Vol. XXIV No. V A Monthly Publication of the Department of Agriculture May 2009

2009 Q1 Performance2009 Q1 Performance2009 Q1 Performance2009 Q1 Performance2009 Q1 Performance

AgAgAgAgAgri gri gri gri gri grrrrrooooows bws bws bws bws by 2%y 2%y 2%y 2%y 2%

DA unveils ‘virtual techno,market link,’ Pinoy agri kart

(Pls turn to p2)

‘Boodle Fight’. Agriculture Secretary Arthur C. Yap (right)shares lunch, kamayan style, with farmers, fishermen, live-stock raisers, agri-entrepreneurs and the private sector, aspart of the culminating activities of the 2009 Farmers’ andFisherfolk’s Month celebration, at the DA-Bureau of Soils andWater Management, in Quezon City.

Agriculture Secretary Arthur C. Yap (right) proudly shows toDr. Fahad A. Balghunaim (2nd from right), agriculture min-ister of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), and members ofthe KSA agricultural trade and investment mission, a freshcatch of milkfish (bangus) from the 60-hectare mariculturepark (MP), in Panabo City, Davao.(Pls turn to p11)

The Philippine agriculture sec-tor posted a modest growth of 2.02percent (%) during the first threemonths of 2009, with all the foursub-sectors--crops, livestock,poultry and fisheries--registeringpositive gains.

The total agricultural output isestimated at P309.3 billion at cur-rent prices, 10.4% more than lastyear’s level.

In a report to Agriculture Secre-tary Arthur C. Yap, Director RomeoRecide of the DA-Bureau of Agri-cultural Statistics (DA-BAS) saidfor the crops sub-sector, palay(unmilled rice) production in-creased by 5.13% to 3.94 millionmetric tons (MT), while corn har-vest totaled 1.93 million MT, 3.4%lower than last year’s level.

The significant palay harvestcame from five regions--Bicol,Central Luzon, Cagayan Valley,SOCCSKSARGEN, and Ilocos--where harvest areas have ex-panded due to sufficiency of wa-

ter from repaired national irrigationsystems and shallow tubewells,and availability of certified andhybrid seeds through the DA re-gional field units, Philippine RiceResearch Institute, and privateseed companies.

The poultry sub-sector ex-panded by 4.08%, while the live-stock subsector made a turn-

Police has sketch of

Dir. Lasam’s killersStory on page 2

Joined by the country’s leadingagribusiness entrepreneurs, Agri-culture Secretary Arthur C. Yaplaunched on May 29, 2009 twomajor initiatives that aim to pro-vide technical and marketing as-sistance to farmers, fishers, otherclienteles and stakeholders, andlink them directly with technicalexperts or prospective buyers andclients, in real time, anywhere inthe Philippines.

The first is known as the ‘Vir-

tual Techno and Market Link,’

while the second is the ‘Pinoy Agri

Kart.’

For the first project, SecretaryYap and a group ofagribusinessmen, led by Philip-pine Food Exporters (Philfoodex)

Association president RobertoAmores, had a teleconferencefrom the DA-BSWM conventionhall in Quezon City with fruit farm-ers and fish processors in Davaoand Toril cities in Mindanao.

Saudis eye $300Magri investments

(Pls turn to p11)

A 26-man agricultural trade andinvestment mission from the King-dom of Saudi Arabia, led by theirAgriculture Minister Dr. Fahad A.Balghunaim, has committed toinvest an initial $300 million in thecountry’s farm sector.

They expressed keen interestin the propagation of corn,basmati rice, alfalfa, bananas,pineapples, and maricultureprojects, said Marriz Agbon, presi-dent of the Department ofAgriculture’s Philippine Agricul-tural Development and Commer-

Farmers are happier thesedays, as the price support for yel-low corn has been raised to P13per kilo, from P11.50.

Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yapsaid government through the De-partment of Agriculture’s NationalFood Authority (DA-NFA) will buyas much as 300,000 metric tons(MT) of yellow corn, starting in themain harvest season in August.

Corn price supportCorn price supportCorn price supportCorn price supportCorn price support

is now P13 per kilois now P13 per kilois now P13 per kilois now P13 per kilois now P13 per kilo

(Pls turn to p11)

Writers: Adora D. Rodriguez, Arlhene S. Carro, Mc. Bien Saint Garcia

Contributors: Info Officers of DA-RFUs, Bureaus, Attached Agencies &

Corporations, Foreign Assisted Projects

Photograhers: Jose Lucas, Alan Jay Jacalan & Alarico Nuestro

Lay-out Artists: Almie Erlano, Alan Jay Jacalan & Bethzaida Bustamante

Circulation: Teresita Abejar & PCES Staff

Printing: Oscar Barlaan & Romulo Joseco

2

Editorial

is published monthly by the Department of Agriculture

Information Service, Elliptical Road, Diliman, Quezon City. Tel. nos.9288741 loc 2148, 2150, 2155, 2156 or 2184; 9204080 or tel/fax9280588. This issue is now available in PDF file. For copies, pleasesend requests. via email da_afis@yahoo.com.

Editor-In-Chief : Noel O. Reyes

Associate Editors: Karenina Salazar, Joan Grace Pera, Cheryl C. Suarez

Agri grows... (from p1)

around, posting a 2.37% growth.Finally, the fisheries sub-sector

grew by 3.49%, due to the strong4.8% yield of municipal fisheries.

Besides palay, the other bigoutput gainers in the crops sub-sector were cassava (5%), ba-nana (5%), tomato (3.4%), pine-apple (3.6%), and tobacco (3.4%).

 In terms of value at currentprices, the crops sub-sector ledwith P172.7 billion, roughly 55.8%of total output; followed by fisher-ies, P53.3B (17.3%); livestock,P46.7 B (15.1%); and poultry,P36.6B (11.8%).

Farmgate prices increased byan average of 8.25 percent duringthe first quarter.

The crops subsector registeredan average price increase of 10.34percent.

Palay price continued to postdouble digit growth and this year,it was 20.16 percent higher thanlast year’s level.This was attrib-uted to stiff competition and higherbuying prices of traders.

Corn price was up by 25.19 per-cent as a result of sustained de-mand for white corn from the‘cornick’ industry and as substi-tute for rice. There was also higherdemand for yellow corn from feedmillers.

Meanwhile, the DA-BAS saidpalay production for the first se-

Once again, cheersOnce again, cheersOnce again, cheersOnce again, cheersOnce again, cheers

to our countrto our countrto our countrto our countrto our countryside heryside heryside heryside heryside heroesoesoesoesoes

TUGUEGARAO, Cagayan –Task Force Lasam operatives yes-terday expressed confidence ofarresting soon the suspects in theambush of a government execu-tive following the release of thephysical sketch of one of the gun-men in the said killing last April14.

Chief Supt. Roberto Damian,Cagayan Valley police director,said that they have already an art-ist sketch of the suspects in thekilling of Department of AgricultureCagayan Valley DirectorGumersindo Lasam, who wasshot dead on board his vehiclewhile on his way to his farm inBarangay Basi West, Solano townhere.

In the computer-generatedsketch, Damian described the 25-to 28-year-old suspect as me-dium built with dark complexion,5’5”to 5’6” in height and weighing60 to 70 kg.

According to witnesses,

Sketch out for Dir. Lasam’s killersDamian said, the suspect, one ofLasam’s two assailants on boarda motorcycle, was wearing a bluet-shirt and dark short pants whenthey shot dead the 63-year-oldLasam.

Meanwhile, Damian said that atleast five angles are being lookedinto as possible motive behind thekilling.

This, he said, includes job orpersonal-related, business andpolitics. Investigators, he said,they are also considering theP780-million fertilizer fund scamas possible motive in Lasam’sslay.

“We are considering all possiblemotives in the incident. But rightknow, we can’t pinpoint any sus-pects or possible brains behindthe killing. We are doing every-thing for the early solution of thiscase,” Damian said. (By Fran-

cisco C. Hidalgo Jr. ; source: http:/

memorialwebsites.legacy.com/

gomer/MemorialSite.aspx)

This month, we are onceagain paying tribute to our time-less, hardworking heroes in thecountryside, the farmers andfishers, who continuously toil tofeed the nation. Their contribu-tion to our economy, therefore,cannot be understated.

But what makes them trulycommendable is that they con-tinue to do their daily choreswell, despite being subjected tothe vagaries of the weather,threats of pests and diseases,lack of infrastructure, and inad-equate financial, technical andmarketing assistance .

 Acknowledging that accessto technical support and marketlinkages is the most pressingdilemma faced by farmers andfisherfolk, Secretary Arthur C.Yap made it an opportune venue-- the Farmer’s and FisherfolkCulminating Ceremony on May29 -- to unveil two novel initia-tives: ‘Virtual Techno andMarket Link’ and the PinoyAgri Kart.

The Virtual Techno & MarketLink is billed as the embodimentof a modern DA, delivering tech-nical and market assistance onreal time, anywhere in the archi-pelago, via the Voice OverInternet Protocol (VOIP).

A work in progress, the projectwill be rolled out at DA regionaloffices and units, and majorBagsakan Centers that will re-duce the costs of travel, com-munication, and marketing --which in turn would translate tosavings for other worthy DA ini-tiatives. Plans are also under-

way with the project’s e-pay-ment component with partnerbanks.

 On the other hand, the PinoyAgri Kart, designed a jeepney,will promote agri-fishery exportsat the country’s major interna-tional and domestic airports andseaports, trade fairs and othervenues. It will be also offered asa livelihood enterprise for over-seas Filipino workers and retir-ees, through an affordable so-cial franchising scheme.

 In coming up with theseprojects, Secretary Yapstressed that the crucial chainbetween production and con-sumption must be shortenedand made stronger to buttressgreater opportunity and moreincomes for smallholders, andthus hasten the country’s jour-ney from subsistence farming tocompetitive and sustainable ag-riculture.

 It means a food supply chainthat is fully integrated – from thefarms to the processing facili-ties, onto domestic and globalmarkets – providing food pro-ducers assured and direct mar-kets for their harvests, and con-sumers with more affordableand sufficient volumes of food.

 We therefore hope that allagri-fishery stakeholders willfully embrace and support theseinitiatives and other efforts, aswe all work toward surmountingthe huge challenge of increas-ing the incomes of small farm-ers and fishers, and providingadequate, affordable, nutritiousfood for our countrymen.

mester of 2009 may reach 7.37million MT, 3.6% higher than the7.12 million MT harvest in 2008.Harvest area may expand by3.7%, from 1.88 to 1.95 millionhectares.

The July-September 2009 palayoutput is forecast at 3.55 millionMT, 2.4% above last year’s 3.47million MT. Harvest area may in-crease by 2.1% or from 954,000hectares to 974,000 hectares.

Corn production is expected tobe lower than last year’s recorddue to the adverse effects of con-tinuous and/or excessive rains,strong winds and cold spell. Theoccurrence of corn planthopperswas likewise noted.

On the other hand, the January-June 2009 corn production is ex-pected to decrease by 2.5%, from3.29 million MT last year to 3.21million MT this year. Harvest areaand yield may decrease by 0.5%and 2%, respectively.

The July-September 2009 cornoutput is expected to increase by2.3%, from 2.26 million MT lastyear to 2.31 million MT this year.Harvest area may contract by0.1%.

The DA-BAS said the April-June and July-September 2009forecasts were the results of theApril 2009 Palay and Corn Produc-tion Survey (PCPS) conductednationwide.

May 2009 3

Agriculture Sec. Arthur Yap hasallocated P25 million to help fish-ermen fix their fish cages dam-aged by typhoon Emong in themunicipalities of Bolinao andAnda, in Pangasinan.

Together with BFAR directorMalcolm I. Sarmiento, Jr.,Sec.Yap just came from Manado,Indonesia, after attending theWorld Ocean Sea Conference andthe Coral Triangle Initiative Sum-mit, which was also graced byPresident Gloria Macapagal-Ar-royo.

While in Bolinao, he met withfish cage owners and local officialsand discussed with them the DA’srehabilitation plan.

The local officials were led byPangasinan Governor AmadoEspino, Bolinao Mayor AlfonsoCeleste, and Vice Mayor EliasQuisay.

 “We need to act fast in reha-bilitating the fish cages in theseareas. Growing bangus to market-

DDDDDA allots P25M to fA allots P25M to fA allots P25M to fA allots P25M to fA allots P25M to fix fix fix fix fix fish caish caish caish caish caggggges in Pes in Pes in Pes in Pes in Pangangangangangasinanasinanasinanasinanasinan

able size requires at least 6 to 7months and this would meanshortage and hike in fish prices inMetro Manila,” Yap said.

 Yap stressed the need to ad-

dress the issues of food securityand the livelihood of the affectedfisherfolk as well as the impor-tance of restoring the supply linesof bangus to Metro Manila mar-

kets.Bolinao and Anda, and nearby

areas supply a total of 120 MT ofbangus to Metro Manila. Becauseof the typhoon damage, the sup-ply was cut to only 40 tons.

 To compensate for the 80-tonshortfall, the DA and the BFARhave requested the commercialfishermen to increase theirunloadings of galunggong andtamban at the Navotas Fish Port.

Five big commercial fish opera-tors have immediately responded,which include Frabelle, RBL, Irma,TransWorld Journey, Mega Fish-ing and Jimmy Yap of ZamboangaCity .  

 For bangus supply, the Lagunade Bay operators have also agreedto increase their daily harvest by30 tons.

 Yap also instructed the NationalFood Authority to increase thesupply of NFA rice at P18.25 perkilo to the barangays affected bythe typhoon.

 He instructed the DA-BFARIlocos Region to coordinate withconcerned LGUs to formulate theguidelines in identifying thefisherfolk-beneficiaries under aselection criteria, as well as iden-tifying the most appropriate assis-tance to be given.

 The fish operators in the prov-inces of Pangasinan and La Unionincurred losses estimated aroundP500M or 6,000 tons due to thedamage borught by typhoonEmong. The loss is equivalent to3.7% of the regional annual fishproduction, according to DA-BFAR Region 1 director NestorDomenden. (BFAR)

Agriculture Secretary

Arthur Yap (2nd from

right) discusses the

rehabilitation of

typhoon-damaged fish

cages with owners and

local officials of bolina

led by Mayor Alfonso

Celeste. Sec. Yap is

flanked by Dir.

malcolm Sarmiento of

the Bureau of Fisher-

ies and Aquatice

Resources, DA-BFAR

Regional Director

Nestor Domenden and

DA-Reg. I Director

Cipriano Santiago.

Close to 60,000 farmers and agritechnicians nationwide have ben-efited from the 39 information cara-vans organized by the Departmentof Agriculture through the Agricul-tural Training Institute (DA-ATI)since mid-2008, covering 15 re-gions.

In a report to Agriculture Secre-tary Arthur Yap, ATI DirectorAsterio Saliot said 59,265 farm-ers, agricultural extension work-ers and other agriculture stake-holders benefited from the infocaravans, dubbed as“Teknokliniks,” that focused  onthe government’s FIELDS pro-gram, President Arroyo’s center-piece agriculture agenda to attainfood security and rice self-suffi-ciency by 2013.

FIELDS stands for Fertilizer, Ir-rigation and other rural infrastruc-ture, Education and ExtensionWork, Loans, Dryers and otherpostharvest facilities, and Seeds.

Saliot said the info caravans arepart of the Education and Exten-sion component of FIELDS.

He said the major concerns dis-cussed in the caravans include:fertilizer price and subsidy; reha-bilitation/construction of new irri-gation systems;extension pro-

60,000 farmers, agri workersbenefit from info caravans

grams reaching the farmer level;loan types/application process/crop insurance; maintenance/op-erating costs of dryers; and seedquality control.

During the caravan, the partici-pants were given FIELDS brief-ing manual and other advocacymaterials.

Further, Saliot said the ATI asof December 2008 had trained235 agricultural technicians onmodern rice technologies, or-ganic fertilizer manufacturing,vegetable production, and otherenvironment-friendly farming prac-tices. They will then train over

The agricultural technicians,will, in turn, train 500,000 farm-ers nationwide by the end of the2009 wet season.

Saliot reported that the latestbatches of trainors come from theprovinces of Cagayan, Rizal,Albay, Sorsogon, Iloilo, Lanao delNorte, North Cotabato, andBasilan.

The ATI is targeting to train4,320 technicians until July 2009.

Saliot said the remaining 4,320trainees make up the bulk of the6,120 agricultural technicianscovered by the FIELDS programto help train over 500,000 farm-

ers in new environment-friendlyfarming technologies.

Besides providing training onorganic fertilizer manufacturing,Saliot said the ATI is also teach-ing trainors on new technologiesto boost the production of palaysuch as “Palay Check,” veg-etables and root crops.

The 1,800 agricultural techni-

cians who completed training in

2008 trained 80,997 participants

in farmers’ field schools from De-

cember 2008 to March 2009 dry

season; and another 439,123 in

2009.

  The above cited trainings were

also complemented with other

extension activities like “school on

the air” program, electronic exten-

sion (e-extension), on-line courses

and text support. As of May 12, 2009, there are

4,050 farmers, RIC and 4-H who

graduated on various “school-on-

the-air” courses all over the coun-

try.

  Moreover, the on-line courses

graduated 464 farmers and exten-

sion workers the text support pro-gram which was launched last

January 29, 2009 provided imme-

diate answers to queries of 479

individuals mostly farmers, as of

April 2009.  

4

NFA assures

stable rice supply

The DA’s National Food Au-thority (NFA) assures the pub-lic that it has enough rice in-ventory--through rice importsand intensive local procurementof summer palay harvest--tostabilize and deter any unwar-ranted price increases.

Currently, the NFA has 22 mil-lion bags, good for one monthbased on the country’s daily re-quirement of 35, 000 metrictons and five months ‘rice sup-ply based on the agency’s dailyrice sales.

“We can infuse rice whereverand whenever necessary just tomake sure the ordinary con-sumer will have access to goodquality, affordable rice,” saidNFA administrator JessupNavarro.

Navarro said that an increasein the price of commercial riceat this time is a normal marketreaction at the end of harvest,aggravated by the damagewrought by two typhoons,Dante and Emong.

“With the summer harvestnow ending, traders are com-peting and paying more forwhatever supply is left, therebypushing up palay and riceprices.

NFA’s commercial grade riceremains at P25 per kilogram.NFA is also selling high-end va-rieties at P28 per kilo (15%brokens) and P32 per kilo (5%brokens).

Meanwhile, the P18.25 per kgrice is still available at TindahanNatin outlets and sold exclu-sively to the families with Fam-ily Access Card issued by theDepartment of Social Welfareand Development or included inthe Rice Allocation Ledger in theprovinces.

The Department of Agricultureis pushing for the integration of thecorn, feed, livestock and poultrysubsectors as part of its total sys-tems approach to ensuring sus-tained development and globalcompetitiveness.

Agriculture Assistant SecretarySalvador Salacup said the DA willencourage more feed milling andhog- and chicken-growing venturesin corn-producing areas; and, in-versely, corn-planting activitiesaround hog and chicken areas toto achieve said integration.

“Secretary Arthur Yap and theDA livestock agencies--Bureau ofAnimal Industry, Livestock Devel-opment Council, National Meat In-spection Service, National DairyAuthority and Philippine CarabaoCenter--are determined to rein-force the sector, and guaranteethe future progress of the Filipinohog industry,” Salacup said dur-ing a recent hog convention andtrade exhibit.

 Yap has also rolled out severalimperatives to help the hog indus-try hurdle the current woes it isnow facing, such as the high costand unstable supply of feeds; theprevalence of diseases; high mar-keting costs; calamities and in-

Integration of corn, feed, livestock,poultry industries in the offing

tractable weather conditions.These are:

1. Improving the quality of ani-mals through the unified animalinsemination and breeder farmaccreditation programs, which willentail the repair and restoration ofsix mini-liquid nitrogen plants inCentral Luzon, Central Visayas,Northern Mindanao and DavaoRegion to enhance artificial in-semination services of its localgovernment partners for small andlarge ruminants;

2. Carrying on with the promo-tion of food safety and moderniza-tion by encouraging good agricul-tural and manufacturing practices;

3. Bringing science into the sup-ply chain by increasing researchactivities into bio-security, animalhealth, post-production, and in the

marketing and distribution of live-stock and poultry products;

4. Continuing to carry out inter-ventions to bolster the country’sbid to secure certification from theOffice International desEpizooties declaring Luzon asFMD-free, and in effect, the entirePhilippines;

5. Expanding prevention andcontrol measures against theEbola Reston virus (ERV);

6. Stepping up efforts to eradi-cate the Newcastle disease andhog cholera, and continuing to dis-tribute vaccines and medicines tolivestock raisers and LGUs on aregular basis; and

7. Addressing the high cost ofinputs by vigorously pursuing andimplementing the GinintuangMasaganang Ani Corn Program.

As the Arroyo administrationrestores and rehabilitates irriga-tion facilities nationwide, it willalso generate nearly 123,000 jobs,as part of the ComprehensiveLivelihood and Emergency Em-p l o y - ment Pro-

g r a m(CLEEP).

In a reportto AgricultureS e c r e t a r yArthur Yap,AdministratorC a r l o sSalazar of theDA-NationalIrrigation Ad-ministration(NIA) said therehabilitationof irrigation fa-cilit ies thisyear will cover68,000 hect-ares of land,while the res-toration phase

will service ana d d i t i o n a l133,000 hect-ares.

Rehabilita-tion involvesminor repairsof canals andthe suste-

nance of irrigation areas while res-toration entails the repair of ca-nal structures, diversion worksand excavations to make nonfunc-tional irrigated areas serviceable.

Salazar said the projectswould benefit mostly Mindanaoand the North Luzon AgribusinessQuadrangle.

“The irrigation projects are es-timated to cost P8 billion, and willdirectly benefit 88,700 farmers.

Meanwhile, various CLEEPprojects in Northern Luzon andBohol have benefited 9,400 farm-ers and ruralfolk.

On top of the jobs generated bythe DA, Yap said various Depart-ments have also came up withtheir respective employmentprojects, such as the Cash-for-Work and Food-for- Work pro-grams of the Department of So-cial Welfare and Development,Out-of-School Youths ServicingTowards Economic Recovery(OYSTER) project of the Depart-ment of the Interior and LocalGovernment, and the KANAN Pro-gram of the Department of PublicWorks and Highways.

In Bohol, Yap said that loanstotalling P2.82 million were pro-vided by the Department of Agrar-ian Reform to farmers through theBantolinao Farmers MultipurposeCooperative.

Irrigation projectsto create 123,000 jobs

The DA has also provided jobsto Boholanons through variousprojects like repair and rehabilita-tion of irrigation systems, con-struction of farm-to-market roads,Gulayan ng Masa, goat and swinedispersal, and Bantay Dagat.

The DA is undertaking infra-structure projects that includeLoay and Dimiao fishports, andMalijao Irrigation and TangohayDam Rehabilitation Project andfarm-to-market roads.

Agno River Irrigation Project. AgricultureSecretary Arthur C. Yap (3rd from left)  andTrade Secretary Peter Favilla (2nd from left)witness the exchange of Memorandum ofAgreement between DA-National IrrigationAuthority Administrator Carlos Salazar (left)and Chairperson Luo Yan of CAMCE Engi-neering Co. Ltd., at the contract signing of theP11.2-Billion Agno River Integrated IrrigationProject. When completed, it will rehabilitateand irrigate 32,450 hectares of farm

5May 2009

Bruneians’ RP visit a success

For harvesting a record 345cavans (17.25 tons) per hectare,69-year old Severino G. Payumoof Barangay Buliran, CabanatuanCity, is this year’s most outstand-ing hybrid rice farmer of NuevaEcija, and for that matter of theentire country.

He attained the yield during thejust concluded 2008-09 dry sea-son. His feat was officially con-firmed by a panel of judges fromthe DA’s Philippine Rice ResearchInstitute, DA-Regional Field Unit3, Central Luzon State University,Nueva Ecija Provincial AgricultureOffice, Cabanatuan City Agricul-ture Office, and representatives ofa hybrid rice company (SLAgritech).

In a way, his accomplishmentdisproves the misreported prolif-eration of “bansot” or stunted hy-brid rice plants early this year inthe province.

To recall, the controversystarted when a hybrid rice vari-ety (SL8) exhibited stuntedgrowth, and initiated flowering,causing panic among farmers.

They then plowed the bansot

plants under the soil and re-planted. And it was a wrong, hastydecision, experts said.

As a result, they were left be-hind by those who stuck it out. Infact, Payumo said there was noreason to panic, saying: “Even aten percent anomaly is tolerable.”

Here’s how he got his record-breaking harvest of 345 cavans.

Two months before the start ofthe second cropping, he applied50 bags of fresh chicken manureto his one-hectare farm that he

Cabanatuan farmer harvests

all-time high 345 cavansBy Pete Samonte

Severino Payumo (right & inset) at his farm in Bgy. Buliran,Cabanatuan City, with agriculture technician El Supan.

entered in the ‘outstanding hybridrice contest.’

He then allowed the fresh ma-nure to dry under the sun.

As soon as irrigation waterstarted to flow, he undertook pri-mary tillage operation with arotavator from a hired 4-wheeltractor.

He believes that a thoroughlyprepared and leveled field solveshalf of future operations involvedin rice culture.

He also maintains and usesthe right equipment such as ahand tractor, a carabao, harrow,

spades, and leveler, among oth-ers.

“With proper leveling of the ricepaddies, you can control theheight of irrigation water, controlweeds, and even control goldensnails.” he said.

After a month from initial tillage,he applied two bags of triple 14and a bag of 16-20-0 as basalapplication. He then planted 21-day old SL8 seedlings to giveample time for tillering during thevegetative phase of the rice plant.

Twelve days after transplanting,he applied two bags of triple 14

and a bag of 46-0-0 or urea. After21 days, he applied another twobags of urea, two bags of 14-14-14 and one bag of 16-20-0.

During the early reproductivestage, he applied a bag of 17-0-17. In all, he used 12 bags of fer-tilizers.

During the early flowering stage,he applied a foliar fertilizer.

He said the first 35 days aftertransplanting is the most crucialperiod for successful and profit-able rice farming. This is the timewhen the plants need completecare and attention, especiallyagains harmful pests and insects.

He is likewise meticulous dur-ing transplanting, particularly therecommended distance betweenseedlings, at 18 x 18 cm. duringthe dry season and 20 x 20 cm.during the wet season.

Payumo credits his record har-vest to the mixture of his experi-ence and the latest rice technol-ogy from the DA and PhilRice.

Thus, whenever there is an invi-tation for a seminar or training forrice technology, he is the first tovolunteer.

In fact, he was previously intoproducing registered rice seeds.He abandoned it when he wasconvinced that growing hybrid riceis more profitable.

He did not regret it.And most of his fellow farmers

in Barangay Buliran, of which heis also the Barangay Chairman,are now into hybrid rice, harvest-ing an average of 180 to 200cavans per hectare. Other NuevaEcija farmers harvest as much as280 cavans.

Six agriculture officials fromBrunei Darussalam, led by theirMinister of Industry and PrimaryResources Pehin Dato Yahya,had a successful three-day visitat the Philippine Rice ResearchInstitute, in Munoz, Nueva Ecija,early this month.

They observed the latest riceproduction technologies and farmmachinery, including PhilRice’sfacilities and experimental fields.

“We are banking on PhilRice’sexperience and technologies tohelp increase our rice production,”Minister Yahya.

Currently, Brunei’s rice produc-tion can only feed 3 of its 100 resi-dents. Thus, 97% of its rice re-quirement is imported.

The delegation also visited rice

farming communities and irrigationfacilities in Nueva Ecija, particu-larly the Pantabangan Hydro-power and Irrigation System, thenearby Central Luzon State Uni-versity, Bureau of Fisheries andAquatic Resources aquaculturecenter, and the Philippine Cara-bao Center.

Their visit puts into action thememorandum of understanding(MOU) on agricultural cooperationrecently signed by Minister Yahyaand Agriculture Secretary ArthurC. Yap.

The MOU aims to strengthenties of the two countries in agri-related trade and investments,such as production andpostharvest technology on rice,vegetable, fruit crops, and live-

stock.PhilRice Execu-

tive Director RoniloA. Beronio said theMOU breathes lifeinto the offer ofPresident Arroyo toSultan HajiHassanal Bolkiahof Brunei of helpingincrease theSultanate’s riceproduction in thelatter’s January2009 state visit tothe Philippines.

Several PhilRice experts arecurrently in Brunei, maintaining asix-hectare techno-demo farm,which is due for harvest in mid-July, said Beronio.

The farm aims to produce atleast 4 tons per hectare, which issix-fold than Brunei’s 2007 aver-age yield of only 700 kilos perhectare.(JCJara-Rabara,DA-

PhilRice)

PhilRice Dir. Ronilo Beronio (left) shows palay

samples to Brunei Industry and Primary

Resources Minister Pehin Dato Yahya.

6

Who would have thought thatlocated in a posh corner inTaguig City is a restaurant whichserves malunggay-inspireddishes?

When we hear malunggay,what usually comes into mind isthe bunch of green leaves usedas an ingredient in traditionalFilipino dish like tinola,ginataan, and monggo.

Paul Calivin’s Deli, located atthe Bonifacio Global City in theFort, is a two-year-old familyrestaurant which has malunggaybread and green rice withmalunggay as part of theirmenu.

Yes, one can find thesemalunggay-based food productsin this high-end spot in theurban zone.

These malunggay-inspiredfood products are not initiallypart of the restaurant’s originalmenu.

By inventing new dishes tocater to the demands of themore health-conscious custom-ers, Chef Jonatahn Paul Em,

By Dondon Carlo P. Lejano

Posh restaurant showcasesinnovative malunggay dishes

came up with the idea of puttingmalunggay as an ingredient totheir dishes.

“Malunggay is both a goodthing and a bad, culinary-wisespeaking. Bad because it doesnot really have a distinct tastewhich could add up to the flavorof the food; and good because itis very nutritious. So you get thenutritional benefits frommalunggay without reallynoticing it,” said Chef Jonathan.

He also added that their familyis really into supporting thevarious campaigns for agricul-ture. In fact, the malunggay thatthey use are grown beside theirhome in Taytay, Rizal. Not tomention the other greens, herbs

and root crops,that is also beingutilized in theircommissary.

Malunggay iseasy to grow andis available all yearround. It is famousamong the tropics.What is beingconsumed fromthis tree are theleaves and thefruits.

In the case ofPaul Calvin’s Deli,though, they onlyuse the leaves toinclude in theirbreads and somedishes.

“We include onlythe freshestmalunggay leavesin our breads toguarantee fresh-

ness and to ensure quality.We pick the leaves everyday

so the consumers can beconfident that the products theybuy are indeed of best quality,”

claimed Chef Jonnathan.Sec. Arthur Yap of the Depart-

ment of Agriculture (DA) oncevisited this restaurant and highlycommended the owners forsupporting the government’scampaign to go green. As amatter of fact, the secretaryeven graced the ribbon-cuttingceremony of the restaurant’scommissary in Taytay.

The Paul Calvin’s Deli com-missary in Taytay is where thehealthy breads are being bakedfresh everyday.

Aside from the malunggaybread or malunggay loaf, theyalso offer malunggay muffin,malunggay cake, malunggaypotato loaf, brazo de calabaza,and the whole wheat complete,which is composed ofmalunggay, casher, walnuts,and raisins.

With every single serving ofthe different variations ofmalunggay bread, consumersare assured to get seven timesthe vitamin C from orange, fourtimes the calcium found in milk,three times the vitamin A foundin carrots, three times thepotassium of banana, and twicethe protein in milk.

Meanwhile, another block-buster malunggay-inspiredcreation of Chef Jonnathan isthe green rice.

For obvious reasons, it iscalled green rice because ofmalunggay and other greens like

M a l u n g g a y -

inspired prod-

ucts at Paul

Calvin’s Deli, a

h i g h - e n d

restaurant,in

Bonifacio Glo-

bal City, at the

Fort.

leek and onions. Not too dull ascompared with plain rice; not toooily like the garlic fried or yangchow rice.

Moreover, malunggay is provenvery good for breastfeedingmothers because of its calciumcontent. Aside from this, it isalso rich in other minerals like

iron, phosphorus, beta carotene,

thiamin, niacin, and riboflavin.

“This sure is one bunch of a

healthy treat for the whole family

to enjoy,” said Chef Jonnathan.

“Actually, the reception from our

regular patrons is very positive

that’s why we continuously try

to discover new dishes which

are not only healthy, but also

affordable.

Chef Jonnathan added that

they are hoping that through

word of mouth, their malunggay

bread and other good-for-your-

health foodstuffs would rather

gain even more popularity.

Paul Calvin’s Deli, the first in

producing malunggay bread,

prides itself for having passion

for great food.

“We make sure that our

customers do not only find our

food and tast, we also make it to

a point that their health also

benefits every time they dine

with us. Hence, the incorpora-

tion of healthy food products in

our menu like malunggay.” (DA-

Bureau of Agricultural Research)

Chef Jonnathan Paul Emcame up with the idea of put-ting malunggay as an ingre-dient to their dishes to caterto the demands of the morehealth-conscious customers.

7May 2009

“So this is a guy

who did not finish

school, but had an

inquisitive mind,

tried, studied and

persevered.

“It took him 10 to

15 years.

“Today, this unique

guy is one of the

biggest suppliers of

mangoes in our

country.”

Thus AgricultureSecretary Arthur C.Yap boasted ofmango farmer LitoArenas of Manaoag,Pangasinan, duringthe recent graduationat the PolytechnicUniversity of thePhilippines.

As a young boy,Arenas was taskedodd jobs at hisfather’s farm, such as cuttinggrasses, picking and cleaningmangoes, and tending their fruitstall in Manaoag market in theafternoons after school.

He thus stuck it out withmango farming, rather thanpractice his BS nursing career.

Mang Lito’s business startedhumbly with only a start-up ofP2,500, which he used to buyingand selling mangoes.

From trading, he decided togrow mangoes himself, forcinghim to travel to as far as Batac,Ilocos Norte, in search for thebest mango planting materialsfor his three-hectare farm.

As expected, he had his shareof hardships such as the highcost of fertilizers and otherinputs. Fortunately, he hadfinancial support from creditorsendorsed by the Department ofAgriculture.

“Nandyan po ang DA, mula

simula hanggang ngayon,”

quotes Mang Lito. “Napakarami

na ang naitulong nila sa amin,

lalo na pagdating sa mga

training.”

Mang Lito narrates how hehad to sit thru long days oftraining to satisfy his thirst forknowledge, and make perfectthe technologies he applies tohis expanding orchard.

A few trainings later, he feltconfident and was able tomanage his farm in Manaoag

By Adora D.RodriguezThe sweet taste of success

and five others under contract-growing scheme, in nearbytowns of Binalonan, Villasis,

Sta. Barbara andBolinao.

In addtion, he andwife Ching are alsoinvolved in mangoseedling propaga-tion, for which theyare working closelywith the DA’sBureau of PlantIndustry andUPLB’s Institute ofPlant Breeding.

  “Ako po ay BPI-

certified producer

na rin ng mga

grafted mango

seedlings,” hebeams.

He makes use ofthe seeds of fruitswhose flesh aresliced off and dried.Such practice doesnot only provideadditional income,

in terms of mango seedlings in acouple of weeks, but eliminateswastes.

He has also put up a process-ing facility that churns out driedmangoes for exports, andprovides jobs to 200 Manaoagresidents.  

“Kaya maraming

natutulungan,” he points out.“Masuwerte kami dahil nabigyan

kami ng mga gamit pang-

process, “ he states.Indeed luck has shone on him

and his neighbors as they wereprovided with two units of dryingmachines by the DA’s Bureau ofAgricultural Research.

“Ngayon meron na rin po

kaming dried mangoes, pickled,

mangoes with tamarind at saka

pickled papayas,” he adds.And there is no stopping Mang

Lito.

Recently, he was awarded an

extended hot water treatment

facility by the DA that will enable

him to export fresh mangoes to

Hongkong and China.

But even with his accomplish-

ments, Mang Lito never fails to

share his knowledge andexpertise to his neighbors,wanting to follow in his strides.

Mayor Reynaldo Catacutan ofCapas, Tarlac, and rebel-returneeBernabe ‘Ka Dante’ Buscaynohave two things in common.

Both are advocates of organicfarming, and they are the currenttop producers of organic bananasand papayas in Central Luzon.

They are succeeding using theirrespective styles of farming.

Ka Dante’s method is based onactual experience in the boon-docks. Catacutan’s style is sci-entific.

Ka Dante started five years agowhen a friend from the Lorenzobanana farm in Davao suggestedthat he engage in banana insteadof rice, as it is more profitable.

Thus, he started with 4,000 tis-sue-cultured seedlings ofCavendish, Lakatan andLatundan, from the Lorenzo farm.

And he does not care if his 32-hectare banana and papaya farmis full of weeds, and practicallyno post-planting care.

Ka Dante explains that this isdone on purpose, learning it fromthe Dumagats. With such prac-tice, the farm maintains a naturalbalance.When the bananasshade the weeds, they eventuallydie and become natural fertilizers.

Capas Mayor, ex-NPA are top organic fruit farmersWeeds have the capacity to ac-cumulate nitrogen from the air andabsorb other natural elementsfrom the soil and its decomposi-tion under cultured bananas as-sures production of truly organiccrops, Ka Dante said.

Even Buscayno’s source of ir-rigation water contains natural fer-tilizers. From a deep well, under-ground water is collected to anelevated swimming pool. Theswimming pool allows bathers tourinate in the pool and free run-ning irrigation pipes connect tothe banana farms, further assur-ing of another source of naturalfertilizers.

On the other hand, MayorCatacutan prefers the more sci-entific approach.

Opening up sites for his bananaplantation, he used tractors forland preparation. And the bananaseedlings came from tissue cul-ture laboratories at Tarlac Collegeof Agriculture and Central LuzonState University. He planted simi-lar varieties as Ka Dante’s.

Post planting care is done withregular passing of tractors to re-move the weeds.

After land preparation, he pre-pares holes for the seedlings and

puts in chicken dung, whichserves as the basal application offertilizers. Second fertilizer appli-cation is four months after plant-ing, where he put additionalchicken dung about three feetfrom the base of the plants.

Both Buscayno and Catacutanrefrain from spraying insecticides.

Ka Dante ignores the presenceof insects and pests, while MayorCatacutan smudges the bananaplants when he observes the pres-ence of insects.

Thus, they shun away from us-ing plastic bags laden withchemiclas to protect the fruitbunch from pests, a normal prac-tice of banana plantations inMindanao.

What they do is simply to coverthe fruit bunches with folded ba-nana leaves.

Comparing notes on their oper-ating expenses for bananas,Catacutan spends about P80,000to P100,000 per hectare, whileBuscayno spends P50,000 toP70,000 per hectare.

They both sell their bananas atP25 per kilo, realizing a gross in-come ranging from P250,000 toP350,000 per hectare.(Pete

Samonte)

Lito Arenas (2nd from left) with Agriculture Secre-tary Arthur Yap (left) and Dir. Nick Eleazar of theDA-Bureau of Agricultural Research (right).

8

SACY on BPRE’s 31st Anniv:

‘Share resources to attain goals’‘Share resources to attain goals’‘Share resources to attain goals’‘Share resources to attain goals’‘Share resources to attain goals’“We need to share resources

to achieve our goals as fast aswe can so that our clienteles canbenefit from our research resultsand technology offerings.”

Thus said Agriculture SecretaryArthur C. Yap at the 31st anniver-sary of the Department ofAgriculture’s Bureau ofPostharvest Research and Exten-sion (DA-BPRE), held May 26, inMuñoz, Nueva Ecija.

Secretary Yap, who was repre-sented by Assistant SecretarySalvador S. Salacup, also empha-sized forging stronger collabora-tion with postharvest industrypartners.

“BPRE continues as an activeimplementer of DA postharvestprogram aimed at empoweringfarmers. With this, I congratulatethe agency for another fruitful yearof committed action work,” headded.

For his part, CongressmanBernardo F. Piñol Jr., of NorthCotabato 2nd District, who wasthe affair’s keynote speaker, saidagriculture should be prioritizedamong other national concerns.

During the program, BPRE Dir.Ricardo Cachuela presentedthe agency’s accomplishments in2008.

”We willcontinue toe m p o w e rfarmers bydoing moreresearch anddevelopmentactivities to-wards agricul-tural develop-ment.”

During theprogram, hepresented toG o v .J o s e p h i n eRamirez-Satoof OccidentalMindoro thisp r o v i n c i a lpostharvestdevelopmentplan.

To which,she expressed support to BPREfor all its undertakings in sustain-ing agricultural growth and guar-anteeing food security.

The event was capped by therecognition of ‘Most Active Part-ners of the Postharvest Industry’and outstanding BPRE employ-ees, turn-over of provincialpostharvest development plans,

and MOA signing between BPRE

The Department of Agriculture’sFiber Industry Development Au-thority (DA-FIDA) commencedthe celebration of the “InternationalYear of Natural Fibers (IYNF)2009” with a Farmers‘ Field Day,April 21, in Kalibo, Aklan.

The event was graced by AklanGovernor Carlito Marquez, whoinvited investors to put up pulpmills and generate more incomefor the Aklanons.

Likewise, he explained Aklan’s“Plant now, Pay later” Program toexpand abaca areas in the mu-nicipalities of Libacao, Banga,Madalag, Ibajay, Altavas, Baleteand Makato.

For her part, FIDA Administra-tor Cecilia Gloria J. Soriano enu-merated the four main objectivesof the IYNF.

These include: to raise aware-ness and stimulate demand fornatural fibers; encourage appro-

Aklan farmers’ day kicks off

‘Int’l Year of Natural Fibers’ celebpriate policies from governmentsto address industry problems; fos-ter effective and enduring globalpartnership among industries andstakeholders; and promote effi-ciency and sustainability of thenatural fiber industries.

Soriano said the importance ofthe natural fiber industry to thePhilippine economy cannot beignored, especially now that con-sumers prefer environmentally-friendly, natural fiber products.

In particular, Aklan is blessedwith abundant natural fibers likeabaca, piña, and buri, which arewoven into exquisite products thatare treasured abroad, she added.

During the program, Sorianohanded over an improved handstripping device (Hagoton) tomembers of the Banga ARC.

Other activities for the IYNF cel-ebration include the conduct offarmers’ field day, forum and mar-

ket linkages, turnover of fiber strip-ping devices; training on abacaseed production, planting to har-vesting, fiber extraction to classi-fication;

Conduct of 6-month abaca

Farmers Field Schools;

Abaca Disease Management

commencement program;

Distribution of ‘green label’ farm

inputs and supplies;

Consultative Conference on

Abaca;

Fashion Show – featuring cre-

ations by Filipino designers us-ing Philippine weaves;

Abaca Book Launching;Issuance of commemorative

stamps; andHosting of the Joint Sessions

of the Inter-Governmental Groups

on Hard Fibres and of Jute, Kenaf

and Allied Fibers. (DA-FIDA Infor-

mation and Publication Section)

Binhi Awards on

and State Universities and Col-

leges on promoting postharvest

initiatives.

A tekno-talakayan on various

postharvest technologies was

also conducted, where business

opportunities for processors and

other stakeholders were dis-

cussed.

The Philippine Agricultural Jour-nalists, Inc. (PAJ) is now accept-ing entries for its annual contestor Binhi Awards.

PAJ president Sanny Galvezsaid the contest covers eight cat-egories: agricultural journalist,agri-beat reporter, photojournalist,environment writer, magazine,newsletter, info/media campaign,and radio program.

The winners will be announcedduring the PAJ’s 33rd anniversaryon September 11, 2009. They willreceive cash prizes and trophies.

The PAJ has designated Dr.Matilde Maunahan, of the UP LosBaños Postharvest & HorticultureResearch & Training Center, andPAJ vice president for externalaffairs, as chairperson of the 2009Binhi Awards committee. She isassisted by PAJ public relationsofficer Johnny Goloyugo of theInt’l. Rice Research Institute.

Maunahan said contestantsshould submit entries published,launched or aired from July 1,2007 to April 30, 2009, with thefollowing requirements:

Agricultural Journalist, AgribeatReporter, Environment Journalist– original clippings or photocopiesof at least 12 best articles;

Photo Journalist – at least 12published B/W or colored photoswith captions;

Agri Magazine & Agri Newslet-ter – five sets of at least 18 is-sues (if monthly, July 2007 toDecember 2008) or six issues (ifquarterly);

Info/Media Campaign – five setsof info/media campaign parapher-nalia (program brief, posters, flyer,brochure, radio/TV ad, and pref-erably campaign results review);and Radio Program – five cassettetapes with scripts of at least fivebest episodes.

Entries should be submitted onor before June 30, 2009 to theBinhi Awards Committee throughthe Department of Agriculture In-formation Service, c/o PAJ VicePresident Afor internal affairs NoelReyes, DA Building, EllipticalRoad, Diliman, Quezon City.

All entries should be accompa-nied with a covering or nomina-tion letter signed by the editor,head of agency or institution, andaddressed to: The PAJ BinhiAwards Committee.

No entry fees are needed. How-ever, non-PAJ members are en-couraged to pay P200 for theirinitial PAJ membership and 2009annual fees. For inquiries, pleasecall 920-4080 or 920-0588.

Agriculture Ass’t. Sec. Salvador Salacup (2ndfrom left) presents a plaque to Roberto Agcaoili,farmer-leader of Antagan, Tumauini, Cagayan,as Rep. Bernardo Pinol of North Cotabato andBPRE Dir. Ricardo Cachuela look on.

9May 2009

From the RegionsSelected news and developments on agriculture, fisheries, agribusiness andrelated sectors, as reported by the DA-Regional Field Units, and those publishedin national and provincial publications.

As part of the Department ofAgriculture’s (DA) expansion pro-gram on Rural Enterprise Devel-opment for Innovative Goat Pro-duction Systems (RED-IGPS),the DA-Regional Field Unit I re-cently inaugurated the PugoSmall Ruminant Center (SRC) inLa Union, the first in the IlocosRegion.

The center aims to empowerinterested goat raisers andentrepreneurially equip them withgoat production systems. Also, itshowcases various technologieson goat production and serves asa show window of different breedsof goats such as Anglo-nubian,Saanen, Boer and upgradedbreeds which are also for sale.

The upgraded goat offspringsuch as the F1 breed can be soldat P120 a kilo and the F2 breed(live weight) at P220 a kilo, andchevon (goat meat-dressed) canbe sold at P250 per kilo. Thisserves as an income-generatingproject for the municipality ofPugo, the barangay council ofCuenca and the farmer-coopera-tors.

First small ruminantcenter rises up in Ilocos

Goat production technologiessuch as the selection of breeds,housing, nutrient and health man-agement practices are availableat the SRC for duplication andadoption by interested farmers.The goat production program ispart of the DA’s vision of reducingpoverty incidence in the country-side while at the same time im-proving the daily income of farm-ers.

DA-RFU I is also set to expandthe project in other municipalitiesof La Union - Bacnotan, San Juan,and Bauang and two municipali-ties of Pangasinan and distributeseedlings and seedling materialsfor the establishment of forage gar-den through the GinintuangMasaganang Ani-livestock pro-gram.

DA-MRDP holds technical writing,strategic planning in ARMM

The Department of Agriculture-Mindanao Rural Development Pro-gram in the Autonomous Regionin Muslim Mindanao recently con-ducted a three-day Technical Writ-ing on Barangay DevelopmentPlan Packaging and Enhance-ment and Strategic Planning, May12-14, in Cotabato City.

Participants were composed ofmunicipal agricultural officers,municipal planning developmentcoordinators and program man-agement implementation unitfrom Maguindanao and Lanao delSur attended the activity.

MRDP focal person for ARMMDr. Paisal M. Abdul said the activ-ity highlighted the MRDP-ProjectSupport Office Strategic Planningfocused on the four MRDP com-ponents: Natural Resource Man-agement, Rural Infrastructure, In-vestment for Governance Reforms,and Community Fund for Agricul-tural Development.

The activity will guide the par-ticipants on how they couldcomplement each other for properimplementation of projects. Thushastening and improving the de-livery of services to the people.

Part of the activity was the dis-cussion of the key role of theInfoACE in building linkagethrough proper dissemination ofthe program objectives to the lo-cal government units and other

BFAR leads mangrove rehabin Cagayan

The fisheries bureau in the re-gion has joined the nationwide re-forestation project recently byspearheading mangrove plantingactivities in the towns of Claveriaand Buguey, Cagayan.

According to BFAR Region 2Director Jovita Ayson, a total of600 mangrove propagules wereplanted in both municipalities, inaddition to 300 seedlings earlierplanted in Bagabag, NuevaVizcaya.

Ayson said that this mangroveand upland reforestation projectdubbed “Puno Ko, Sagip BuhayMo” was one of the highlights ofthe Farmers and Fisherfolk Month.

stakeholders under the MRDP.    The group formulated the

MRDP-ARMM ImplementationProgress Report of each compo-nent to be adapted in its programimplementation.

 Similar activity was also con-ducted in Zamboanga City for theisland provinces of Basilan, Sulu,Tawi-Tawi.(RAFID-ARMM) 

“This project is BFAR’s contribu-tion to mitigate effects of climatechange and global warming andat the same time arrest decline ofmangrove forests in the country,Ayson said.

A total of 50,000 mangrovepropagules were likewise trans-planted in Region 4A withAtimonan, Quezon as lead areafor the activity’s kick-off ceremo-nies.

Other BFAR regional officesalso led reforestation activities intheir respective jurisdictions.

Already on its third year, thePuno Ko, Sagip Buhay Mo projectis BFAR and fisherfolk’s action torevive once vast mangrove forestsin the country.

Over 170 farmers in SanAgustin, Pili, Camarines Sur arecurrently on a three-month train-ing on high-value vegetable pro-duction under the Kabalikat sa

Kabuhayan Program, initiated bythe SM Foundation Incorporated(SMFI), HARBEST AgribusinessCorporation, Department of Agri-culture Regional Field Unit 5 andlocal government units.

They will be trained to employmodern technologies that includeraising vegetables in a green-house, use of mulch, organic fer-tilizers and pesticides.

The DA is extending technicalassistance, the training venue andthe 5,000-square meter technodemo site at the Bicol ExperimentStation (BEST), serving as theFarmer Field School (FFS).

For their part, HARBEST is pro-viding the seeds, other inputs, andthe technology; while SMFI willbe the market outlet for the veg-etables that will be produced, par-ticularly at the newly-opened SMMall in Naga City.

The training program consistsof lectures and hands-on training,using the Farmers Field Schoolconcept.

The project launch was attendedby DA-RFU 5 Dir. Jose Dayao,Cristie Angeles of SMFI, ArsenioBarcelona of HARBEST, and otherlocal officials and agri entrepre-neurs.

Oddity. The longest bunchof native banana, known asAmurosa, raised by afarmer in BarangayKangrunaan, Batac, IlocosNorte. It was one of thepopular attractions at theAgri Fair in Tubao, LaUnion, held May 10, 2009.

Bicol farmers trainon veggie prod’n

The three typhoons--Crising,Dante and Emong--that crossedfive regions (Cordillera, Ilocos,Cagayan, Central Luzon andBicol) during the second quarterof 2009 have damaged 350,000tons of palay and 4,780 tons ofcorn, according to field reportsgathered by the DA Field Opera-tions Service.

The palay loss is roughly onepercent of the national target pro-duction of 3.4 million tons for the2nd quarter of 2009. Bicol Regionsuffered most, with 284,000 tonloss..

As for corn, the loss is merely0.4% of the national target of 1.3million tons for the 2nd quarter of2009. The Cordillertas lost some1, 817 tons, corresponding to 6%of its target. Region V lost 2.7%,followed by Regions III, I and II at0.8%, 0.4% and 0.02%, respec-tively.

Typhoons damagepalay, corn crops

10

Around a hundred tons of foodper day, is brought to a 2,700-

Japan recycles unused foodinto swine feed

square-meter factory in a gorge inChiba where it is blended down

and turned into pig food.Every morning, a fleet of

trucks arrives with productsranging from quail eggs tocream, desserts, pizzas, etc .All are edible foods and are onlygets accepted depending onwhether it could be eaten.

According to Toshihiro Ishii,head of liquid feed productionat Bright Pig Chiba, they don’tgive pigs food that couldn’t begiven to humans.

The factory produces 100tons of feed a day, enough for37,000 pigs, which is then de-livered to four pig farms in theregion.

These farms slaughter 6,500pigs a month, which subse-

ICRISAT appoints Dr. Dar

for 3rd term

Animal diseasesare linked toclimatechange

T h eworldwidestudy con-ducted bythe OIEamong all itsnational del-egates provedthe impact of climate change onthe emergence and re-emer-gence of animal diseases.

Dr Bernard Vallat, Director Gen-eral of the OIE explained that moreand more countries are indicatingthat climate change has been re-sponsible for at least one emerg-ing or re-emerging disease occur-ring on their territory. He addedthat this is a reality that can notbe ignored and the Veterinary Ser-vices throughout the world shouldbe equiped with systems that com-ply with international standards ofgood governance to be able to dealwith this problem and prevent newdangers.

OIE Members have conse-quently given the Organization amandate to address this issue byusing its scientific capabilities andnetworks, especially at global, re-gional and sub-regional levels. Inparticular, they advocate new ac-tion at the level of research, na-tional capacity building for publicand private sector animal healthsystems, and communication,with the aim of preventing or re-ducing the effects of climatechange on animal production anddiseases, including those trans-missible to humans.

The majority of countries alsoconsider that human influence onthe environment has an impact onclimate change and therefore onthe emergence or re-emergenceof animal diseases.(www.worldpoultry.net)

quently end up on dining tablesacross the prefecture.

According to estimates by theMinistry of Agriculture, Forestryand Fisheries, 19 million tons offood are thrown away every year,of which 5 to 9 million tons areedible. Food recycling lawspresent in Japan have promptedcompanies to look for ways of dis-posing of their excess products.(www.pigprogress.net)

The Governing Board of the In-ternational Crops Research Insti-tute for the Semi-Arid Tropics(ICRISAT) has appointed DirectorGeneral, Dr William D Dar, for athird five-year term in office. Dr Darwill continue as the Director Gen-eral of ICRISAT from January 2010to December 2014.

Recommending anunprecedented thirdterm for Dr Dar, theICRISAT GoverningBoard stated that themembers are “ unani-mous and requests Wil-liam D Dar to sign a fur-ther contract for 5 yearsas the Director Generalof ICRISAT from Janu-ary 2010 to December2014.”

Assessing Dr Dar’sperformance for 2008,the Board report stated that “theview of the GB is that the DG hadanother most successful year. Itrecognized the continuing highmorale of Team ICRISAT. Thehigher than anticipated growth inrevenues and the budget surplusare impressive. The GB highlycommended the DG for the greatsuccess of 2008, excellent per-formance, strong leadership andbig achievements in the last 9years.”

Accepting the GoverningBoard’s offer, Dr Dar said that thethird term gives him the opportu-nity to continue his work of lead-ing a world-class team that deliv-ers high-quality science researchproducts that improve the liveli-hood of the poor dryland farmersand to grow the institute to thenext level.

“As the leading international dry-land agricultural research insti-tute, ICRISAT has improved theproductivity of nutritious drylandcrops that help sustain the livesof the poor farmers. By helping thefarmers to overcome current riskswe enable them to climate-prooftheir agricultural systems for thefuture,” Dr Dar said.

Dr Dar joined ICRISAT as theDirector General in January 2000.His first five-year term was re-newed for a further period of fiveyears from January 2005 to De-cember 2009.

During the past 10 years, Dr Dar

led ICRISAT through scientific andfinancial achievements, winningthe Institute two consecutive ‘Out-standing’ ratings (for 2006 and2007) from the Consultative Groupon International Agricultural Re-search (CGIAR) and the WorldBank.

ICRISAT also received positivereports from two External Pro-

gram and Management Reviews(EPMRs), held in 2003 and 2009.

The EPMR of 2009 had noted:“ICRISAT today is a thriving re-search institute with a strong lead-ership and with a unique capacityto address poverty alleviation, foodsecurity, and natural resource pro-tection in the semi-arid tropics.”

Further, the EPMR reportadded: “The current DG has beeneffective in stabilizing and grow-ing ICRISAT’sc financial security,

building a strong managementteam and meeting the center’sscientific mandates.”

ICRISAT achieved scientificbreakthroughs under Dr Dar’s lead-ership. The world’s first pigeonpeahybrid through the cytoplasmicmale sterility system waslaunched in 2007. Also in 2007was the launch of commercial pro-duction of ethanol from sweet sor-ghum, initiated through collabora-tion between ICRISAT and Rusni

Distilleries. Theworld’s first pearlmillet hybrid, de-veloped throughmolecular marker-assisted selectionand breeding, waslaunched in 2005.

In sub-SaharanAfrica, ICRISATp r o m o t e dpigeonpea cultiva-tion, strengthenedseed systems,improved nutrientutilization and pro-

ductivity through fertilizermicrodosing, and diversified agri-cultural systems through AfricanMarket Gardens.

During Dr Dar’s tenure,ICRISAT’s annual budget doubledfrom US$ 24.6 million in 2003 toUS$ 50.5 million in 2008. Likewise,ICRISAT achieved budget surplusfrom 2003 to 2008 through inten-sive resource mobilization activi-ties and sound financial manage-ment. (ICRISAT)

Former DA Secretary William Dar

11May 2009

DA unveils.. (from p1)

Saudis eye... (from p1)

cial Corporation (DA-PADCC), inhis report to Secretary Arthur Yap.

The Saudis were in the countryMay 5-8, 2009, commencing withbusiness matching with membersof the Philippine Chamber of Com-merce and Industry at the Penin-sula Manila Hotel, and a trip toDavao, touring a banana planta-tion, a cardava banana process-ing facility, and a mariculture parkin Panabocity.

As a re-sult of theS a u d i splanned in-vestments,Agbon saidthe DA isproposingthe estab-lishment ofexc lus iveeconomiczones foragribusiness that would take intoconsideration the nuances of foodproduction and an expanded setincentives for locators.

“The recent visit of the Saudi in-vestors has compelled us to seeksolution to a dilemma where in-vestors want to own the land theyare putting investments into.

Saudi companies want that, butagain, that is not allowed by ex-

The buyers, represented byPhilfoodex, inquired on the vol-umes and quality of durian thatthey could procure from Davao,and aquamarine products particu-larly tuna from Toril.

Secretary Yap and Dir. FriscoMalabanan of the GMA-Rice pro-gram also has the chance to talkwith Severino Payumo of NuevaEcija, who shared his triumph inharvesting a national record of 345cavans of hybrid rice per hectarefrom his farm in Barangay Buliran,Cabanatuan City.

Payumo was with DA Region 3Director Redentor Gatus at the DAregional office in San Fernenado,Pampanga.

The ‘virtual techno and marketlink’ project made use of the VoiceOver Internet Protocol or VOIP.

“This initiative is a major steptowards speeding up agriculturalextension and technology sharing,and linking directly agri-fishery pro-ducers in the countryside with in-

stitutional buyers in major mar-kets, here and abroad,” declaredSecretary Yap.

The second project involves thePinoy Agri Kart, designed as amini-jeepney, that serves as a mo-bile display counter to promoteand sell export quality Philippineprocessed food and beverageproducts.

A brainchild of the DA throughits Philippine Agriculture Develop-ment and Commercial Corpora-tion, the Pinoy Agri Kart will bedeployed in major internationaland domestic airports in the coun-try, DA regional offices, selectedDA agencies, including interna-tional food trade shows abroad.

Secretary Yap said the kart maybe serve as an investment optionand enterprise for overseas Filipinoworkers and retirees through anaffordable social franchisingscheme.

Both projects were part of theculminating activities of the ‘Farm-ers’ and Fisherfolk’s Month cel-ebration, which started with a eu-charistic celebration in honor ofSan Isidro Labrador, the patronSaint of peasants and laborers.

Every year in the month May,the DA spearheads the nationwidecelebration of the Farmers’ andFisherfolk’s Month, as per Presi-dential Proclamation No. 33signed by former PresidentCorazon C. Aquino, on March 23,1989.

He said President GloriaMacapagal Arroyo has already in-structed the Department of Fi-nance to set aside funds for theNFA’s corn procurement budget,initially totaling P3.9 billion.

Corn farmers, led by the Philip-pine Maize Federation (PhilMaize)and National Corn Board (NCB),have welcomed the increase as itwill encourage them to increaseproduction and achieve thecountry’s corn production targetfor 2009.

PhilMaize president RogerNavarro said they can now catchup with production and close thesupply demand gap for yellowcorn.

For her part, NCB vice presi-dent Rosallie Ellasus said thehigher support price is the bestsubsidy for farmers, even betterthan seeds and fertilizer support.

Even with the increase of thesupport price, the NCB has askedfor more reforms. These include

isting Philippine laws,” saidAgbon.

He said Secretary Yap has re-cently approached the PhilippineEconomic Zone Authority (PEZA)on the creation of such zones. Ide-ally, the zones should be nearairports or seaports.

The DA-PADCC is now survey-ing areas where the ecozonescould be built.

Among others, it is tasked toassist prospective foreign and Fili-

pino investorsin thecountry’s agri-culture, fish-ery, food pro-cessing andexport indus-tries.

Agbon saidthe DA alsowants to ex-pand thescope of in-centives foragribusiness

economic zone locators.Currently, the PEZA and the

Board of Investments (BOI) grantFilipino and foreign investors upto eight years maximum of in-come tax holiday-specifically forfirms registered with the BOI as a‘pioneer’ business-and a five-per-cent gross income tax in lieu ofall national and local taxes forPEZA registered firms.

PINOY AGRI-KART. Agriculture Secretary Arthur C. Yap

(left) proposes a toast after unveiling the Pinoy Agri Kart, an

initiaitve of the DA through the Philippine Agricultural

Development and Commercial Corporation. With him (from

left) are PhilFoodex president Roberto Amores and Mayet

Biliran of Candabong Multipurpose Cooperative.

Corn price... (from p1)the suspension in the implemen-tation of the ASEAN Free TradeAgreement (AFTA) and loweringof tariffs, to between zero to fivepercent; the establishment anddevelopment of corn centers; in-vestment incentives forpostharvest facilities and logis-tics; and establishment of a CornDevelopment Authority.

Secretary Yap added the NFAwill buy the 300,000 MT of cornthrough electronic trading, whichwill give farmers the flexibility inselling their produce.

He hopes the NFA corn e-trad-ing will be a precursor to a com-modity futures exchange that heenvision, which should be a jointinitiative of government and the pri-vate sector.

Yap said this will be one of hisagenda on the forthcoming statevisit of President Arroyo to Brazil,where he will study the rudimentsof a future exchange and how toset it up properly in the Philip-pines.

The country used to have theManila International Futures Ex-change (MIFE), but the Securitiesand Exchange Commission (SEC)revoked its license and shut itdown in 1997, following massivefraud and irregularities committedby its officials and brokers. (Ex-

cerpted reports from The Philippine

Star and Business Mirror)

Dr. Balghunaim and Sec.Yap

The Philippines has called forthe immediate implementation of“time-bound” action plans that in-volve funding the expansion ofmodel initiatives on effective ma-rine conservation and coastalmanagement programs to savethe world’s oceans from the dev-astating impact of climate change.

Agriculture Secretary ArthurYap, who headed the Philippinedelegation to the first-ever WorldOcean Conference (WOC) inManado, Indonesia, May 15,2009, said such initiatives shouldbe supported with funds and ex-pertise to allow countries shareinformation and best practiceswith other nations.

“Most of all, no amount of miti-gation and adaptation will be ef-fective unless a decision is madeto stop pollution now,” said Yap inhis speech during the WOC ple-nary session.  

“All countries must pledge to pri-oritize stopping the poisoning ofthe earth in dramatic and substan-tive levels, instead of measuredand ineffective tranches,” he said.“No strategy can work where en-vironment and marine degradationdoes not first come to a decidedstop.”

Yap noted that if the world canset aside trillions of dollars to savecompanies reeling from the cur-rent global economic meltdown,

RP calls for time-bound action plansto save oceans

Coral Triangle Initiative. Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap(left) confers with Indonesian President Susilo BambangYudhoyono (right) at the Coral Triangle Initiative Summit, heldMay 15, 2009, in Manado , Indonesia.

(Photo by Nolet

Fulgencio, DA-OSEC)

it must also be able to galvanizethe will and the funds “to nurseMother Earth back to health,” es-

pecially at this critical time “when

it has already started to reap the

whirlwind for our past and continu-

ing sins and omissions.”

“The message for Copenhagen

is that, the initiatives undertaken

by many of the coastal countries

must be supported by resources

and expertise, so that the infor-

mation and practices learned can

be shared among nations and

communities.” Yap said, referringto the upcoming United NationsClimate Change Conference in De-cember 2009.

The WOC, where 76 countries

adopted the Manado Ocean Dec-

laration, was organized by Indo-

nesia.The Copenhagen talks are ex-

pected to clear the way to a newagreement on reducing carbonemissions by a set target for alldeveloped nations by 2012, whenthe Kyoto Protocol expires.

Yap said the Philippines has

been practicing Integrated Coastal

Management and is expanding its

network of Marine Protected Ar-

eas.

Further, the Philippines is a

strong advocate of the ecosys-

tems approach in fisheries man-

agement as a means to attain food

security and reduce poverty.

“We are ready to share what we

know with the world in as much

as we are ready to learn from oth-

ers as well,” Yap said.

Besides calling for the inclusionof ocean issues in the agenda ofthe Copenhagen conference, thenon-binding Manado Ocean Dec-

laration also urged nations to re-

duce ocean pollution, fund sus-

tainable development programs in

Third World countries, and carry

out deeper research work  into how

climate change affects oceans

and the role oceans play in fight-ing climate change.

The Philippines joins other 52countries with laboratory-con-firmed cases of Influenza A(H1N1)infection, as of 06:00 GMT, May29, 2009, according to the WorldHealth Organization (WHO).

It reported that there were 15,510 reported cases, with 99deaths. led by Mexico with 85;USA with 11; Canada, 2; andCosta Rica, 1.

The Department of Health(DOH) said the Philippines has21 confirmed cases of InfluenzaA (H1N1), as of May 31.

For the entire month of May, theDOH has monitored 315 CasesUnder Observation (CUO), ofwhich 262 were negative, and 32are still under observation.

Meanwhile, Department of Ag-

RP is 53RP is 53RP is 53RP is 53RP is 53rrrrrddddd countr countr countr countr countryyyyy

with A(H1N1) fluwith A(H1N1) fluwith A(H1N1) fluwith A(H1N1) fluwith A(H1N1) fluriculture officials, led by Assis-tant Secretary Salvador Salacupand Bureau of Animal IndustryDirector Davinio Catbagan, andhog industry leaders have agreedto employ initiatives to erase mis-conceptions that link pork con-sumption to the A (H1N1) virus.

Both the WHO and the OfficeInternational des Epizooties (OIE)have been reiterating that the A(H1N1) virus cannot be contractedby eating pork, and the current in-fection was and is being transmit-ted from human to human, and notfrom swine to human.

  The hog industry leaders saidthey will continue to partner withthe DA to improve hog productiv-ity and efficiency to attain globalcompetitiveness and viability.

DA shares P136Mfor 4 rice centersThe government is allotting

P136 million as counterpart tobankroll a Korea-sponsoredproject, totaling P785 million, thatinvolves the construction of fourrice processing centers (RPCs) infour provinces: Pangasinan, Iloilo,Bohol and Davao del Sur.

Agriculture UndersecretaryBerna Romulo Puyat said of theamount, P104 million will comefrom the DA, and the rest from therespective local government units.

The main bulk of P649 M willcome from the Korea InternationalCooperation Agency (KOICA).

“The DA’s contribution to theproject will take care of the inlandtransportation, taxes and projectmanagement, while the fund fromLGUs will be used for site devel-opment,” Puyat said in a report toAgriculture Secretary Arthur Yap.

When completed, the RPCs willhelp create jobs and increase in-comes of 5,160 farmers.

The RPCs, which  will cover9,292 hectares, is expected to cre-ate 2,737 jobs  during the con-struction phase, and another 4,627jobs for the next 15 years, accord-ing to the DA’s Bureau ofPostharvest Research and Exten-sion (BPRE).

Over 222,000 farm laborers,BPRE said, are also expected tobenefit from the project.

The RPCs will be built in Sta.Barbara, Pangasinan; Pototan,Iloilo; Pilar, Bohol; and Matanao,Davao del Sur.

A team of inspectors fromKOICA recently visited the coun-try to assess the budgetary re-quirements and mode of imple-mentation for the constructionphase.

Puyat said the establishment ofthe four RPCs in the Philippinesfollows the successful implemen-tation of the first RPC in Baler, Au-rora in 2007, which was builtthrough a $2.3 million grant fromKOICA.

This second phase of the con-struction of RPCs in the Philip-pines, Puyat said, will benefit 40of the country’s palay-growingprovinces.

“The construction of the RPCswas encouraged by Korea to pro-mote efficient postharvest opera-tions for our palay farmers throughmechanization and automation,”she added.