aggie trends march 2011

11
Vol. XXVI No. 3 A monthly publication of the Department of Agriculture March 2011 The country is on its way to attaining rice self-sufficiency and food security. Thus, was the optimistic dec- laration of Agriculture Secretary Proceso J. Alcala during the agency’s 2012 internal budget hearing and planning workshop, held March 1-4, 2011, at Clark, Pampanga. “We expect a good summer harvest, and more importantly we are no longer the world’s big- gest importer,” he said during the workshop, attended by more than 100 DA family top officials. He said the country will be im- porting less than one million metric (MT) tons (or 860,000 MT) versus more than two mil- lion tons in 2010. He added palay production for the first semester may reach more than 7.6 million tons, as DA Chief sees bright agri prospects estimated by the DA’s Bureau of Agricultural Statistics (BAS). The projected production is 15% more than last year’s harvest of 6.6 million tons for the same six- month period. The DA-BAS said the increase could be attributed to the expan- sion in harvest area by 9.6% (equivalent to 174,300 hectares) from the 1.82 million hectares in (Pls turn to p2) (Pls turn to p11) Agriculture Secretary Proceso J. Alcala is optimistic that the Philippines will soon be declared as entirely free from the dreaded foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) by the World Organization for Ani- mal Health or Office International des Epizooties (OIE). With the declaration—to be for- malized in May during the 79th General Session of the World As- sembly of OIE Delegates in France—the country will gain a foothold in the global meat mar- ket, particularly exports of pork and poultry meat products, Sec. Alcala said. One opportunity is export of Philippine pork products to South DA allots P50M for coffee sector (Pls turn to p10) The Department of Agriculture will earmark an initial P50 million to support the country’s coffee sector and may double it depend- ing on favorable investor response. Turn coco fiber, peat into gold (Pls turn to p11) Boxing champion Manny Pacquiao is the new face of the Department of Agriculture. Specifically, his role is to convince rice-eating Filipinos to try other staples instead. The DA has embarked on a campaign to urge Filipinos to try other food, in light of a re- form program being undertaken by Agriculture Secretary Rep. Pacquiao asks rice-eating Filipinos: ‘Try corn, other staples’ (Pls turn to p3) Proceso Alcala to make rice production more efficient. A film crew contracted by the DA went to Cooyeesan Hotel Plaza in Baguio City, where the boxer has been training for a match with American boxer Shane Mosley in May, to film Pacquiao endorsing the food project. Pacquiao, who represents Sarangani in the House of Rep- resentatives, said he has been eating corn since he was 7 years old. Corn is a staple in the Visayas and Mindanao, along- side rice. DA Assistant Secretary Den- nis Araullo said the government may need to “increase the pro- duction of other crops to supplement rice as a staple food … in order to meet food Coconut fiber and peat or dust could be turned into gold. Agriculture Secretary Proceso J. Alcala said processing coco- nut fiber and peat into geo-tex- tiles and organic fertilizer or soil conditioner, respectively, could earn for the country millions of Phl to be declared FMD-free soon Agriculture Secretary Proceso J. Alcala (left) and Trade and Indus- try Secretary Gregory Domingo (3 rd from right) appreciate coconut coir geo-textile nets woven by lady workers at Pontmain Resources Inc. (PRI), in Sta. Cruz, Davao City. The coco coir geo-nets, used extensively as erosion control material, have huge export potential, estimated at $225 million annually. Photo also shows Phil. Coco- nut Administrator Euclides Forbes (2 nd from right) and PRI man- ager Paul Gaite (right). dollars in exports, and provide additional income and livelihood to hundreds of thousands of small coconut farmers and their families in the countryside. The DA’s Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA) estimates that the country produces some 12 billion coconuts annually. “Collecting merely one-half or six billion coconut husks, and processing these into coco geo- textiles and organic fertilizers, the country could generate at least $225 million annually,” said Sec. Alcala during the recent 1 st Coconut Coir Summit in Davao City. PCA Administrator Euclides G. Forbes revealed geo-textiles or ‘cocomats’ serve as erosion control material that are laid on mountain slopes, river banks and dam embankments. Coconut fibers are also trans- formed into twine or yarn, while fine coco fibers are used in mak- ing beds or mattresses. Coco- nut peat or dust is used as or- ganic fertilizer, soil conditioner, or animal beddings. For every kilo of coconut husk,

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Vol. XXVI No. 3A monthly publication of the Department of Agriculture

TRANSCRIPT

Page 1: Aggie Trends March 2011

Vol. XXVI No. 3 A monthly publication of the Department of Agriculture March 2011

The country is on its way toattaining rice self-sufficiency andfood security.

Thus, was the optimistic dec-laration of Agriculture SecretaryProceso J. Alcala during theagency’s 2012 internal budgethearing and planning workshop,held March 1-4, 2011, at Clark,Pampanga.

“We expect a good summerharvest, and more importantlywe are no longer the world’s big-gest importer,” he said during theworkshop, attended by morethan 100 DA family top officials.

He said the country will be im-porting less than one millionmetric (MT) tons (or 860,000MT) versus more than two mil-lion tons in 2010.

He added palay production forthe first semester may reachmore than 7.6 million tons, as

DA Chief sees brightagri prospects

estimated by the DA’s Bureau ofAgricultural Statistics (BAS).

The projected production is 15%more than last year’s harvest of6.6 million tons for the same six-month period.

The DA-BAS said the increasecould be attributed to the expan-sion in harvest area by 9.6%(equivalent to 174,300 hectares)from the 1.82 million hectares in

(Pls turn to p2)

(Pls turn to p11)

Agriculture Secretary ProcesoJ. Alcala is optimistic that thePhilippines will soon be declaredas entirely free from the dreadedfoot-and-mouth disease (FMD) bythe World Organization for Ani-mal Health or Office Internationaldes Epizooties (OIE).

With the declaration—to be for-malized in May during the 79thGeneral Session of the World As-sembly of OIE Delegates inFrance—the country will gain afoothold in the global meat mar-ket, particularly exports of porkand poultry meat products, Sec.Alcala said.

One opportunity is export ofPhilippine pork products to South

DA allots P50Mfor coffee sector

(Pls turn to p10)

The Department of Agriculturewill earmark an initial P50 millionto support the country’s coffeesector and may double it depend-ing on favorable investor response. Turn coco fiber, peat into gold

(Pls turn to p11)

Boxing champion MannyPacquiao is the new face of theDepartment of Agriculture.

Specif ically, his role is toconvince rice-eating Filipinos totry other staples instead.

The DA has embarked on acampaign to urge Filipinos totry other food, in light of a re-form program being undertakenby Agriculture Secretary

Rep. Pacquiao asks rice-eating Filipinos:

‘Try corn, other staples’

(Pls turn to p3)

Proceso Alcala to make riceproduction more efficient.

A film crew contracted by theDA went to Cooyeesan HotelPlaza in Baguio City, where theboxer has been training for amatch with American boxerShane Mosley in May, to filmPacquiao endorsing the foodproject.

Pacquiao, who representsSarangani in the House of Rep-resentatives, said he has beeneating corn since he was 7years old.

Corn is a staple in theVisayas and Mindanao, along-side rice.

DA Assistant Secretary Den-nis Araullo said the governmentmay need to “increase the pro-duction of other crops tosupplement rice as a staplefood … in order to meet food

Coconut fiber and peat or dustcould be turned into gold.

Agriculture Secretary ProcesoJ. Alcala said processing coco-nut fiber and peat into geo-tex-tiles and organic fertilizer or soilconditioner, respectively, couldearn for the country millions of

Phl to be declaredFMD-free soon

Agriculture Secretary Proceso J. Alcala (left) and Trade and Indus-try Secretary Gregory Domingo (3rd from right) appreciate coconutcoir geo-textile nets woven by lady workers at Pontmain ResourcesInc. (PRI), in Sta. Cruz, Davao City. The coco coir geo-nets, usedextensively as erosion control material, have huge export potential,estimated at $225 million annually. Photo also shows Phil. Coco-nut Administrator Euclides Forbes (2nd from right) and PRI man-ager Paul Gaite (right).

dollars in exports, and provideadditional income and livelihoodto hundreds of thousands ofsmall coconut farmers and theirfamilies in the countryside.

The DA’s Philippine CoconutAuthority (PCA) estimates thatthe country produces some 12billion coconuts annually.

“Collecting merely one-half orsix billion coconut husks, andprocessing these into coco geo-textiles and organic fertilizers,the country could generate atleast $225 million annually,” saidSec. Alcala during the recent 1st

Coconut Coir Summit in DavaoCity.

PCA Administrator EuclidesG. Forbes revealed geo-textilesor ‘cocomats’ serve as erosioncontrol material that are laid onmountain slopes, river banksand dam embankments.

Coconut fibers are also trans-formed into twine or yarn, whilefine coco fibers are used in mak-ing beds or mattresses. Coco-nut peat or dust is used as or-ganic fertilizer, soil conditioner,or animal beddings.

For every kilo of coconut husk,

Page 2: Aggie Trends March 2011

2

EditorialMaliit at malaki

Nakikita natin na nasamagkabilang dulo ang buhaydito sa atin. Halimbawa, angmga mayayaman ay sobrangyaman. Kung mamili, ‘kalamo pinupulot lang ang pera.Samantalang ang mahirap aysobra rin sa hirap. Ganito rinang naoobserbahan natin sapanahon. May mga araw nasobrang init, mayroonnamang sobrang lamig.

Ang pagiging nasamagkabilang dulo ng mgabagay-bagay ay kadalasangnakikita na magkasalungat.Pero iba ang nakikita natinngayon dito sa agrikultura.Sa halip na magkasalungat,ang malaki at maliit aynagtutulungan ocomplementary atnagbibigay ng positibongresulta.

Una pa rin sa listahan angpagkukumpuni ng irrigationfacilities at pagtatatag ngpost-harvest facilities. Ito angnagbibigay ng long-term nabenepisyo sa magsasaka.

Kasabay nito, mayroonding mga initiatives ang DAna masasabing maliliit nahakbang para matupad angitinakdang mga layon.Kapansin-pasin na dito angdami ng bigas nanakatakdang iangkatngayong taon, na humigit-kumulang ay 1/3 lang nginangkat noong isang taon.

Pinapalakas din angpakikipagtulungan ng DA samga lokal na opisyal.Nakikipag-ugnayan tayo sakanila para makahingi ngtulong gaya ng financialassistance sa mga farminputs, na makakatulongpara magkaroon ng thirdcropping. Isa pa angpakikipagkasundo ng DA saSocial Welfare department,na kung saan bibilhin nitoang mga sobrang produktosa mga trading post.

Ipinagmamalaki din namayroon na tayong 60percent na accomplishmentsa Mindanao RuralDevelopment Program. Sakatunayan, kung

maipapalabas ang hinihilingnila na panibagong pondo,matutuloy na ang Phase 3ng MRDP.

Ang masasabingmalaking ipinag-iba ngpamamalakad ni Sec.Alcala ay ang mgapamamaraang kanyangginagamit at ang pag-anticipate sa mgaproblema. Nakita natin itonang naiwasan angpagtaas ng presyo ng gulaykahit pa umabot na sanagyeyelong temperaturasa mga taniman ng gulaysa Benguet. Maagap nanakapagtanim ang mgataga Region 2 at Region 4,dahilan para mapunan ngdemand sa Metro Manila atkaratig-bayan nito.

Bukod dito,ipinagpapatuloy din angmga epektibong stratehiyana ginawa ng datingadministrasyon. Halimbawanito ang paglalagay attuluy-tuloy na pagsasaayosng mariculture parks.

Malaking tulong din salivestock industry anginaasahang pagdeklara ngbuong bansa bilang footand mouth disease free,without vaccination.Malaking tulong ito sahangad na pag-export ngproduktong karne.

Ang mga hakbang na itoat ang inaasahan pang masmaayos na pamamalakad,sa tulong na rin ng mgaroad maps, angmakapagsusulong pa saagrikultura ng bansa.

Natutukoy na angdireksyon at pati na angmga konkretong mgaprograma, kaya’t asahannatin ang patuloy napagtaas ng produksyon,kasabay ng pag-angat ngkita ng magsasaka.

Ang maliliit na hakbangna ito ang simula sapagkamit natin sa mgamalalaking layon, para saikauunlad ng magsasaka atmangingisda.

Writers: Adora D. Rodriguez, Jo Anne Grace B. Pera, Arlhene S. Carro, Bethzaida Bustamante, Mc. Bien Saint Garcia, Jay Ilagan, Catherine NantaContributors: DA-RFU Info Officers, Public Info Officers and Staff of DA

is published monthly by the Department of Agriculture InformationService, Elliptical Road, Diliman, Quezon City. Tel. nos. 9288762 loc 2148,2150, 2155, 2156 or 2184; 9204080 or tel/fax 9280588. This issue is availablein PDF file. For copies, please send requests via email: [email protected].

Editor-In-Chief : Noel O. ReyesAssociate Editors: Karenina Salazar, Cheryl C. Suarez & Adam Borja

Bureaus, Attached Agencies & Corporations, Foreign-Assisted ProjectsPhotographers: Jose Lucas, Alan Jay Jacalan, & Kathrino ResurreccionLay-out Artist: Bethzaida BustamantePrinting & Circulation: Teresita Abejar & PCES Staff

Sec. Alcala (left) addresses top DA officials during their 2012 inter-nal budget hearing and planning workshop in Pampanga. Withhim are DA undersecretaries Antonio Fleta (administration andfinance) and Joel Rudinas (field operations).

2010, and increase in averagepalay harvest per hectare to 3.8tons (roughly 76 cavans of 50 ki-los each) from last year’s 3.6tons.

Sec. Alcala said palay produc-tion will further increase for theentire year, barring strong ty-phoons, with the completion ofirrigation system repairs, estab-lishment of more post harvest fa-cilities, and construction of farm-to-market roads particularly inMindanao.

He said these and other DAinterventions in partnership withlocal government units and farm-ers’ groups will all contribute topropping up palay production toa target year-end volume of 17.46million tons.

During the workshop he alsotook the opportunity to issue ini-tial marching orders to all DA of-f icials, highlighting PresidentAquino’s agriculture agenda thisyear and in 2012, and the Agri-Pinoy strategic framework thatwill serve as guide when craftingand implementing DA programsand services from 2011 to 2016.

The DA 2012 internal budgethearing and planning workshopwas attended by allundersecretaries and assistantsecretaries, and respective di-rectors and heads of 16 regionaloffices, eight bureaus, 26 at-tached agencies and corpora-tions, a dozen foreign-assistedprograms and projects, DA-OSEC services, and commod-ity banner programs.

“I urge everyone to strengthenPhilippine agriculture via theAgri-Pinoy strategic framework,and prioritize major programs onfood staples self-sufficiency,mariculture development, live-stock expansion, genetic im-provement, disease control,high-value crops development,and strategic trading posts/mar-ket linking,” the DA chief said.

“Sama-sama nating baguhinang kabuhayan ng ating mgakababayan, at nangmanumbalik ang kanilangtiwala sa pamahalaan (Together,let’s improve the livelihood of ourcountrymen, so we can winback their trust),” Sec. Alcalaconcluded.

DA chief sees ... (from p1)

Page 3: Aggie Trends March 2011

March 2011 3

requirements.” Araullo is na-tional coordinator of the DA’srice program.

Based on Araullo’s report,Alcala plans to increase rice suf-ficiency from 15.77 million met-ric tons (MT) produced in 2010to 21.12 million MT by2013.(Philippine Daily Inquirer)

Try corn ... (from p1)

The Departments of Agriculture(DA) and Health (DOH) launchedthis month the I-Rice programthat seeks to lessen, if not to-tally eliminate, malnutrition par-ticularly iron-deficiency anemia,through the introduction of ironfortificant to rice, the country’sstaple food.

To be implemented nationwidethrough the National Food Au-thority (NFA) and the NationalNutrition Council (NNC), the I-Rice program is also in compli-ance with Republic Act (RA)8978 that calls for the manda-tory fortification of staples suchas rice, flour, cooking oil and re-fined sugar.

The program is particularly fo-cused on sectors mostly suscep-

DA-NFA launchesI-Rice program

Senator Francis “Kiko”Pangilinan supports the estab-lishment of trading posts similarto the Sentrong Pamilihan ngmga Produktong Agrikultural ngQuezon (SPPAQ) in Sariaya.

He said wholesale marketslike SPPAQ will enable farmerssell their products directly andthus earn bigger profit and in-come.

With agri trading posts inplace, farmers have regular ven-ues to sell their products to in-stitutional wholesale buyers, andthus earn steady income. Sena-

Senator okaysmore ‘Sentros’

Secretary Proceso J. Alcalavowed to put up more fish cagesin Marinduque as the Departmentof Agriculture eyes to establishmariculture parks to boost fish-ers’ income and provide amplefish supply in the province.

Fish cages to be put up in Marinduque

Cordillera chief executives are requesting President Benigno S. Aquino III through DA Sec. Proceso Alcala (5th fromleft, standing) to reduce the required LGU counterpart for infrastructure projects so they could undertake more farm-to-market roads (FMRs), communal irrigation, and potable water systems, under the $66-million Second CordilleraHighland Agricultural Resource Management (CHARM2) project. The project aims to benefit indigenous peoples,farmers and their families in 170 barangays in 37 towns of the six Cordillera provinces. Shown (seated, from left) are:Governors Leonard Mayaen (Mt. Province), Jocel Baac (Kalinga), Eugene Balitang (Ifugao), Nestor Fongwan(Benguet), Eustaquio Bersamin (Abra) and Elias Bulut Jr. (Apayao). Behind them (from left) are: CHARM2 projectmanager Cameron Odsey; Representatives Eleanor Bulut-Begtang (Apayao), Manuel Agyao (Kalinga), MaximoDalog (Mt. Province), and Ronald Cosalan (Benguet); and DA-National Irrigation Administrator Antonio Nangel,DA Undersecretary Antonio Fleta, and DA-Cordillera Regional Executive Director Lucrecio Alviar.

tible to iron-micronutrient defi-ciency like nursing mothers, preg-nant women and young children.

Findings of the National Nutri-tion Survey of 2008 showed that19.5 percent of Filipinos, frominfants six months old to the eld-erly over 60 years old, are suffer-ing from anemia.

It also showed that the preva-lence of anemia is highest amonginfants - six months to less thana year old - at 55.7 percent fol-lowed by pregnant women at 42.5percent. There was, however, asignificant drop in the percentageof anemia prevalence among thecitizenry from a high of 30.6 per-cent in the nutrition survey madein 1998, which the governmentwants to further reduce to 15.3percent by the year 2015.

tor Pangilinan thus joined Agricul-ture Secretary Proceso J. Alcalain encouraging local officials andfarmers’s groups to develop morevegetable farms, and subse-quently, wholesale markets andtrading posts.

SPPAQ has become a majorvegetable trading center in South-ern Luzon since it was built in2006 by Sec. Alcala, when hewas a still a Representative of the2nd District of Quezon.

The trading post recently put upa vegetable processing facilitythat produces noodles fortifiedwith squash and malunggay, and

vacuum-packed vegetables thatwill form part of the ‘food reliefbasket’ distributed to disaster-affected families by the Depart-ment of Social Welfare and De-velopment.

“We have to take advantageof the geographical setting thatMarinduque is blessed with,”Alcala said during his recent visitstressing the vast potential of theheart-shaped island which liesin between Tayabas Bay andSibuyan Sea.

“We have to make sure thatmarkets are filled with abundantfish products, so consumers willnot buy from as far asDalahican,” he stressed

To jumpstart the project,Alcala immediately instructedthe Bureau of Fisheries andAquatic Resources to fast-trackthe submission of the proposalfor the mariculture park expan-sion in Angas.

As mariculture is among DApriority programs, additionalparks are being planned to ad-dress the long-term impact ofdeclining productivity, generateemployment and alleviate pov-erty in the countryside.

Sec. Alcala (left) and Senator Francis ‘Kiko’ Pangilinan (right),chair of the Senate Committee on Agriculture and Food, sharelight moments while harvesting pole sitao (string beans) from theorganic farm of Jun-Jun Perez (2nd from right), in Sariaya, Quezon.Perez harvests up to 400 kilos a day which he sells at nearby SentrongPamilihan ng Produktong Agrikultura ng Quezon. Last year, hegrossed P300,000 per hectare. One interesting practice he employsis spraying the vines with cow’s milk to make them more lusciousand produce longer and bigger string beans. Also shown is DirectorAbelardo Bragas of DA Region 4-A.

Page 4: Aggie Trends March 2011

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DA recommends giant gourami for aquaculture

PhilRice farmers get crop loans

Agriculture Secretary ProcesoJ. Alcala urges fish farmers to ven-ture into growing giant gouramiscientif ically known asOspronemus gouramy as alter-native or complementary tobangus, tilapia and catfish in in-land water bodies such as in fish-ponds, rivers, lakes and even indams and reservoirs.

Alcala said that based on re-search findings of the Bureau ofFisheries and Aquatic Resources(BFAR), giant gourami can eas-ily be grown and can thrive on avariety of organic food includingkangkong, duckweed and smallinsects.

“Growing giant gourami willgreatly benefit marginal fisherfolkas they need not buy the costlycommercial feeds to grow theirfish”, Alcala added.

BFAR Director Malcolm I.Sarmiento, Jr. said the agencyhad long been engaged in devel-oping non-traditional fish speciesto broaden its aquaculture basein order to attain food security andprovide more livelihood opportu-nities to fisherfolks.

“We have been continuouslyexploring means to reduce theproduction cost in growing fishby looking into species that couldbe grown organically and is lessdependent on commercial feeds”,Sarmiento said. He added that

with the farming of giantgourami, the marginal fisherfolkwould just need to growkangkong and duckweeds intheir pond dikes or nearbyswampy areas.

The giant gourami is a largefreshwater fish native to parts ofIndia, Indonesia, Malaysia andChina. It comes in two variet-ies: albino and black. It is re-garded as a highly esteemedtable delicacy in many parts ofAsia because of its superiortaste and peculiar light-yellowcolored flesh which is easy todigest.

The fish can thrive well infresh, brackish, and slow mov-ing bodies of water. It is capableof breathing moist air, so that itcan survive out of water for longperiods of time.

According to Dr. AdelaidaPalma, chief of the Tanay inlandstation of BFAR, the albino gi-ant gourami is highly adaptableto pond culture because of itsomnivorous feeding habits pre-ferring plants, insects, wormsand vegetables such as fibrousplants like hydrilla, kangkong,cabbage and sweet potato. Itcould also be trained to eat com-mercial feeds.

The giant gourami can attain0.7- 1 kilo in an 8-month culture

period. It can be polyculturedwith tilapia and other freshwaterfishes.Field trials are currently inprogress for its organic cultureusing indigenous feeds, Dr.Palma said. Gourami varieties are

currently propagated at the fa-cilities of the BFAR NationalFreshwater Technology Center(NFFTC) at the Muñoz, NuevaEcija, and in National InlandFisheries Technology Center(NIFTC) in Tanay, Rizal.

A BFAR-technician shows a full-grown albino giant gouramibreeder weighing some 2 kilograms at the BFAR station in Tanay,Rizal.

About 40 farmers in Bulacanand Aurora province received aninitial P700,000 in crop loansfrom a micro-f inancingorganization that lends toeligible location specif ictechnology development(LSTD) project sites of thePhilippine Rice ResearchInstitute (PhilRice).

In a report to AgricultureSecretary Proceso J. Alcala,PhilRice announced theAlliance of Philippine Partnersin Enterprise Development, Inc.(APPEND), through its affiliate,Alalay sa Kaunlaran, Inc.(ASKI), initially released thecrop loans in preparation for theplanting season.

APPEND is the country’s firstnon-government organizationfocusing on Christiandevelopment. ASKI, a micro-financing provider in Luzon,provides crop loans to eligibleLSTD farmer-partners for aminimum of three years.

Dr. Aurora M. Corales, the

partnership initiator, said loanscould still be extended until thefarmers’ group is of f iciallyregistered as an organization.

“Operations of ASKI are limitedin Luzon. To reach other farmers,APPEND, its motherorganization will set-upsyndicated funds to assistfarmers across the country,” shesaid.

Based on the agreement,farmers who participated in aseason-long PalayCheck FieldSchool and rice science andproduction training will beprioritized.

Corales also said thatAPPEND and its partners willdevelop and facilitate marketlinkages for products of LSTDfarmers through value-chainfinancing.

Virgina P. Juan, APPENDpresident and CEO, hopes thatthe partnership will create morefarming communities with goodproduction, increased income,and profitable market.

PhilRice and ASKI started itspartnership in 2005 when themicro-financing organizationhelped the women in Sta.Monica, Aliaga, Nueva Ecijaearn additional income byproducing and marketing rice-based food products.

Secretary Alcala, during therecent Agriculture andFisheries 2025 summit inAntipolo City, underlined theneed for more farmers’cooperatives and organizationsthat will both serve as programconduits and beneficiaries forthe country’s agriculturalprograms.

He also said the DA isembarking on a massiveprogram through its AgriculturalTraining Institute, in partnershipwith local government units, toretrain farmers, f ishers,including rural women andyouth on both conventional andorganic system of farming. Thetraining also includes devolvedagricultural and f isheryextension workers andtechnicians.

Slowly but surely, rice and cornfarmers are starting to go “high-tech” as the Grain Moisture Meter(GMM) that the Department ofAgriculture-Philippine Center forPostharvest Development andMechanization (DA-PhilMech)has developed gains wider accep-tance.

DA-PhilMech Executive Direc-tor Ricardo Cachuela said theGMM can help rice farmers, trad-

Rice and corn farmers go hi-techwith DA grain moisture meters

ers and millers determine themoisture of grains accuratelycompared to the “feel and grit”method which is prone to errors.

“The GMM is a hand-held de-vice which is small enough totransport and use on the field. Itcan instantly determine themoisture content of grains likepalay, milled rice and corn ac-curately, and has a digital read-out. There are Grain MoistureMeters that can be imported butthese are very expensive com-pared to the unit developed byDA-PhilMech,” Cachuela said.

“If more GMMs will beadopted by small farmers, itcould help achieve the vision ofAgriculture Secretary ProcesoAlcala to achieve rice self suffi-ciency by 2013, since farmerswill know how much time theirgrains need to dry and thus re-duce postharvest losses,” headded.

The Grain Moisture Meterwas commercialized by DA-PhilMech starting in 1998, whenthe agency was still known asthe Bureau of Postharvest Re-search and Extension (BPRE).It was commercialized by DA-PhilMech with Alexan Commer-cial, a local firm specializing inthe development and distributionof electronic products to indus-tries and consumers.

Imported Grain MoistureMeters cost from $800 to $2,000shipping costs and tariffs notincluded. The GMM developedby DA-PhilMech costs onlyP13,500.00.(PhilMech)

Page 5: Aggie Trends March 2011

5March 2011

The Department ofAgriculture’s Bureau of Fisher-ies and Aquatic Resources(BFAR) encourages tilapia grow-ers to try skip-feeding or feedingevery other day in order to cuton the production costs in rais-ing said fish.

“During these times of impend-ing food crises and rising costsof consumer goods, we adviseour fish growers to follow properfish cage management practicesso that they would be able tobenefit more from their fish farm-ing venture,” Agriculture Secre-tary Proceso J. Alcala said.

Alcala said that by skip-feed-ing, fish farmers would be ableto cut by half the cost of feedswhich would be beneficial notonly to them but also to the con-sumers and the environment.

The alternative feeding schemeof skip-feeding is one of impor-tant findings of the extensivestudies conducted by the BFARin collaboration with the South-east Asian Fisheries Develop-ment Center-Aquaculture Depart-ment (SEAFDEC-AQD) to deter-mine best fish cage manage-ment practices in the country’smajor lakes.

BFAR Director Malcolm I.Sarmiento, Jr., in his report to

Alcala urges tilapia farmersto try skip-feeding

Alcala, said the research fundedby the Australian Centre for Inter-national Agriculture Research(ACIAR) supporting these prac-tices was conducted in LakeBuhi, Lake Bato, Laguana de Bayand in Ambuklao Dam by theBFAR’s National Inland FisheriesTechnology Center (NIFTC) inTanay, Rizal.

The study found that all excessfood is just put to waste. It is notused up by the fish and accumu-lates only in the lake’s bottom,later polluting the lake’s waters,Sarmiento explained.

Fish cage farmers normally useup to 60 percent of their produc-tion costs for the procurement offeeds alone.

In addition to skip feeding, fishcage operators are also advisedto use bigger fingerlings of uniformsizes. This strategy, he said,would reduce the number of daysin growing fish.

BFAR also cautioned fish farm-ers to refrain from overstockingtheir fish cages. Just like otherliving organisms, f ish requiresoxygen in order to grow, and over-stocking not only prevents freemovement, but also reduces theamount of available oxygen in thewater, Sarmiento said.

Carabao-based enterprises inrural areas were showcased bythe Philippine Carabao Center(PCC) in Nueva Ecija in connec-tion with its 18th Anniversary cel-ebration last March 21-25.

Dairy farmers, as well as pro-spective entrepreneurs and otherinterested parties, have been in-vited to visit select individuals andcooperatives that have shownconsiderable success in raisingdairy buffaloes and engaging inenterprises that provide them bigincome.

“There are now many farmerswho have imbibed scientific waysof improving the breed of theirdairy carabaos and improving thesystem of maximizing benefitsfrom their carabaos,” Dr.Libertado Cruz, PCC executivedirector said.

He added that farmer-ownersare now conversant in crossingand backcrossing their animalsto attain quality breed.

They achieve this with the helpof PCC experts who show themhow to do it.

Cruz said farmers either sub-mit their carabaos to artificial in-semination (AI) using semenfrom quality dairy buffaloes pro-duced by the PCC’s national bullfarm, or use superior bulls loanedby PCC.

Private village-based AI techni-cians trained by PCC are also onhand to help farmers.

“We now have about a thou-sand village-based AI technicians

PCC showcases carabao-based enterprisespositioned in many places in thecountry. They are known by theacronym VBAIT and the farm-ers are happy to pay a fee forhelping them improve the breedof their carabaos,” he added.

Cruz said at least 2,000 moreVBAITs will be trained by PCCto cover various places in thecountry.

The PCC is mandated to con-serve, propagate, and promotethe Philippine carabao as asource of draft animal power,meat, milk and hide.

For reproduction, the PCC hasdeveloped biotechnologies suchas multiple ovulation and em-bryo transfer, in vitro embryo pro-duction , and ovum pick-up, andtechnologies of semen sexingand cryopreservation.

Also, many farmers are taughtabout increasing milk harvest,faster and more sanitary waysin milking carabaos and storingmilk for marketing.

Specific technologies includethe use of milk replacers, flush-ing, use of a portable machinefor milking, and use of a com-munal freezer.

On March 25, PCC alsolaunched the book “Businessingthe Carabao” written by Dr.Anselmo Roque, a multi-awarded agricultural journalist.

Outstanding dairy farmers anddairy cooperatives, as well asVBAITs and employees of PCCwere also honored.

Sec. Alcala (right photo, 2nd from left) assures Philippine Associa-tion of Meat Processors Incorporated Executive Director Fran-cisco Buencamino (left) that the DA is now working on establishingmore AAA slaughterhouses in FMD-free areas all over the countryto improve local production of pork during an open forum at theBureau of Animal Industry (BAI) 81st Anniversary on March 8, 2011held at the BAI Grounds, Quezon City. Alcala also signified hisintention to strengthen public and private partnership in improvingand promoting local quality meat products to provide Filipinossufficient and safe food as well as be able to compete in the globalmarket. Seated beside Alcala are (L-R): Australian Embassy FirstSecretary Carolyn Atkinson, BAI Director Efren Nuestro, and Agri-culture Assistant Secretary Davinio Catbagan.

Local duck breeders prodded: Go globalDuck breeders must be glo-

bally competitive by develop-ing lines that produce moreeggs and better quality redmeat, according to AgricultureSecretary Proceso J. Alcala.

Alcala said it is time thePhilippines took advantage ofthe fact that it is certified to befree of the avian influenza (AI)virus that had decimated largeduck populations in China, Tai-wan and Hongkong, the threebig producers and traders ofPeking ducks which areknown to have more red meatthan other species.

The duck industry had 10.37million birds in January 2010,and the total value of the in-dustry two years earlier wasplaced by the Bureau of Agri-cultural Statistics (BAS) atP5.95 billion.

Duck is actually next only tochicken as a source of eggand meat.

Alcala’s marching orders

were issued when industry play-ers met at the Department of Ag-riculture (DA) to discuss the in-flux of dressed Peking ducksfrom China, the United Statesand other countries.

In the US, these ducks areknown as Long Island ducks,and they comprise the biggestsegment of the popular duck inthat country.

Despite the economic signifi-cance of the duck industry, thelocal duck species, known asPhilippine mallard or itik, isgrown not so much for its redmeat but for its eggs that aresold as balut or penoy.

Moreover, the Philippine mal-lard is typically small and freeranged unlike the Peking ducks.They can be kept in coops orallowed to roam and devour bro-ken rice, corn grits and commer-cial feeds.

Alcala is batting for a stron-ger presence of breeders in Pe-

(Pls turn to p8)

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6 7March 2011

Call it serendipity. It was less than two decades

ago when Leodegario Garciastumbled across Ceylon Teawhile attending a seminar at theCity of Pines. Impressed by itsdelicate flavour and aromatictaste, he collected half a kilo ofthe marble-like tea seeds fromthe Bureau of Plant Industry atthe Baguio Experiment Station,and took it home to La Paz,Zamboanga City.

“I thought since Baguio andLa Paz have similarly coolweathers, the tea seeds wouldthrive and grow abundantlyback home,” Garcia said.

He was right. Eighty-fivepercent of the seeds sproutedand blossomed after they wereplanted in potted plastic bags.Soon, seedlings for researchpurposes were abundant.

With the help of a team ofexperts, Garcia conducted astudy on the adaptability andother cultural practices relatedto the massive production ofCeylon Tea.

Based on their research,Ceylon Tea could be propa-gated thru marcotting and canbe produced on a massivescale.

Garcia added that applying amixture of organic and inorganicfertilizer with high nitrogencontent would induce leafformation enabling the plant toproduce more.

“It’s also good to regularlytrim it to allow the branchesand leaves to multiply,” headded.

The study also shows thatwhen planted at a distance ofone meter along the contours ofupland farmlands, the plantscan prevent soil erosion.

As such, Garcia recom-mended that a project on themassive production of CeylonTea be undertaken by thegovernment with private entre-preneurs as partners.

“Sadly, our proposal wasdisapproved due to lack offunds,” he said.

Aside from this, there wasalso difficulty in the availabilityof planting materials, a goodmarketing scheme as well asprocessing machines.

Discovering teain Zamboanga

By Adora Dolores Rodriguez

Call it luck. In 2003, organic agriculture

advocate Dante Delima wasgiving a lecture at La Paz onorganic fertilizer productionand compost-making when hehimself stumbled acrossCeylon Tea. During that time,the tea trees were not utilizedfor its beverage purposes butas firewood and fuel source.

“Sadly, the tea was notused for its value,” Delimacommented.

Seven years later, Delima,now director of the Departmentof Agriculture’s High ValueCrops Development Program(HVCDP), is set to strengthenprograms and maximize theuse of Ceylon Tea trees.

“We are setting asideP725,000.00 in funds underthe HVCDP to cover theestablishment of Organic TeaProduction and Commercial-ization Project,” Delima said.

The program will include theconstruction of model farms intwo barangays with corre-sponding trainings on therehabilitation, protection andmanagement of existing teatrees as source of plantingmaterials.

Two New Multiplier Farmswill also be established.

DA is partnering with theAlternative Center for Organi-zational Reforms and Develop-ment, Inc. (ACORD) in theimplementation of the pro-gram.

“We believe that ACORD iscapable to establish theorganic tea production andcommercialization,” Delimasaid.

Agriculture SecretaryProceso J. Alcala is positivethat the project will prosperwith combined efforts from thenational and local governmentsand non-government organiza-tions.

Once production picks up,DA is ready to assist andprovide a viable marketingscheme that will benefit allstakeholders.

“Simula na po ngpagbabago, may taya angpamahalaan kaya dapat aymay taya din ang farmers,”

Alcala said urging farmers toextend full cooperation to theprogram. (This is the beginningof change, the government hasplaced its bet, and so must thefarmers.)

Call it fate.

Sec.Alcala (middle) listens intently to DA’s High Value Crops De-velopment Program (HVCDP) director Dante de Lima (left) on thebenefits of Ceylon tea during a nursery visit in La Paz , ZamboangaCity . DA is setting aside P725,000.00 in funds to cover the estab-lishment of Organic Tea Production and CommercializationProject. Alcala is positive that the project will prosper with com-bined efforts from the national and local governments and non-government organizations. With them are (from right) DA-RegionIX Director Oscar Parawan and Leodegario Garcia.

And so today, what startedas a bag of half-kilo seeds isnow over 3,000 seedlings thatwill place the town of La Pazin the Philippine map as thetea capital of the country.

FILIPINOS HAVE beendescribed as among the mostpolite and hospitable peopleon earth. And, in our numer-ous sojourns to this countryover three decades, we cancount on one hand the numberof disagreements we havehad. Then, on our last visit in2010, we learned from organicfarmers why the country wouldbe better off with a large-scaleshift from polished white riceto less processed brown rice.When we mentioned what wehad learned from theseorganic farmers to a number ofother Filipinos, the disagree-ments flew.

First, let us explain thecase for “less processed”brown rice. Typically, afterfarmers harvest their rice, itgoes to a mill. There, it iscleaned and the husks aretaken off the grains. At thispoint, it is referred to as“brown rice,” and it is full ofnutrients, vitamins, mineralsand protein. Rice at this stageis quite healthy to eat.

However, most people nowprefer to eat “white rice,”which is what comes out ofthe process of milling andpolishing the rice.

Health problems comebecause of the polishing.Polishing rice into the spar-kling white form that mostpeople prefer has three majornegative impacts on health.

The first is, polishingremoves most of the vitaminsand minerals that are vital tohealth. In the World War II

Why billions eat unhealthy rice—and shouldn’tBy Robin Broad, John Cavanaghprison camp in Cabanatuan,

Nueva Ecija, (where John’sgrandfather was interned),American prisoners sufferedfrom beriberi until they con-vinced the Japanese prisonguards to let them cook thebran shavings that came off thepolished rice; then the beriberiwent away. Why? Rice brancontains vitamin B and thia-mine, which are key to prevent-ing beriberi.

The second relates to diabe-tes, which is threatening toreach epidemic proportions inthe Philippines over the nextcouple of decades. The layersremoved during the polishing ofrice contain nutrients that guardagainst diabetes. Polished ricefurther contributes to diabetesrisk because it causes blood-sugar levels to rise more rapidlythan brown rice does. Accordingto the New York Times, a 2010Harvard study showed thatpeople who consume white riceat least five times a week “arealmost 20 percent more likely todevelop Type 2 diabetes thanthose who eat it less than oncea month.” Indeed, across thePhilippines, we found peopleshifting to brown rice at theirdoctors’ suggestion because ofconcerns about diabetes.

Finally, polishing rice alsoreduces its protein content,which can mean the differencebetween being well-nourished ormalnourished.

The bottom line on all three ofthese health fronts is the same:the more polished the rice, theless healthy it is.

Here is the bold,unadulterated fact:the mainstay ofmost Filipinos’diets ispolishedwhite rice, wheremilling and polishinghave eliminated mostof the nutrients.

When weraised theseissueswith

non-farmer friends across thePhilippines, most were inter-ested but not convinced enoughto shift to brown rice. “Ourchildren find white rice easier todigest,” several told us. Or,“white rice tastes better.” Or, “itis hard to find unpolished brownrice.” Some did point outaccurately that it takes longerto cook brown rice, whichrequires more fuel. And, a fewmentioned the reality thatbrown rice sitting in a sack inyour kitchen invites moreinsects, which are attracted tothe same nutrients that makebrown rice so healthy.

We dug back into the historybooks and found that 150 yearsago, people across Asia ateunpolished rice in great quanti-ties. When Westerners brought

rice mills to the Philippines acentury ago, Filipinos foundthe taste of the new white ricestrange, and it took a while toget used to it. Traders whoexported rice demanded that itbe shipped as polished whiterice, which further spread itsconsumption.

And, then, over the decades,the dominant culture definedbrown rice as “dirty” and fitonly for the poor, while whiterice was seen as sophisti-cated and modern.

The consumption of whitepolished rice spread, even asit denied people and theirchildren vital nutrients.

A shift to unpolished ricewould enhance health acrossthe board. And because eachgrain contains up to 10percent more calories thanpolished grains, people needless of it to fill their stomachs.Indeed, by our calculations,with a switch to brown rice,the Philippines can eliminaterice imports, which nowaccount for roughly one tenthof consumption.

So, how about a big cam-paign to shift consumptionback to “brown rice”? Peoplewith diabetes are making theswitch. Rep. Manny Pacquiao,how about taping someadvertisements promoting thehealth benefits of brown rice?(Phil. Daily Inquirer)

(Robin Broad is a professorat the American University andJohn Cavanagh co-chairs theNew Economy Working Groupat the Institute for PolicyStudies.)

Ariel Dolores, 38 of Faigal,Guimba, Nueva Ecija neversaw himself as a farmer rightafter graduation with anagriculture degree fromCLSU in 1992.

He got himself employedas an executive in a Japa-nese firm based in Mindanaospecializing in the productionof dried fruits and vegetables.For eight years, Dolores wasan assistant manager of theforeign firm until manage-ment squabbles forced himto quit the job.

He turned to business,buying tons of bananas fromthe South and bringing it toLuzon. His business howeverturned sour after a year whenhis partner swindled him ofhis revolving capital.

Back tozero, Doloresdecided tofarm threehectares ofrice inGuimba,Nueva Ecija.Unlike ordi-nary ricefarmershowever, hedecided toengage in riceseed produc-tion as this ismore promis-ing in terms ofinvestmentreturns.

Moreover, a Christianchurch he attendsoffered him to run and

Rice seed production is hisforte By Pete Samonte

manage an additional 13hectares of ricelands with 20percent of the incomeallotted to him. The rice land

abuts his own rice farm tohis advantage.

He got serious in rice seedproduction. He attended a

week-longseminar inseed produc-tion to get hisaccreditationnumber. Beforehand, hemeticulouslyplanned for theenterprise,starting withdrying facilitieswhich hedeemed as animportantinvestment inrice seedproduction.

Even beforeflat bed dryers are tobe adopted andpopularized for com-mercial use, he

wangled a blueprint of thedesign from PhilMech andset up a flat bed dryer of hisown for his seed productionbusiness.

Before firing the rice hullfed furnace, Dolores allowstwo hours of cold air to flowthrough his seed batch. Thisensures that the seeds arenot ruined. When the seedbatch is ready, he slowlyapplies heat and maintains atemperature of 40 degrees for16 hours if rice seeds havemoisture content of morethan 30 percent.

He knows the number ofbags of rice hull required todry a batch of rice seeds.While drying, he regularlychecks how many bags of

(Pls turn to p12)

Ariel Dolores at his farmand drying facility (inset).

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Thousands of farmers fromCALABARZON whose farmswere affected by floods duringtyphoon Ondoy in 2009, re-ceived aid from internationalfunding agencies; Food and Ag-riculture Organization (FAO) andSpanish Agency for InternationalDevelopment Cooperation(AECID) through the Depart-ment of Agriculture (DA).

With its aim of offsetting dam-ages brought about by floodingduring typhoon Ondoy, the DAdistributed agriculture and fish-eries inputs to a total of 10,610affected farmers and fishers fromCavite, Laguna, Batangas,Rizal, and Quezon.

Some 6,948 beneficiaries re

Two cassava granulators cumshredder and vermi huts wereturned over recently toKasanyangan Foundation, Inc.(KFI) in Vitali, Zamboanga Cityand Dinas Community IntegratedCooperative (DCICO) through theDepartment of Agriculture (DA)and the Bureau of Soils and Wa-ter Management (BSWM).

The machinery is a “two-in-one”facility that can granulate cas-sava fresh tubers and shred agri-cultural wastes for the productionof substrates for vermicomposting.

A vermi hut with concrete bedswas also provided to facilitate theproduction of compost to serveas organic fertilizer. The granula-tor costs P800,000 each while thevermi hut costs P20,000 each.

The units were officially turned-over by Dr. Candido B. Damo,National Cassava Coordinator toRoger Ross in behalf of Atty.Ibarra Malonzo, the KFI Manager,and Nelson M. Nantes, the Man-ager of DCICO.

According to Dr. Damo, themachine can granulate eight

Beneficiaries from Rizal province receive tilapia fingerlings dur-ing a ceremonial distribution on March 25, 2011 at the YnaresGym, Antipolo City. The project led by the Department of Agricul-ture (DA) with aid from Food and Agriculture Authority (FAO)and Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation(AECID) aims to provide farmers and fishers from CALABARZONRegion whose livelihood was affected by floods during the 2009Ondoy typhoon. In the photo handling the fingerlings are: (L-R)Rizal Governor Casimiro Ynares III, AECID Coordinator VicenteSelles, FAO Representative Kazuyuki Tsurumi, and DAUndersecretary Joel Rudinas.

The provincial government ofIloilo will receive P3.5 million (M)from the Bureau of Fisheries andAquatic Resources (BFAR) forthe establishment of a multi-spe-cies fish hatchery.

Provincial AgriculturistIldefonso T. Toledo said in astatement that the local govern-ment will provide P1.2-M as itscounterpart fund for the project.A memorandum of agreementwas signed early this month tothis effect.

The hatchery will be set up in-side the Iloilo Provincial Inte-grated Jail compound in Brgy.Nanga, Pototan town.

Toledo said a 1.5-hectare lotwithin the jail complex has beenidentified as project site.

Iloilo Governor Arthur D. Defen-sor, Sr., who signed the agree-ment, said the project could serveas a model for other provinces inWestern Visayas.

“We have lost a lot [from natu-ral calamities and illegal fishing]but there is still hope. All we needis commitment to restore what-ever we can,” Defensor said.

BFAR Regional Director DrusilaEsther E. Bayate said the projectaims to make Iloilo a regionalcenter for the culture and propa-gation of catfish, tilapia and other

BFAR earmarks P3.5Mfor fish hatchery in Iloilo

freshwater fish species.Before the multi-species

hatchery project was conceived,BFAR-Western Visayas and theIloilo provincial government col-laborated on growing iridescentshark (Pangasiushypophthalmus) — a type ofcatfish — inside the same jailcomplex. (Business World)

Agriculture Sec. Alcala (4th from left) hands over to MarinduqueGov. Carmencita Reyes a certificate of entitlement for a P2-mil-lion agricultural tramline to benefit vegetable farmers in the townof Buenavista. While in Marinduque, Sec. Alcala also inaugu-rated a barangay trading post at Landy, Sta. Cruz, dialogued withparticipants during a provincial agriculture strategic planningworkshop, and visited a prospective site of a mariculture park atBarangay Angas, Sta. Cruz. Also shown (from left) are retired PNPchief General Recaredo Sarmiento II, president of MarinduqueFirst Saturday Movers, Inc., DA Region 4B Director AntonioGerundio, DA-PhilMech Engineer Don David Julian, BuenavistaMayor Russel Madrigal, and Marinduque Vice Gov. Antonio Uy.

CALABARZON stormvictims get foreign aid

ceived planting materials for highvalue crops, 2,022 for tilapia andmilkfish fingerlings and seaweedcuttings, and 1,640 for small ru-minants and hogs.

The distribution started lastyear and will continue in various

DA-BSWM gives cassava granulator-shreddertons per hour of fresh cassavaand shred various kinds of agri-cultural biomass for vermicomposting.

Present during the turnoverwere Teodulo Bersabe ofBSWM- Manila, Edgardo B.Tabal, chief of the AgriculturalExtension Program Division,Felizardo M. Salomes, RegionalCorn Coordinator and Ahmad A.Nahul, Regional Focal Personfor Cassava, from DA 9.

towns and cities in theCALABARZON Region.

Apart from these,DA will alsoprovide technical assistance tofarmers through seminars andorientation about the said in-puts.

king duck market but regula-tions have come in the way fol-lowing the AI contaminationworldwide and compelled theimplementation of restrictionson the transport of Peking ducksraised locally.

Moreover, local breeders com-plained to the DA that the pos-sibility of contamination by thedreaded virus is highly improb-able since the birds they havebeen keeping did not originatefrom China, Hongkong or Tai-wan. (Manila Bulletin)

Local duck ... (from p5)

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9March 2011

Starting in2003 with a mea-sly capital ofP700 that ini-tially churnedout calamansijuice concen-trate, now eightyears laterMcNester FoodProducts inGuimaras, Iloilohas grown morethan 500-fold, di-versifying intomore than a

Care for McNester dried mangoes, catsup?

Asked why she choose a for-eign-sounding trade name, shereplied:”I simply named it afterour sons Mac-Mac and Nester.”

Conquering the more lucrativeMetro Manila supermarkets andlater on the global arena may notbe a tall order af ter all, asMcNester can very well qualifyand compete — quality andtaste-wise, and interestinglyname-wise.

Sec. Alcala’s travelogue for March 2011

To synchronize all informationcampaigns and advocacies ofthe agriculture department, par-ticularly the policies and programthrusts of Secretary Proceso J.Alcala, the agency’s regional in-formation officers and the DA-OSEC information service teamconvened for their 2011 1st quar-ter consultative meeting, in Iloilo,March 28-30, 2011.

The consultation served as avenue for the DA info team to dis-cuss and share the latest up-dates on the various programspursued under the Agri-Pinoystrategic framework, coveringmajor sectors that include rice,corn, high value crops, fisheries,livestock, information technol-ogy, and foreign trade agree-ments and policies, among othertopics.

DA Region 6, under the lead-ership of Director LarryNacionales, graciously hostedthe three-day event, which wasspiced by a tour of various agri-culture and fishery institutions,and agribusiness enterprisesstarting off with the DA-BPI Na-tional Mango Research and De-velopment Center in Guimaras(hosted by Center Chief YondreYonder), tour of mangrove re-planting projects along the coastof Buenavista, and a visit to thefacilities of McNester Food Prod-ucts.

The group also visited the fa-cilities of the Southeast AsianFisheries Development CenterAquaculture Department inTigbauan, hosted by Dr. JoebertToledo.

DA info group meets toherald SPJA’s thrusts

PAMPANGA – March 1--Budget preparation in Clark, Pampanga

BACOLOD – March 4

QUEZON PROVINCE – March 5--W ith Senator Francis ‘Kiko’Pangilinan; presented mechanics of the Sentrong Pamilihan ngAgrikultura ng Quezon; visited Earth Keepers Garden, Jun-Jun PerezFarm and Ugu Bigyan’s Potters Garden; visited the Earth Keepers’Learning Farm where Sen. Pangilinan tried his first rice plantingsession.

BATANGAS – March 12--Keynoted the 41st Annual General Assem-bly of the LIMCOMA Multi-purpose Cooperative at De la SalleSentrum, Lipa City, Batangas. He was welcomed by RFU-4A Exec.Dir. Abelardo Bragas , AGAP Party List Rep. Nicanor Briones,LIMCOMA Chairman Camilo Sapo, and LIMCOMA Pres. JoselitoLingao. Also turned over 100 heads of pigs to LIMCOMA members.

MARINDUQUE – March 14--Had breakfast meeting at Biglang-AwaShrine, Balanacan Pier with the provincial officials headed by Gov.Carmencita O. Reyes; proceeded to the blessing and inaugura-tion of Barangay Food Terminal in Barangay Landy, Santa Cruz;turned over technical assistance and gave P140,000 for the termi-nal with P80,000 counterpart from the LGU; pledged an additionalP150,000 for the expansion of the facility and P75,000 for seedmoney; had an open forum with mayors and residents; turned overthree sets of shallow tube wells, a tramline, UV film rainshelter,assorted vegetable seeds, and garden tools.

He keynoted the Strategic Planning Workshop on Agricultureat the Provincial Training Center in Sta. Cruz, Marinduque andhad a surprise visit to the Mariculture Park in Angas, Sta. Cruzand instructed BFAR to expand mariculture livelihood program.

DIPOLOG - March 4--Keynoted Commencement Exercises inDipolog

TARLAC – March 22--Delivered inspirational message at the LBP-CLSU Technology Promotion Center and Farmers’ Field Day inVictoria, Tarlac

DAVAO – March 24--visited the 1,075-hectare Panabo City Mari-culture Park, in Davao del Norte and launched the DA-BFAR FishCage Livelihood Project. Present were LGU officials headed byGov. Rodolfo del Rosario;proceeded to Carmen Municipal Hallwhere he turned over (1) One Unit Hauling Truck worth P900,000.He also pledged 2 hand tractors and certified seeds and promisedto return to further help the farmers with their farmland; visited theMulti-Species Hatchery and Soft Shelled Crab Production projectin Bincungan, Tagum City; surprise visit to Mindanao Rural Devel-opment Project Office in Davao City; he keynoted the 11th NationalConvention cum Seminar-Workshop of the League of MunicipalAgricultural Officers, Municipal/city Agriculturists of the Philip-pines, Inc. (LEMMCAP) at the Waterfront Insular Hotel, DavaoCity with local government officials headed by Sorsogon 1st Dist.Rep. Salvador Escudero III; visited multi-species hatchery and softshelled crab production project at Bincungan, Tagum City

CAMARINES SUR - March 26-- Keynoted Central Bicol State Uni-versity of Agriculture (CBSU) Commencement Exercises in Pili,Camarines Sur.

DAVAO CITY – March 30--Delivered opening remarks for over 800participants of the 1st Coco Coir Summit in Marco Polo Hotel, DavaoCity. Also in attendance were DTI Sec. Gregory Domingo, PCA Ad-ministrator Euclides Forbes, and PHILCOIR Pres. Atty. Ariel Aguirre;visited and toured the 10 hectare lot Xylose Plant of the CJ ToyotaTsusho Philippines, Inc. in Darong, Sta. Cruz with CJ Toyota TsushoPhils. Managing Dir. Son Dae Ho, Governor Douglas Pa. Cagas,and other government officials; visited the Pontmain Resources,Inc. in Inawayan, Sta. Cruz, a manufacturer of coco coir fiber andother coco products. Before Davao, he attended the conclusion ofthe Coco Coir Summit and received Summit resolutions fromPHILCOIR Pres. Ariel Aguirre.

March 31--MANILA-- Hosted the welcome dinner for the UN mis-sion to the Philippines with members of the Executive Boards ofUNDP, UNFPA, UNOPS, UNICEF, UN WOMEN & WFP at the MarbleHall, National Museum in Manila and presented a video presenta-tion of the DA corporate profile and the DA-DAR-DENR conver-gence initiative.

Rebecca Tubongbanua proudly shows offcalamansi juice concentrate and mango catsup,the ingredients of her sweet success in business.

dozen novel processed food prod-ucts bannered by dried mangoes,and more recently, mango cat-sup.

With the assistance of variousgovernment agencies includingthe Department of Agriculture, theforeign-sounding company hastransformed literally into an en-terprise of sweet success, nowconsidered as one of the island’sleading fruit processing ventures.

Proprietor-owner cum chemistRebecca Tubongbanua recounts:“I started with calamansi concen-trate as my first product, but I hadto expand the business to makeroom for the processing of vari-ous mango products.”

Perhaps, it was the demand,or maybe it was her desire to helpmango producers sell their har-vests. But what started frombottled citrus beverages hasgrown into a company with over20 product lines, led by dried andprocessed mangoes.

“When I started this project, Ijust worked in an abandonedhouse,” she narrates.

Luckily, her hard work paid off.“With everyone lending a hand,

I was able to buy better equip-ment and upgrade my small fac-tory,” she adds.

Exposed to a variety of jobsand the world’s inevitable difficul-ties, Tubongbanua may be con-sidered a survivor and a good hit-ter, as she has batted awaywhatever curve ball life hasthrown at her.

Her fruit processing businessis set to conquer local and inter-national markets with its uniqueconcoctions and mixes.

Today, McNester’s product lineincludes dried mangoes, mangopuree, mango catsup, andmango jam. Mango-achara,mango calamansi concentrate,mango chutney and polvoron withmango bits also occupy shelvesat the company’s showroom.She still maintains her pioneer-ing calamansi juice concentrate.

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10

Turn coco fiber ... (from p1)

Finally, he was there...Sporting a striped yellow and white shirtand blue denim pants, he stoodby the door of his room talkinghurriedly to members of his staffand training crew. It was almost 1o’clock in the morning, and Manny“Pacman” Pacquiao, the legend-ary Filipino boxing hero was stillup and about in his three-doorsuite at the fourth floor ofCooyeesan Mall and Hotel inBaguio City.

Despite its modest offerings,Shape Up Gym and the mall’s ho-tel facilities had been home toPacquiao’s high altitude trainingin the Philippines that proved es-sential to his two latest victoriesagainst Joshua Clottey and Anto-nio Margarito.

Around 24 hours ago, andsome 250 kilometers away, a tele-vision crew and representativesof the Department of Agriculturecentral office left Manila after mid-night on March 20, 2011.

Their mission was to take foot-ages of the boxing champ to com-plete an advertisement where hewould endorse the Department’sfood security goals, specifically toboost white corn consumptionamong Filipinos.

The groundwork for the photoand video shoot was coordinatedearlier through the auspices of theDA and the office of SaranganiCongressman Pacquiao.

But it turned out that coordinat-ing with Manny the Congressmanwas a breeze compared to set-ting up a pictorial with Manny theBoxer, thanks to Pacman’s PR

‘Shooting’ Rep. Pacquiaomanager Michael Kontz.

The scheduled 8 o’clock meet-ing was reset to 2:00 p.m., andthen again at 5:00 p.m., at 8:00 p.m.,and finally at 10:00 p.m. whenManny was supposedly ready toretire for that day.

It was past 10 o’clock when wefrantically pulled some morestrings in a final attempt to cornerManny Pacquiao. That time, asmall group of men were lingeringat the mall lobby, and the unmis-takable sturdy profile of BuboyFernandez was easily recogniz-able in the crowd.

Buboy was dubbed to beManny’s best-kept secret weaponbecause his friendship with Mannywent back to their childhood days,their common struggles againstpoverty their fraternal bond even invictory.

We patiently explained the situ-ation to Buboy, who finally agreedto vouch for us.

Anticipating that Manny would betired and sleepy, we were intent inshooting the video clip in less thanten minutes. Eventually, an exas-perated Michael Kontz gave us fiveminutes with our boxing champ.

Contrary to our earlier notion,Manny was wide awake and quitebubbly when he came out of hisroom to greet us along with condi-tioning coach Alex Ariza. After intro-ductions were made, he was keptaside by Direk Robbie Castro IVand producer Leng Mercado andtold him about the script and hisrole in it: He would endorse whitecorn as an alternative or additive torice and promote corn consump

30% or 300 grams of fiber or coircan be extracted, and the rest

is coco peat or dust, Administra-tor Forbes added.

Secretary Alcala said the De-partment of Agriculture is spear-heading the initiative through thePCA and Fiber Industry Develop-ment Authority (FIDA) per in-structions of President BenignoS. Aquino III to strongly support,promote, and develop the cococoir and peat industries toachieve its optimum productionand export potentials.

The DA will develop the fledg-ling coco fiber and peat industryin partnership with the Depart-ments of Trade and Industry (DTI),Public Works and Highways(DPWH), and Science and Tech-nology (DOST), in cooperationwith small coconut farmers’ co-operatives and federations, andthe private sector, like the Philip-pine Coco Coir Exporters Asso-ciation, Inc. (PhilCoir), and theCoconut Industry InvestmentFund (CIIF).

“On exports, China remainsone big untapped export market,”Sec. Alcala said. Other potentialbuyers of geo-textiles and cocopeat organic fertilizers and soilconditioners are Hong Kong, Ko-rea, Japan, Singapore, Taiwan,Canada, and the USA.

He noted that China alone im-ports 200,000 tons of coco fiberannually, driven by its increasingdemand for mattresses. This de-mand has prompted the settingup of over 50 coir production work-shops in the country, which arenot enough, Alcala added.

“In China, to date we only seizemerely 0.05% of its coco fiberimports. The room for furthergrowth is therefore immense,” theDA chief said.

The PCA said last year thecountry exported less than 5,000metric tons (MT) of coconut coirworth roughly $6.5 million. SriLanka is the leading exporter, atmore than 150,000 MT.

For his part, DTI Secretary Gre-gory Domingo said governmentaims to increase exports of cocogeo textiles to at least $6.5 mil-lion by 2016.

At the conclusion of the sum-mit, leading stakeholders signeda statement of commitment todevelop the country’s fledglingcoconut fiber and peat industry.The signatories include Secretar-ies Alcala and Domingo, and rep-resentatives of other governmentagencies like the DPWH, DOST,PCA, FIDA, Coconut Industry De-

velopment Fund, and PhilCoir.“We are highly appreciative of

the recognition by the govern-ment of the importance and po-tential significance of the cococoir industry, and we are com-mitted to working with the gov-ernment in developing our indus-

tion by actually eating white corngrits with rice and whole corn ker-nels on a cob.

“Uy, kakain tayo ng mais…” heexcitedly said. He was given cornon a cob and recited his line: “Parasa malakas at malusog na Pinoy,mag-mais tayo.” There were afew takes for the shoot, and allthe while he was nibbling at hiscorn on a cob. He was also givena plate of rice with white corn grits,which he gamely chewed for thecamera. After the shooting, healso posed for pictorials andsigned autographs with each ofthe coverage crew.

While doing this, he narratedthat he had been eating plain cornuntil he was eight years old. Hebarely knew of rice at that time,and he thought it should be eatenwithout viands.

Manny Pacquiao believes in theDepartment of Agriculture’s thrustof promoting corn consumptionto achieve food security in thecountry. Aside from its obviousrole in reducing poverty, he saidcorn provides a balanced dietespecially for athletes like him.

How he wished, he said, thatcorn would be re-established asstaple food not only in Visayasand Mindanao, but all over thecountry.

The taping and autograph ses-sion took about an hour. It bol-stered our earlier belief that if wewere only allowed to spend aminute with the People’s Champhimself, he would not let us gountil we’ve had him to our heart’scontent.

And this proved true the follow-ing morning when we showed upfor his road run through the hillsalong Marcos Highway in theboundaries of Baguio andBenguet. He gamely joked withus, posed for us, and treated uslike we were long-time friends.

He was a real champ, and we’dgladly take another opportunity toshoot Manny Pacquiao all overagain.

Sec. Alcala (left) and Australian Ambassador to the PhilippinesRod Smith (right) discuss market opportunities available for bothcountries during the latter’s courtesy call at the DA office recently.Aside from Guimaras and Davao del Sur, Smith said that Australiais keen on procuring mangoes from other provinces in the Philip-pines on the condition that it meets the biosecurity policies Austra-lia have set.

try,” PhilCoir said in a positionpaper presented during the sum-mit.

The position paper also put for-ward pressing and strategic con-cerns for the coconut industry,alongside recommended solu-tions and courses of action.

Manny Pacquiao trainingin Baguio City

Page 10: Aggie Trends March 2011

11March 2011

Korea, where thereis a currently anFMD outbreak.

Korea’s pork pro-duction is ex-pected to declineby 760,000 metrictons or one-third ofthe previous totalestimates of 2011.Sec. Alcala hopesto capture a seg-ment of the SouthKorean pork mar-ket until it recoversfrom the FMD out-break.

He expressed such optimismduring the 41st general assemblyand election of officers of the LipaCity Multi-Purpose CooperativeMarketing Association(LIMCOMA), Batangas, March12, 2011.

Phl to be ...(from p1)

DA allots ... (from p1)This was the commitment of

Agriculture Secretary Proceso J.Alcala at the 1st Philippine Cof-fee Investors’ Forum, held March9, in Makati City.

He said the P50M that will bedrawn from the DA’s High ValueCrops Development Program(HVCDP) is “what the govern-ment can offer in the meantime.”

“Once we see investors will-ing to partner with farmers to helpthem help themselves, we canalways double our funds for thecoffee industry,” he added.

He lamented that the countryimports about P2-billion worth ofcoffee every year.

With investor support, saidamount could be better spent onfarmers who could be encour-aged to produce local coffee va-rieties and boost the domesticeconomy.

The investors’ forum was at-tended by about 100 partici-pants, with about one-fourth rep-resenting 25 investor groups.

Also present were officials ofNestle Philippines, the country’sbiggest coffee buyer and manu-facturer; Banco De Oro UnibankInc. and the Land Bank of thePhilippines.

Other DA officials, coffee farm-ers and entrepreneurs also par-ticipated in the one-day forum.

Government interventionsHVCDP national coordinator

and assistant director of the Bu-reau of Plant Industry DanteDelima said the P50-M initialfund is earmarked for 10 priorityregions, where the DA targets toprovide farmers over 1 million cof-fee planting materials in priorityprovinces.

Delima said 70 percent of Phil-ippine coffee is Robusta variety.Other varieties are arabica,liberica, and excelsa.

He said the DA will also pro-vide small farm equipment andmachinery like 232 sprayers, 20screen houses, 18 nurseries,and a planting materials labora-tory; rehabilitate five screenhouses, and five nurseries; es-tablish seven organic or biologi-cal fertilizer plants, rehabilitateseven others; put up two bio-con-trol agent plants, and organic fer-tilizer composting plants; distrib-ute soil analysis instruments,consisting of 409 PH meters and4 multi-meters; and fund threecoffee production-related re-search activities.

On irrigation, the DA will es-tablish 10 small farm reservoirs,and provide 46,460 meters of high

He commended LIMCOMAmembers, mostly farmers andhog raisers, for their strong spiritof cooperativism, which is worthemulating by other farmers, live-stock raisers and ruralfolk all overthe country.

He said the DA will stronglysupport farmers, livestock andpoultry raisers, fishers, fruit andvegetable dealers who will fol-low the footsteps of LIMCOMA.

One of the biggest, success-ful cooperatives in the country,LIMCOMA is now engaged inseveral food supply chain enter-prises, from corn production,feed milling, swine raising,slaughterhouse operation, porkprocessing, and meat shop andmarket operation.

It prides itself with the first fullyautomated or computerizedfeedmill in Southeast Asia im-ported from the Netherlands.

It has also invested in a 97-foot twin silo facility that canstore up to 3,000 tons of corn,and a pelleting machine that canproduce up to 20 tons of pelletfeeds per hour.

In 2010, the cooperativeearned a total of P23.7 millionfrom its various enterprises.

For their efforts, the DA fur-ther boosted the cooperative’sswine breeding and raising op-erations by sharing several headof breeder boars and 100 pig-lets.

Sec. Alcala enjoined the co-operative to further improve itsslaughterhouse and meat shopoperations to produce morequality and affordable pork prod-ucts for consumers in Batangas,nearby provinces and Metro Ma-nila.

Finally, he thanked theLIMCOMA officers and mem-bers for providing him the oppor-tunity to touch-base with them,reassuring them that throughgood and transparent gover-nance, the DA will regain thepublic’s trust and confidence, incompliance with PresidentAquino’s directives to the de-partment.

density polyethylene pipes, 328plastic water drums, and five al-ternative irrigation systems thatintegrate hydro and solar tech-nology.

On infrastructure andpostharvest development ser-vices, Delima said the DA will pro-vide 29 coffee processing equip-ment, 7 postharvest and storageequipment, 7 household and 5 vil-lage level processing facilities,and funds for postharvest relatedresearch activities.

Expansion areasFor his part, Marriz B. Agbon,

president of DA’s Philippine Agri-cultural Development and Com-mercial Corporation (PADCC)said the DA eyes expansion ar-eas in the provinces of Isabela,Bohol, Leyte, Bicol, Cebu,Negros, Bukidnon, Misamis Ori-ental, Bulacan, and Davao DelSur.

He added areas identified by theDENR as potential coffee planta-tions include Bulacan, with about67,000 hectares; Bataan with19,000 hectares; and Davao with28,000 hectares.

“Together, the potential of de-veloping at least 15 to 20 percentof target areas will be able to coverthe 2010 coffee import figures,which is in the vicinity of 26,600metric tons,” Agbon said.

Peter Noszek, chief financeofficer of Nestle Philippines, saidthey buy about 80 percent of theopportunities,” he said.

Public-private partnership tointensify local coffee industry

Land Bank and BDO officialssiad they are prepared to fund newcoffee plantations and the reha-

bilitation of existing areas. Theyare also ready to finance irriga-tion systems if needed. Borrow-ers are also allotted a grace pe-riod to repay the loan untilcashflow is generated.

“On our part, BDO’s supportto agriculture and fisheries is nowslowly picking up. Our bank isopen to individual borrowers pro-vided they can comply with all therequirements of the bank whichare needed to secure their abil-ity to repay the loan,” explainedRhoda Orsolino, Senior VicePresident.

Successful coffee entrepre-neurs also shared their experi-ences. One of them is Noel S.Gonzales, chairman and CEO ofCorporate Holdings Management,Inc. (CHMI), which diversified intocoffee production.

“Our plan is to cover 4,000hectares in a five-year periodthrough the help of the govern-ment and banking sector and inpartnership with Nestle as buyer.At present, we were able to plant333 coffee trees covering 200hectares in Alcoy, Cebu withinonly five months and now we arepreparing 300 hectares more forplanting. We are also eyeingAntipolo and San Mateo as newsites for coffee production,” saidGonzales.

For his part, CHMI presidentSimeon L. Kintanar said theyenvision making Cebu as the cof-fee corridor in Central Visayas.(with reports from Adam Borja, An-gelica Barlis and Miko Jazmine J.Mojica)

Sec. Alcala (inset) announces the entire Philippines will soon be declared FMD-free by the OIE during the 41st general assembly and election of officers of theLipa City Multi-Purpose Coop. Marketing Ass’n. (LIMCOMA), in Batangas.

Page 11: Aggie Trends March 2011

The Philippines intends to sendfood to Japan, starting with ashipment of bananas andplantains, to help feed thehundreds of thousands of victimsof the massive March 11earthquake and tsunami thatdevastated the northeastern partof the country.

“We are trying to send somecontainers of bananas to helpwith their food needs,” AgricultureSecretary Proceso Alcala said.

The magnitude 9 earthquakespawned a destructive tsunamithat all but wiped out towns alongthe northeastern coast of Japan’sHonshu island.

The temblor and tidal wavesalso damaged the FukushimaDaiichi Nuclear Power Plant,raising fears of a nuclearmeltdown as authorities furiouslytry to contain the disaster.

Alacala said the Department ofAgriculture plans to start bysending bananas since this isone of the top commodities thatthe Philippines exports to Japan.A total of 95 percent of the

The Philippines will temporarilyban the entry of chocolate-milkproducts and meat products fromareas in Japan where radioactiv-ity contamination was detected,the Bureau of Animal Industry(BAI) said.

“We will no longer be issuingveterinary quarantine clearances

Phl sends free bananas to Japanese tsunami victimsbananas consumed in Japancome from the Philippines, henoted.

He said the DA would sendthe “lakatan” variety along with“saba,” a species of plantain thatmay be cooked as a staple. Later,the DA may also sendpineapples, he added in aninterview.

Alcala said the plan to sendfruits had the blessings of thePresident.

“We have coordinated and havesought the permission of thePresident, and he said that it isonly right that we show oursolidarity with them, since theyare among the best importers ofour bananas,” he said.

He said Japan imports morefood from the Philippines than itexports to the country.

Alcala also said thePhilippines could be expected toexport more food to Japan now,but called on exporters not totake advantage of the quake-hitcountry.

“Let us not raise prices, let’skeep it at the proper level,” hesaid.

He also noted that thedamaged areas in Japan were

... Bans Japanese meat, dairy products

rice hull was fed to thefurnace. He consumes 36bags of rice hull per seedbatch scoring a 98 percentgermination for his seeds.

As an accredited seedproducer, he regularly plantssome eight to ten varieties offoundation seeds as requiredby PhilRice.

At times, Dolores wants toplant just a single variety ofseeds that he thinks will selllike hotcakes, but he sticksto the rules of accreditationnonetheless.

His sales averages 1,400bags of registered seeds perseason, which he sells atPhp 1,200 per 40-kg.bag orabout Php 1.6 million percropping season!

He has four outlets in thenearby town of Munoz. Henever resorts to outsourcingof seeds when his stocks are

Rice seed production is ... (from p6)

Sec. Alcala (left)and Davao delNorte GovernorRodolfo delRosario appreci-ate a lobsterraised at the1 , 0 7 5 -h e c t a r ePanabo City Mari-culture Park, inDavao del Norte,a joint project ofthe DA-BFAR,Panabo City andf i s h f a r m e r s ’groups. The parkhas initially devel-oped 80 hectaresfor culturing lob-sters, bangus,siganids grou-pers, red snap-pers, seahorsesand seaweeds.

exhausted.Two years ago, barangay

Faigal became the directbeneficiary of irrigation watercoming from the CasecnanIrrigation project of the NationalIrrigation Administration. Theproject opened some 13,000hectares of rice land in thetowns of Munoz, Talugtog andGuinba, all in Nueva Ecija.

Dolores admits that beforethe irrigation service wasopened in his area, he usuallyconsumes some 36 drums ofdiesel fuel for his Shallow TubeWells to irrigate his 16-ha. ricefarm.

At one point, he boughtdiesel for Php 50 per liter,translating to a productionexpense of Php 360,000 in asingle cropping season!

He was also elected treasurerof the Irrigators association thatcovers some 1,231 hectares

and involving 750 farmerbeneficiaries. They haveunder their care the mainte-nance of some 9 kilometersof irrigation canal lateralsand sublaterals that lead totheir area. The irrigators’association, covering 11barangays in three munici-palities, was adjudged assecond best association inthe entire country with a 100percent collection in irriga-tion fees.

For two successiveseasons, the irrigators’association earned P1.6million during the dry seasonand another P800,000 forthe wet season. The asso-ciation uses the amount forthe regular cleaning ofcanals that service theirarea.

As a farmer and a riceseed producer, Dolores hasno regrets whatsoever aboutfate that brought him back tothe farm.

devoted to agriculture, and thePhilippines should try to help byproducing the kind of crops thathave been badly af fected.(Philippine Daily Inquirer)

for chocolate-milk product andmeat products coming from af-fected prefectures in Japan,” saidBAI Director Efren Nuestro.

Nuestro also disclosed thatchocolate-milk products shippedto the Philippines from prefec-tures in Japan that are within thevicinity of the nuclear reactors

damaged on March 11 will be re-called.

“We would like to give the pub-lic the assurance that any choco-late- milk products from the pre-fectures that were shipped afterMarch 11 will not be allowed toenter the Philippines,” he said.

Earlier, the United States Foodand Drug Administration stoppedthe importation of milk, veg-etables and fruits from the pre-

fectures of Fukushima, Ibaraki,Tochigi and Gunma.

Meanwhile, the Bureau ofFisheries and Aquatic Re-sources said it will conduct ran-dom sampling of mackerel fromJapan to determine whetherthese contain abnormal radioac-tivity.

Bureau Director Malcolm I.Sarmiento disclosed the Philip-pines imported 4,000 tons ofmackerel for processing from Ja-pan.

The government noted that Ja-pan is not a primary source ofmeat products and other majorfood products. It said Japan ex-ports mostly manufacturedgoods to the Philippines suchas noodles and tea.

Earlier, the Philippine NuclearResearch Institute and the Foodand Drugs Administration de-clared they would test soy prod-ucts, milk and noodles that en-tered the Philippines afternuclear reactors in theFukushima Dai-ichi power plantwere damaged by the earth-quake and the tsunami.

“Some food products sampledat sites both within theFukushima prefecture and in ad-jacent areas have been con-taminated by radioactive mate-rials,” a joint statement of theFood and Agriculture Associa-tion and the World Health Orga-nization said. (Business Mirror)