Wednesday, December 27, 2017

Asian Fisheries Academy Honors 2 Filipino Aquaculturists

Dr. Guerrero and Dr. Maximo Abesamis being feted by he AFA


 Rafael Guerrero and Maximo Abesamis received citations at the Asian Fisheries Academy (AFA). The honors were conferred by the Society of Aquaculture Engineers of the Philippines (SAEP) and the Philippine Aquaculture Society,  Inc. (PAS). 

 Rafael Guerrero is considered as the promoter of all-male tilapia culture in the country. Together with his wife, Guerrero in the 1980s formed a research and development company that provided sex reversal feed that will boost commercial production of tilapia despite the fact that the tilapia were all male.

 This was from his doctoral dissertation at Auburn University during the 1970s and then was continued at the Central Luzon State University. This resulted in increased yields in tilapia farms.

 Guerrero is a recipient of the Ten Outstanding Young Men (TOYM) award and has also received various recognitions and awards from local and international institutions.

 Maxio Abesamis introduced the modular system in milkfish culture. Abesamis has also been instrumental in introducing Gusathion and Brestan to control snails and other microorganisms that are harmful to milkfish culture and farming. His system was proven to be efficient that up to now, almost all fishpond operators are using the same method. 

 An awardee of the Ten Outstanding Young Scientists (TOYS) award in 1980 conferred by the National Science and Development Board (NSDB), he pioneered the system of bangus production in fishpens that were initially undertaken in Dagupan City, Pangasinan which was widely replicated in the country. 

 But Abesamis also discovered that bangus and salmon had similar characteristics and it was also applied to mass producing salmon in ocean cages.

 These contributions led to sustainable growth in the fishing industry.





Wednesday, December 27, 2017 , ,

PH Non-Rice Agri Products Increase in Yield


Philippine vegetable and root crops yield posted increases in production this year. Leading the production is Eastern Visayas that accounted for 40% of the last quarter harvest of vegetables and root crops.

 The increased yields were registered as mongo, peanuts, cabbage, eggplant, tomato, cassava and sweet potato.

 According to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), cassava production increased by two percent for the last quarter of the year. 

 This was due to the sustained demand for food, feeds and industrial use being experienced all over the country. 

 With regards to tomato production, it also posted an increase in production of 2%. This was due to high yielding varieties and sustained demand.

 The Cagayan Valley Region posted the highest production for mongo with the Davao Region and Cagayan de Oro posting increased yields as well.

 The confluence of high yielding varieties and ideal weather conditions contributed considerably to the posting of increased yields.

 This is in consonance with the Department of Agriculture's (DA's) efforts in providing the means for national food security and affordable food prices for all as per President Duterte's policy.



Wednesday, December 27, 2017 , , ,

Bohol to Be Developed as PH Dairy Capital

Dairy Farming in the Philippines 
5,000 heads of Girolando dairy cattle will start the ambitious program of the Department of Agriculture (DA) of increasing the production of 22 million liters of milk annually. 

 Bohol is being targeted to be the Dairy Capital of the country. This was announced by DA Secretary Emmanuel Pinol. The site of the Philippine Dairy Development Program is the 3,000-hectare Ubay Stock Farm which is conducive to optimizing dairy cattle farming.

 “I will be meeting with Bohol Governor Edgar Chatto and Ubay Mayor Costan Reyes to present to them a proposal which would turn the province of Bohol into the dairy capital of the Philippines,” DA Sec. Pinol stated.

 The DA Secretary also said, “The project is expected to provide employment for the local people and additional sources of income for the farmers who would be engaged in the planting of forage and in the fattening of the male offsprings of the dairy cattle.” 
.
IN 2016, dairy production increased four percent to 21,160 metric tons, registering the highest increase under the livestock sector at 10 percent to P715 million.

 But, the industry still could not supply the local requirement as the country imported 453,000 metric tons of dairy valued at $808 million in 2016.

 The main source of the imports is New Zealand that accounts for 39 percent of the total and the US (24 percent). Other sources were Australia and Germany.

 The success of the dairy program will then be replicated in other areas of Bohol wherein the targeted communities will also benefit economically so as to spur further development and more income for the people.





Wednesday, December 27, 2017 , , , ,

Technology Transfer Day in Central Luzon



The 5th Technology Transfer Day hosted by the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) was held last December 11, 2017, at the Widus Hotel. The 5th Edition for this year was for Central Luzon. 

 Te  Technology Transfer Day was participated in by almost 500 technology generators from the Fairness Opinion Board (FOB) that included Micro-Small and Medium Scale Enterprises (MSMEs), technology experts, lawyers and even members of the academe.

The 5th edition’s theme was Global competitiveness through research-led, industry-linked technology transfers,” wherein sessions for consultancy/negotiation for technology transfer deals with potential investors were conducted.

 These varied from agri-aqua culture culture productivity that featured carrageenan as plant growth fertilizers, wilt culture that addresses fusarium wilt of solenceous crops and lamp diagnostic spot syndrome virus in shrimps and genome-based lateral flow biosensor kits.

 Industry competitiveness sessions were also conducted that offered technologies on stabilized brown rice, food innovation center for processing equipment, food innovation center products and even ready to drink mango juice with nata.

 Another session was for showcased agro-forestry machinery like non-wood dryers; bamboo technologies; hand tractor-attached rice transplanter; Central Luzon State University-technology hydroponics, and Central Luzon State University-technology biogas digester.

 Technology licensing agreements were also awarded.

 This is the 5th Technology Transfer activity that the DOST conducted this year. This is in accordance with Republic Act 10055, or the Philippine Technology Transfer Act of 2009. The Act mandates the DOST to provide the funding and support system for the ownership, management, use, and commercialization of intellectual property generated from research and development funded by the government.





Wednesday, December 27, 2017 , , ,

Wednesday, December 13, 2017

Brewing success with Cordillera coffee farmers



Getting one’s daily caffeine mix seems to be a walk in the park for some--be it a cappuccino from a favorite high-end cafe or a simple instant coffee from home. But this is not the case for two long-time friends whose love affair with coffee moved to a whole new level.

 Knowing that coffee is more complex in flavor than any other drink, Katherine Chelle “KC” Boter and Karen de Guzman are taking their beans very seriously.

 Thus, they put up Figures of Beans with the aim of bringing responsibly-grown, skillfully roasted and expertly prepared premium coffee right to anyone’s doorsteps.

 When KC left the private banking industry to do freelance work in 2015, she decided to partner with Karen who already had a bakeshop.

 “Every time I work, I really need coffee. I don’t want instant coffee, I want quality coffee, the ones that I get from Starbucks, Coffee Bean, and the others,” said the 26-year-old KC who graduated with a degree in Psychology from the De La Salle University.
KC believes that making a good cup of coffee with the best ingredients is the bedrock of a successful business.

 Figures of Beans sources its coffee from the Cordillera region, a major producer of international quality coffee beans.

 The two girls set up the business at a time when the Philippines remains highly dependent on imported coffee beans.

 Local production can hardly keep up with the continuous demand for coffee, prompting coffee-related businesses to heavily depend on imports from major producing countries such as Brazil, Vietnam, Indonesia, and India, among others.

 “We import a lot of coffee so we tried looking for other sources where we can really get good local coffee. We saw the potential of the industry here in the Philippines,” KC said.

 “Majority of our coffee beans comes from Sagada, some from Benguet. Before,  we used all imported coffee for our cupcakes and it was really expensive, about three times compared with the locally made,” Karen said.

 With a seed capital of roughly P30,000, KC and Karen started Figures of Beans, an online store which offers Cordillera coffee in six variants --  Irony (Sagada dark roast), Oxymoron (Arabica Robusta), Paradox (Benguet Arabica), Understatement (hazelnut), Metaphor (caramel) and Euphemism (vanilla).

 “We had to do the legwork since the brand was just starting. We had to approach stores one by one and talk to them about our products. It’s important that when they see our products, it is visually appealing but the end goal is to provide quality coffee,” KC said.

 “We started in stores in Tagaytay through the pasalubong centers. Then from there, we saw the warm reception of the customers, once they see Sagada they want to get it, they associate it with the experience they had when they went there,” she added.

 “We don’t take coffee literally. Coffee is so special from the production, coming from the farmers all the way to your cup, something that binds people together. For us, it’s not just coffee because there’s more to coffee,” KC said.

 Figures of Beans has since attracted a significant following.  To further expand their products’ reach, the duo teamed up with several merchants which now include Kultura by SM and Manila Peninsula, their biggest brands to date.

 “I handle all the big partners while Karen handles our online partners like Lazada, Shopinas, and Honestbee. Once we were out there online, other platforms saw us and they invited us to join,” KC said.

 While Figures of Beans is almost two years old, the two think the growth of the business has been unexpectedly fast, allowing them to get the return of their investment in a span of one year.

 “I think there is also the luck factor. When I started my own cafe, development was really slow. But with Figures of Beans,  we were able to partner with big brands,” said Karen, who has a Management degree from the University of Asia and the Pacific.

 While Figures of Beans can be considered a pioneer for carrying the Sagada brand, a similar line of business sprang up, making competition tougher.

 “When we started, it was only us but now, all of a sudden, there a lot of other brands. We really are the ones who started putting the Sagada coffee in retail stores. But we don’t really look at the competition because we want to focus on our own brand,” KC said.

 Apart from the coffee itself, KC and Karen wanted to share to consumers the joy of brewing their own coffee in the comforts of their homes and offices through instruction manuals included in every purchase of their products.

 “Not everyone knows how to brew. We are an instant coffee nation, that when we see ground coffee, we immediately assume that we can just mix it with water. With us, we want to encourage our customers to brew their own so they get to experience quality coffee,” KC said.

 “We want to provide quality content to our customers and readers by providing tips on how to brew their coffee and give educational videos as well,” she added.

 As of now, KC and Karen dream of expanding their business to other parts of the country and eventually building brick and mortar stores as well as tapping the international markets.

 “We had a lot of milestones but I think there’s still so much to improve on especially our products’ reach. Not because you’re with Kultura, you’re already big. We want people to know that we have good coffee here since a lot of people think they can only get good coffee from other countries,” KC said.

 On a larger scope, Karen and KC are urging the government and the private sector to help uplift the lives of coffee farmers and ensure a healthy supply of high-quality coffee for the future.
“The problem is that the younger generations do not want to farm anymore so the older ones can no longer pass on their knowledge. I think the government should provide programs to the farmers because we have enough space to plant but then again, we don’t have the programs to support them,” KC said.

 “We want to make programs for the farmers to make it sustainable for them. Some are disheartened to continue since there is no support. The only way for farmers to continue producing local coffee is to simply support them,” she added.

 Source: http://www.philstar.com/agriculture/2017/11/05/1755634/brewing-success-cordillera-coffee-farmers





Wednesday, December 13, 2017 , ,

DA goes all out for Agri-Tourism



It has been recognized that since 3 years ago, there is a market for Agricultural Tourism or Agri-Tourism. This country is fortunate that there is an agricultural sector with many success stories that prove that agriculture is sustainable and presents another facet for tourism.

 In the case of the Department of Agriculture 9DA), the agency has already recognized the potentials of Agri-Tourism. The DA is converting one of its research stations into an Agri-Tourism site.  

 The Davao Region Upland Agriculture Research Station (DARUARS) is set to convert the 429-hectare land into an agro-eco tourism area.

 According to DA-Davao Region Research and Regulations assistant director Angelina Pancho “This has a big potential to become an agro eco-tourism area. We can conduct research about climate resilient crops here and put more buildings which can help the farmers and IPs (indigenous people).”

 A multi-purpose building has been donated by the BAR which is a the P4-million multipurpose R&D building which plays a vital role in providing farmers the means of access to the various farming technologies generated from the works of the R&D community.

 “We want to foster an environment that will facilitate the easier adoption of new technologies that contribute more effectively to tackling the emerging challenges in agriculture, not only in this region but in other places as well,” DA-BAR director Nicomedes Eleazar said.





Wednesday, December 13, 2017 , ,

PH Sugar in Doldrums


Sugar production in the Philippines suffered an 11% decrease by October 22, 2017. This was disclosed by the Sugar Regulatory Authority (SRA).

 Production fell to 100,995 metric tons (MT) based on data on crop year 2017 – 2018 wherein the spiral reached down to 2.01 million od 50kilogram bags from 2.3 million 50 kilogram bags in 2016.

 It must be noted that the country's raw sugar demand was at 33% higher at 323,402 MT. This can be attributed also to the total number of sugarcanes milled at the same period that declined by 10% to 1.3 million MT. 

 Eight mills have started milling as of October 22, 2017, namely Biscom, First Farmers, Hawaiian, La Carlota, Sagay, URC-Sonedco and Victorias, where more than half or 57 percent came from Victorias.

 Another item to be considered is that in terms of refined sugar, production nearly tripled to 29,602 MT from 10,143 MT.

 Sugar prices at the mill gate declined 19% to P1,229 per 50-kg bag.
Wholesale and retail prices for raw, washed, and refined sugar also saw lower prices.       

 The Sugar industry sector has been beset by problems, particularly the issue of importation of corn-based fructose sugar that the local softdrinks industry saw as more cheaper than purchasing locally produced sugar from sugarcanes.





Wednesday, December 13, 2017 , ,

Rice Pests Return Causes More Losses

BHP Infested Ricefield. Losses have already amounted to Php17.87 million


 The Philippines has suffered damages to its rice crop amounting to Php17.87 million currently. This was caused by the re-emergence of the Brown PlantHopper (BPH).

 Last experienced in 2015, the BPH infestation called hopperburn has affected 4,000 hectares of ricefields in Samar. This worse than what was experienced last 2015 since the area now covered by the infestation is much larger than the nine provinces that experienced the hopperburn infestation in 2015 wherein 9 provinces were affected.

 Currently, hopperburn has infested 18 provinces and has grown three times than the 2015 infestation.

 Department of Agriculture (DA) Secretary has voiced concern for the return of hopperburn. This was disclosed during the forum held at the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA), Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel Piñol expressed concern over the re-emergence of BPH.

 This has caused losses to farmers and the agriculture sector mentioned is distressed.

 BPH also spreads viruses that causes rice ragged stunt and rice grassy stunt. BHP attacks the lower stalks that causes the leaves to turn brown and the rice husks have nothing inside them.

 Current pesticides in use have detrimental effects since these pesticides also kill the natural predators of BPH. “Instead of reducing BPH infestation, heavy pesticide use can kill the natural enemies of BPH and allow them to multiply and destroy crops without let-up,” the DA Secretary disclosed.

 The DA secretary assured farmers that the DA is closely monitoring the situation and that efforts are being made to mitigate and alleviate the effects of the infestation.

 The Acting Executive Director of PhilRice,  Sailila Abdula explained that BPH causes extensive sap loss owing to its feeding on the basal (lower) portion of the rice plant, resulting in drying or hopperburn.

 “Farmers should be equipped with proper and timely interventions on how to handle pest management,” Abdula disclosed.





Wednesday, December 13, 2017 , , ,

Augmenting PH Cattle Population



The Philippines Cattle Industry is the least developed in terms of technical, production and organization I the Agriculture Industry sector.

 Declining cattle population in the Philippines has been noted since more than a decade ago and yet demand for beef continues to increase.

 It must be acknowledged that since it is among the least developed sectors in agriculture, it needs to be upgraded. Currently, cattle raising is a privately held enterprise such as smallhold or backyard type of industry.

 It is thus in need of technical assistance since most or 94% is of the backyard type. In ASEAN, the Philippines has the lowest growth rate in terms of cattle population, scoring a “negative” in growth in population rates.

The solution has been to import cattle from Australia and even India. Now, the Department of Agriculture is set to import cattle from Latin America. 

 The World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) laid down guidelines that will allow the country to import the breeding materials.

 The protocols have already been set by the OIE according to Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel Piñol. This will enable the country to import cattle from Brazil and Argentina without violating foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) free without vaccination status policy.

 “It would involve the quarantine of the cattle for six months in an area to be cleared by the OIE before the animals are shipped to the Philippines,” Piñol said.

 “It would involve the quarantine of the cattle for six months in an area to be cleared by the OIE before the animals are shipped to the Philippines,” Piñol said.

 “Since all animals in both countries receive mandatory FMD vaccination, the six-month quarantine will be enough time to determine whether the animals are healthy or not,” the DA secretary stated.

 Private sector investors will be provided with an area and support by the DA for the establishment of the breeding program.





Wednesday, December 13, 2017 , , , ,

Tuesday, December 12, 2017

Extension of Access to High Seas Tuna Fishing Ground Sought by PH


The Philippines is one of the top Tuna producing countries in the world with 1.6 million people whose livelihood is dependent on the industry. Tuna remains the top export in the Philippine fishing industry sector contributing to 1.6% of the country’s Gross Domestic Product.

 Regulations in fishing for tuna in the high seas is monitored by the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC) to ensure continued economic fishing activities.

 The access to fishing for tuna in high seas pocket – 1 was granted to the Philippines in 2013 and will expire this year. The rights granted was for 5 years.

 The Philippines is now negotiating for an extension to access the high seas pocket- 1. “We are negotiating continued access to high seas pocket 1 and the current terms and conditions of the existing WCPFC conservation and management measures on tropical tunas,” Agriculture Undersecretary and Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources national director Eduardo Gongona said. 

 “We want at least five years. We have to generate income, employment, and economic activities. We would like to continue that situation and we will negotiate that with the commission,” the Usec added.

 “We are committed to our tuna catch where 75 percent of that goes to export and 25 percent are processed here and all of these linkages mean income and employment for the Philippines,” Gongona disclosed.

 The high seas pocket – 1 was opened in 2011 after a 2-year ban on tuna fishing in all 4 high seas – pockets due to the declining tuna population. The ban’s objective was to make the tuna population recover and then implement regulations so as to assure sustainability.

 The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations cited that markets for tuna products continue to increase based on the growth of consumption in new regions of the world and the dissemination of sushi as a global dietary trend.





Tuesday, December 12, 2017 ,

Wednesday, October 25, 2017

DA to boost bangus production



The government needs to increase its budget to build more hatcheries nationwide to sustain the country’s demand for milkfish, the Department of Agriculture said.

 The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) said at least P30 million is needed to put up more than 30 hatcheries all over the country to increase local production.

 Over the last two decades, the Philippines has become heavily dependent on imports of fry from Indonesia and Taiwan.

 “We need at least 1.5 billion fry to just sustain the industry and more than two billion for it to grow. With the existing three hatcheries, we are barely producing 30 million fry a year which means that almost all our fry are being imported,” BFAR-National Inland Fisheries Technology Center chief Westly Rosario told reporters.

 “But, the problem is imported fry has a survival rate of just 20 percent while locally-bred produce in our hatcheries is 80 percent,” he said.

 The P30 million budget would be used for satellite hatcheries and the impact of the program can already be seen three years after.

 However, this plan is unlikely to materialize anytime soon as the DA’s proposed budget for 2018 got a huge slash.

 “Budget for technical centers has been lower. For the whole NIFTC, we will just be getting about P33 million and there are a lot of species. For milkfish alone, less than P3 million has been allocated,” Rosario said.

 Studies showed that 20 years from now, the local demand for food would not come from crops, livestock and poultry, but from aquaculture.

 “We have a huge coastal area compared to our land area therefore, that’s where we should focus. We need to support our aquaculture programs,” Rosario said.

 Milkfish production managed to bounce back and record a nine percent increase to 110,000 metric tons in the second quarter, 99 percent of which comprised aquaculture.

 The increase was attributed to improved stocking density from brackish water fishponds in Pampanga due to availability of quality milkfish fry, as well as bigger sizes of milkfish harvested.

 By: Louise Maureen Simeon
Philstar

 Source: http://www.philstar.com/agriculture/2017/10/01/1744212/da-boost-bangus-production





Wednesday, October 25, 2017 ,

Mango Industry to be Boosted by DA

Philippine Mangoes

In recent years, the production of Philippine mangoes continued to decline. Before mango production was at 1 million metric tons (MT) but currently, it has declined to as low as 600,000 MT. Mangoes have been one of the premium agricultural exports of the Philippines.

 This was brought about by the infestation of the cecid fly that affected the top mango producing areas of the country.

 The Department of Agriculture (DA) is addressing the situations in the mango plantations starting in Davao del Sur.

 The DA will commence with the rehabilitation of 110 hectares in the Davao region. In addressing the situation, the DA will be providing foliar and granulated fertilizers, flower inducers, insecticides, fungicides and even plastic crates to spur mango production.

 DA High-Value Crops Development Program Regional Coordinator Melani Provideo stated, “The unproductive trees that will be rehabilitated should be at least 10 years old and above with location within the mango cluster areas.” 

 “Farmers who intend to avail themselves of rehabilitation assistance must be accredited members of farmers organization or cooperative identified by the local government units,” Provideo also added.

 Attendance of training will be required for the farmer-recipients of the program and the adoption of recommended technologies on mango production is another requirement. This includes appropriate fertilization and pruning and good agricultural practices.

 Mango export volume has declined by more than 30% according to the Philippine Mango Exporters Foundation Inc. 

 The DA is formulating a five-year master plan for the mango industry.

 “We used to produce one million metric tons, now we are below 600,000 MT. It’s been going down 15 percent every year. Other countries like Thailand, Vietnam, Mexico are already filling up the demand even with their less premium mangoes,” the Philippine Mango Exporters Foundation Inc. said.





Wednesday, October 25, 2017 ,

WB Report: The Key to Mindanao Agri Growth: Connectivity

Agriculture in Mindanao

The infrastructure needed to link farm produce to markets in Mindanao has always been the bane of its development. Rich in natural resources, the infrastructure needed for harnessing its potential has been sorely lacking.

 Way back in the Commonwealth era, the infrastructure plan was a combination of roads and railways. Unfortunately, WWII occurred and the resources needed for infrastructure development was siphoned off to rebuilding the country after the war.

 Succeeding administrations have failed to address the situation and the current infrastructure in Mindanao has hampered its growth.

 The World Bank in its Philippine Economic update emphasized the need to address the limited connectivity between the farmers to the markets. This will not only spur domestic development but also tap the foreign market potential for Mindanao’s agricultural products.

 “Farmers are disconnected or misconnected with technical service providers, agro-enterprises, markets, and consumers, a problem that has multiple consequences. Many roads are in bad condition or congested, resulting in rejected agricultural produce, especially perishable commodities like bananas and other fruits and vegetables,” the World Bank report stated.

 A seamless logistic network from farm to markets will require investments in infrastructures from the village to major roads. This will also induce more competition in the domestic shipping industry and with the new cabotage laws, the transport via domestic shipping will add to the fast and efficient conveyance of trade and merchandise. Port processes for import and export must also be streamlined.

 “Lowering logistics costs would significantly benefit Mindanao’s agriculture value chains. An efficient logistics system is essential if Mindanao’s potential of becoming a global supplier of basic and value-added produce is to be realized,” the report noted.

 The World Bank said there is an opportunity to expand the production of exportable agriculture products: aquatic, coffee and coconut products.

 This involves linking farmers more closely with enterprises, as it is primarily agribusinesses that have the opportunity to differentiate or diversify product lines,” it added.

 Increased productivity will reduce the prices of food and other commodities and improve the competitiveness of the agricultural sector.





Wednesday, October 25, 2017 , , , ,

PH Scientists Awarded by Japanese Scientific Forum

Philippine Nuclear Research Institute

A team of Filipino scientists that developed the Plant Food Supplement (PFS) via the using radiation technology was awarded the  2017 Excellent Research Team of the Year Award by the Japan-based Forum for Nuclear Cooperation in Asia (FNCA).

 The team from the Department of Science and Technology-Philippine Nuclear Research Institute (DOST-PNRI) garnered the award. 

 The potential of the project in spurring the development of Philippine agriculture towards national food security was recognized by the Japanese government. Also, the project can help mitigate the effects of El Niño and climate change that ravage farmlands in the countryside.

 The research team is led by Career Scientist Dr. Lucille Abad who heads DOST-PNRI’s Chemistry Research Section. With just 3.2 liters per hectare of water mixed with the right proportion of the PFS, the formulation was proven effective in increasing the yield of rice, mung bean, and other crops by over 20 percent. 

 With the application of the PFS in field tests, it was determined that PFS enhanced resistance against tungro bacilliform virus and bacterial leaf blight. Further, fields sprayed with PFS had higher survival rate after a violent storm compared with nearby fields that were not treated with PFS. 

 Launched in November 2015,  DOST started the widespread testing of PFS in Luzon, Panay Island, Zamboanga, and Davao. The experiments showed proof the advantages and benefits of PFS.

 PFS is developed from carrageenan, a common industrial ingredient made from seaweeds. Subjecting to radiation the polymers of carrageenan it formed natural bioactive agents that can improve the health and increase the growth and yield of various crops.

 Carrageenan has already been used as organic fertilizer in rice crops before but this is the first time that radiation exposure was utilized in enhancing its potentials. The carrageenan used for the PFS was irradiated at PNRI’s  Electron Beam Irradiation Facility in Diliman, Quezon City, the first and only facility of its kind in the country dedicated to semi-commercial services.

 Eventually, several tons of PFS from PNRI was deployed for field test purposes and these were applied to thousands of hectares of rice fields in selected provinces of Regions 2 and 3, specifically in Tuguegarao, Cagayan, Ilagan, Isabela and in Pulilan, Bulacan.





Wednesday, October 25, 2017 , , , , ,

Php30 million for Iloilo Agri Finance from DA


Dumangas, Iloilo. Photo courtesy of SEAFDEC

The Production Loan Easy Access Program has been made available to the Municipality of Dumangas and Passi City as part of the efforts of the Department of Agriculture (DA) in further spurring the development of agriculture in these localities. 

 A Php30 million loan fund and Php10million loan fund for Dumangas and Passi City respectively will be made available for farmers and fishermen for the localities of Iloilo is expected wherein farmers and fishermen will be able to get financing amounting to Phpo5,000 to Php25,000 with no collateral requirements and will have a payable term of two years.

 According to Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel Pinol, the lending program will be available through local cooperatives and rural banks and the maturity will depend on the kind of agricultural commodity.

 This will reduce the dependency of farmers on government subsidies and dole outs, and contribute to the administration’s target of reducing national poverty by the year 2022.

 A grains processing complex for the milling, packaging, and marketing of Passi City’s produce, as well as a tissue culture laboratory and organic fertilizer processing facility, is also planned by the DA.

 In Dumangas , 500 hectares of abandoned fishponds  wll be converted into mangrove replanting areas that will benefit  one of the richest oyster production areas of Panay Island. Protection of to fishponds, oyster farms and hatcheries is being backed by the DA to protect it against the construction of an environmentally and ecologically unsafe fuel depot in Dumangas. 

 “I already signed an endorsement of the BFAR position paper to Iloilo Governor Arthur Defensor. While the town is interested in inviting investors to come to the town, we should respect the position of the people who depend on the sea for their livelihood,” DA Secretary Pinol stated. 





Wednesday, October 25, 2017 , , ,

Avian Influenza Outbreak: Not Likely from Migratory Birds



The recent outbreak of Avian Influenza in Pampanga and Nueva Ecija was not likely brought by migratory birds. This was disclosed by Carlo Custodio, a consultant of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources-Biodiversity Management Bureau (DENR-BMB) said. 

 In a roundtable discussion organized by the National Research Council last month, it was stated that migratory birds should not be automatically blamed for the spread of Avian Influenza. 

 “Avian influenza in the Philippines is not traceable to migratory birds. Do not blame the migratory birds as they are victims, too (of the infection),”  Custodio said. 

 Entitled “Avian Influenza – How do we Prevent its Entry and Spread: Policy Implications Towards Early Detection, Management and Mitigation,” the forum was held on last month at the Bayleaf Hotel in Intramuros, Manila.

 The first and last recorded incident of Avian Influenza was in 2006 and yet migratory birds have been annually migrating to the country from temperate climes. 

 Custodio said that global multi-agency Scientific Task Force on Avian Influenza and Wild Birds had issued a statement against unjustly and unfairly blaming wild birds for AIV incidences around the world.

 According to the Scientific Task Force’s statement, the H5N8 Pathogenic Avian Influenza outbreaks are associated with intensive domestic poultry production. The statement was   issued last December 2016

 The effect of the wrong attribution of Pathogenic Avian Influenza to migratory birds have resulted in mortality and conservation issues.

 The task force has said that attributing the spread of HPAI viruses to wild birds has resulted in mortality and conservation issues.

 “The specific role of wild birds particularly in the long-distance transmission of the virus, if existent, remains unclear,” Custodio disclosed and was based on  the task force’s Dec. 20, 1996 statement.

 The outbreak led to the deaths of 34,000 chickens and another 500,000 were culled so as to prevent the spread of the virus to other poultry farms.





Wednesday, October 25, 2017 , , , ,

Standardized Mechanization Program Pushed by DA


100% National Rice Self-Sufficiency can be attained and that is why the Department of Agriculture is pushing for standardized mechanization in agriculture.

 This particularly important in the rice-producing sector of agriculture since standardized mechanization will reduce post-harvest losses and would lead to the above-mentioned objective. The reduction in post-harvest losses will ameliorate the three million metric tons (MT) of rice losses annually.

 “Japan, for example, has a 16 percent mechanization rate while our country has only two percent mechanization rate. If we can lessen post-harvest loss by at least six to eight percent, we can already achieve rice sufficiency,” DA Secretary Emmanuel Piñol said.

  “If we wish to help farmers increase their productivity and income, let’s give them the best, so we can also change their mindset,” the DA Secretary further added.

 This standardized mechanization program will also be complemented by the use of high yielding hybrid rice varieties that will translate to increased production and higher quality of rice yields.

  “By simply planting hybrid rice on our farms, we can increase harvest and income. We don’t even have to expand production areas,” Piñol disclosed.

 The objective is to increase the level of mechanization to 4-horsepower per hectare as what is standard in ASEAN countries according to the Philippine Center for Post-Harvest Development and Mechanization (PhilMech). 

 Currently, the average horse[power per hectare in the country is 3-horsepower per hectare.

 According to PhilMech, a boost in the budget for mechanization will enable Filipino farmers to be at par with the farmers in Thailand and Vietnam, both rice exporting countries.

 “Our new advocacy is to develop and commercialize the technologies where stakeholders will be the ones to tell us what they want and need, then we will address their concerns,” PhilMech stated.

 Standardized Mechanization together with the use of hybrid rice varieties as adopted by farmers and agricultural cooperatives will make the target of National Rice Self-Sufficiency attainable soon.





Wednesday, October 25, 2017 , , , ,
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