an alternative source of livelihood. Corn silage is a form of carabao feed made from chopped corn plants that are sealed tight in a silo or container and then fermented for two to three weeks. It is a nutritious feed for carabaos as it is a good source of energy and protein.

Isagani Cajucom, a farmer entrepreneur, is an adopter of the silage production technology. He is a farmer leader for the Silage Production project of the Philippine Carabao Center (PCC) and the Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic, and Natural Resources Research and Development of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST-PCAARRD). DOST-PCAARRD’s supports the project through its Technomart (TM) modality.

Cajucom has been producing and marketing corn silage in Nueva Ecija. During one cycle of planting and harvesting, he produced 54,729 kilograms of corn silage in his two-hectare lot which sold at P191,551.50.  It provided him a total net income of P66,661.60 after deducting the cost for labor, planting materials, pesticide and herbicide application, irrigation, materials for chopping, and transportation, among others.

In a span of two years, Cajucom has earned a total net income of P582,475.80  from four cycles of planting and harvesting.

Cajucom said that the market for corn silage is huge. In the Philippines alone, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority, there are 2.86 million carabao heads as of July 2014. In a day, a farmer engaged in dairy carabao production needs about 25 to 30kilograms (kg) of feeds in 24 hours for a carabao weighing from 400 to 500kg.  Not all farmers have access to open pastures where they can let their carabaos graze, hence the potential of corn silage production. Currently, aside from Nueva Ecija,Cajucom sees demand from Quezon, Batangas, and Pangasinan.

Cajucom, however, admits that he has also encountered some constraints in corn silage production, including the availability of corn seeds, varying cost of labor, availability of water, and the availability of forage chopper.

Cajucom also noted that corn silage production won’t hinder regular corn production for food and poultry feeds, as both can be a farmer’s form of livelihood. According to Cajucom, a farmer can gauge where he can profit more by looking at the price of corn in the market.

Cajucom shared his experience during the Pistang Kalabaw held at the national headquarters of PCC, at the Science City of Muñoz, Nueva Ecija. Pistang Kalabaw is part of the Farms and Industry Encounters through Science and Technology Agenda (FIESTA), an initiative of DOST-PCAARRD. It is a technology transfer modality that aims to bridge farmers and the micro, small, and medium-scale industries through a science and technology-based platform.

Silage production technology is one of the many R&D outputs supported by DOST-PCAARRD in keeping with its commitment under DOST’s Outcome One: to provide science-based know-how and tools that will enable the agricultural sector to raise productivity to world-class standards.

DOST’s avowal of public service once more takes center stage as it celebrates this year’s National Science and Technology Week on July 24-28 at SMX Mall of Asia, Pasay City with Philippines: A Science Nation Innovating for Global Competitiveness as its theme.

Source: http://www.pcaarrd.dost.gov.ph/home/portal/index.php/quick-information-dispatch/2561-corn-silage-production-as-an-enterprise-





Tuesday, December 13, 2016 , , ,

Sustaining the Philippine seas with the Pangako sa Dagat

WMSU President Dr. Mirabel Ho and PCAARRD Executive Director Dr. Patricio Faylon led in unveiling the Pangako sa Dagat pledge wall.

Officials and staff of the Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development (PCAARRD), Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR), National Fisheries Research and Development Institute (NFRDI), the local government of Zamboanga, and the Western Mindanao State University (WMSU) pledged to help save the Philippine seas to sustain fish production for the benefit of Filipinos on a pledge wall dubbed as “Pangako sa Dagat” during the 2014 Sardines Festival  held at WMSU, Zamboanga City.

The officials who pledged their commitment during the event included Zamboanga City Mayor Ma. Isabel Climaco-Salazar; NFRDI Interim Deputy Director Noel Barut; WMSU President Dr. Mirabel Ho; PCAARRD Executive Director Dr. Patricio Faylon; BFAR Director Atty. Asis Perez, and  Atty. Rhaegee Tamanya who represented the Office of Senator Cynthia Villar. Students of the WMSU and nearby schools also signed the pledge wall as a sign of their commitment.

The local government expressed the need to maintain and protect the environment to ensure stable fish supply for commercial and community use. Cases of overfishing, illegal fishing, and pollution have been plaguing the Sulu Celebes sea, endangering the sardine supply of Zamboanga.

“The Philippines is the third largest sardine producer in the world. After two to three years, the Philippines hopefully will be the number one in the world,” said PCAARRD Executive Director Patricio S. Faylon during this speech.

To attain this goal, BFAR is continuing its efforts in increasing sardine production through a three-month fishing ban that allows sardines to grow and multiply during spawning season.  Having been enacted in 2011, project implementers reported an increase of sardine by 6.32% in 2012. The ban also reduced the smaller-sized sardines being caught by the sardine industry and the communities.

Moreover, to have a more accurate understanding of the spawning season and juvenile population of sardines, PCAARRD has funded four ongoing studies. These studies include the assessment of the sardine fisheries in Tawi-Tawi waters; molecular technology-based assessment of the sustainability of sardine fisheries; sardine supply chain; and impact assessment of the closed season for sardine fisheries. 

The Sardines Festival is part of the “Farms and Industry Encounters through the Science and Technology Agenda” (FIESTA), an initiative of PCAARRD-DOST that aims to commercialize regional S&T-based products to their target markets. The two-day event was executed through the collaboration of the WMSU, NFRDI, BFAR, and PCAARRD. The festival is the first FIESTA celebration in Zamboanga City.






Tuesday, December 13, 2016 , , ,

Tuesday, December 6, 2016

WESMAARRDEC pushes Zampen Native Chicken production thru FIESTA

Farmers, government employees, and other guests listen to the speakers of the technology forum of the Zampen Native Chicken FIESTA (Image credit: Serdan Dimasapit)

In a bid to promote Zampen Native Chicken production as a source of livelihood in the Zamboanga Peninsula, a government research and development consortium based in Zamboanga City led the conduct of a two- day technology transfer activity to inspire native chicken production in the area.

The Western Mindanao Agriculture and Aquatic Resources Research and Development Consortium (WESMAARRDEC) gathered farmers engaged in native chicken production as well as potential raisers to acquaint them on Zampen Native Chicken production, another meaningful and productive farming activity enriched with science and technology. 

Dubbed as Zampen Native Chicken FIESTA, the event was initiated by the Los Baños, Laguna-based Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST-PCAARRD). 

Coined as FIESTA for brevity, the term is the acronym for the phrase  Farms and Industry Encounters through the Science and Technology Agenda. FIESTA  aims to facilitate the flow of technology not only to the farmers but also to the country’s micro, small and medium enterprises for them to benefit from the government’s R&D undertakings, thereby enabling them to contribute more to economic development.

Held at KCC Mall de Zamboanga on November 22-23, Zampen Native Chicken, FIESTA 2016, served as a major activity to commemorate WESMAARRDEC’s 29th anniversary. It adopted the theme “Manok Zampen: Livelihood Option for Every Juan in the Region.”

The event highlighted the S&T Business Forum which tackled several topics on Zampen Native Chicken production.

Dr. Synan Baguio, Officer-in-Charge of the Livestock Research Division of PCAARRD, discussed the selection, breeding, and production management of Zampen Native Chicken, while Alfred Parungao of the same division, discussed concerns on range management protocols and feeding strategies for sustainable chicken production. 

Dr. Paterna Saavedra, and Dr. Teresita A. Narvaez, researchers from the Western Mindanao State University (WMSU), WESMAARRDEC’s base agency, on the other hand, tackled issues on breeder native chicken and hatchery management and pricing and marketing strategies for Zampen Chicken, respectively. 

The gains of Zampen Native Chicken was boosted by the testimonies of stakeholders most notable of which was that of Bureau of Corrections’ administrative staff Wilfredo B. Castillo. Castillo narrated how Zampen Native Chicken production at the San Ramon Penal Farm in Zamboanga City has provided the inmates with a productive activity and a livelihood opportunity once they have served their sentence.

Native chicken production is considered to be the most competitive and sustainable sub sector of the local poultry industry owing to its numerous advantages such as low capital investment, simple management system, and the emergence of new markets, among other advantages.

Providing additional income for farmers and known as a source of high quality meat, native chicken is considered to be an important component of the country’s rural farming system.    






Tuesday, December 06, 2016 , , , , , , ,

Turmoil in Luisita : Luisita farmers attacked, forcibly evicted from huts

MANILA, Philippines — Hacienda Luisita farmers were forcibly evicted from their huts late Sunday night by more than 100 men led by a barangay captain allegedly connected to the Aquino-Cojuangco family, according to the Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP).

 The KMP said the men also fired gunshots.

 In a statement Sunday, Alyansa ng Magbubukid sa Asyenda Luisita (AMBALA) Chairperson Florida Sibayan said that the men, all drunk, attacked them and shot at them around 9 p.m. The men are currently occupying their huts, Sibayan added. In another statement, Unyon ng mga Manggagawa sa Agrikultura (UMA) Secretary General Danilo Ramos said the tensions between the group of Lourdes Barangay Captain Edison Diaz and farmers at Sitio Silangan, Barangay Mapalacsiao began last November 25.

Ramos said that Mapalacsiao farmers have been threatened by men sent by Cojuangco aides "to justify and effect the reconcentration of lands back to the control of landlords."

 In 2012, the Supreme Court (SC) ordered the distribution of Hacienda Luisita, a prime sugar estate in Tarlac owned by the Cojuangco clan, to farm workers after it earlier declared illegal the stock distribution option implemented in the hacienda during the term of former President Corazon Cojuangco Aquino.

 UMA also called on President Rodrigo Duterte to take a concrete action on the Hacienda Luisita issue. The group asked the president to investigate the controversial raffle scheme conducted by the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) during the previous administration to implement the SC order.

 Meanwhile, the KMP called on current DAR Secretary Rafael Mariano to "decisively act on the ongoing volatile situation in Hacienda Luisita."

reposted from the Philippine Star : http://www.philstar.com/headlines/2016/12/05/1650563/kmp-luisita-farmers-attacked-forcibly-evicted-huts
Tuesday, December 06, 2016 ,
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