aggie trends may 2011

8/2/2019 Aggie Trends May 2011

1/11

Vol. XXVI No. 5 A monthly publication of the Department of Agriculture May 2011

The departments of agriculture(DA), agrarian reform (DAR), andenvironment and natural re-sources (DENR) are investing aninitial P148 million to transformthree adjoining eastern coastaltowns in Quezon Real, Infantaand General Nakar, collectivelyknown as REINA into a mod-ern agro-enterprise cluster, the7th convergence initiative of thethree agencies under the Aquinoadministration.

Of the total, the DA is allottingP77M for several agriculture andfishery projects, including aP50-million modern fish port andagri trading complex in Infanta;the DAR will construct a P66-Mbridge in General Nakar; whilethe DENR will pursue the Kananwatershed management projectin Infanta.

Agriculture Secretary ProcesoJ. Alcala led the signing of amemorandum of understanding(MOU) of the Reina convergenceagro-enterprise cluster, May 30,2011, at the Infanta Social Cen-ter, along with Agrarian ReformSecretary Virgilio de los Reyes,Environment Undersecretary

DA, DAR, DENRinvest P148Min REINA

President Benigno S. Aquino III and Agriculture Secretary Proceso J. Alcala honor the countrys 2009-2010 outstanding farmers and fisherfolk, in Malacaang, May 23, 2011, led by 79-year-old integratedrice farmer Efren Millare (inset) of San Juan, Abra. He and other 21 Gawad Saka awardees (pls see pp 6-7 for more photos) received P100,000 cash, a Presidential citation and trophy for their respective feats.

(Pls turn to p2)

Sec. Alcala (3rdfrom left) leads a unity pact among players of theREINA convergence cluster in Quezon. Joining him (from left)are: Marriz Agbon of DA-PADCC, Vice Gov. Vicente Alcala, Gov.

David Suarez, 1stDist. Rep. Wilfredo Mark Enverga, Antonio Melotoof Gawad Kalinga, DAR Sec. Virgilio de los Reyes, Jose Ma. Lorenzo-Tan of WWF Philippines, DENR undersecretary Demetrio Ignacioand DA undersecretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat.

Filipino livestock and hog rais-ers, and meat processors can nowexport Pinoy livestock and porkproducts to the rest of the world,as the entire Philippines was re-

Entire Philippines is now FMD-free; can export livestock, pork productsof Animal Industry (BAI) and theNational Meat Inspection Service(NMIS).

The OIE certification was re-ceived on behalf of the Philip-pine government and Sec.

Alcala by agriculture assistantsecretary for livestock Davinio

(Pls turn to p11)

DA lends 50 pumps;fish kill tops P175M

(Pls turn to p3)

The Department of Agriculturewill distribute an initial 50 waterpumps through the Bureau ofSoils and Water Managementto affected fish cage owners inTaal Lake, Batangas that willhelp aerate lake waters, and re-duce fish kills.

As of May 31, losses haveamounted to P175 million, in-cluding those in Pangasinan,particularly in the towns of Andaand Bolinao.

cently certified free from thedreaded foot and mouth disease(FMD) without vaccination by theOffice International desEpizooties (OIE) or World Orga-nization for Animal Health.

Agriculture Secretary ProcesoJ. Alcala said the OIE certifica-tion declaring the countrys re-maining regions and provinces

collectively referred to as Zone 2 enables the Philippines to fi-nally export, particularly to nearby

ASEAN and Asia-Pacific regions,livestock meat products, mainlypork. As the country is likewisefree from avian flu, it has beenexporting poultry products,mostly to Japan.

He said negotiations are ongo-ing to export pork products toSingapore and Malaysia. Se-lected swine farms, abattoirs andmeat processing establishments,initially in Mindanao, are beingaccredited by the Department of

Agriculture through its concernedagencies, particularly the Bureau


2/11

2

Editorial

Gawad Saka AwardeesTaga-punla ng inspirasyon at pag-asa

Writers:Adora D. Rodriguez, Jo Anne Grace B. Pera, Arlhene S. Carro,

Bethzaida Bustamante, Mc. Bien Saint Garcia, Jay Ilagan,

Catherine Nanta

Contributors: DA-RFU Info Officers, Public Info Officers and Staff of DA

is published monthly by the Department of Agriculture

Information Service, Elliptical Road, Diliman, Quezon City. Tel. nos. 9288762loc 2148, 2150, 2155, 2156 or 2184; 9204080 or tel/fax 9280588. This

issue is available in PDF file. For copies, please send requests via email:

[email protected].

Editor-In-Chief: Noel O. Reyes

Associate Editors: Karenina Salazar, Cheryl C. Suarez & Adam Borja

Bureaus, Attached Agencies & Corporations, Foreign-Assisted Projects

Photographers: Jose Lucas, Alan Jay Jacalan, & Kathrino Resurreccion

Lay-out Artist: Bethzaida Bustamante

Printing &Circulation: Teresita Abejar & PCES Staff

DA, DAR, DENR ... (from p1)

Demetrio Ignacio, Quezon Gov.David Suarez, Quezon Rep. MarkEnverga, and the three mayorsof Real, Infanta, and GeneralNakar.

Under the MOU, the three

agencies will pool their resourcesand raise a required investment

of P210.4 million.

The amount will bankroll fourinterventions: policy and advo-

cacy, agri-enterprise andagribusiness development, ca-

pacity development, and knowl-edge management.

The convergence initiative is astrategy to complement the re-

sources and expertise of the DA,DAR and DENR and local gov-

ernment units following the sus-tainable rural development frame-

work plan under the administra-

tion of President Benigno S.

Aquino III.The success of the conver-

gence program by the three na-tional government agencies un-

der the administration of Presi-dent Aquino rests with the LGUs

and residents doing their obliga-tion here to support the program,

Alcala said, adding that they willevaluate project implementation

at the local level.

During the REINA clusterlaunch, Sec. Alcala took the op-

portunity to hand over to QuezonGov. Suarez several farm machin-

ery and equipment, inputs andlivestock animals.

These include a farm tractorwith implements, five hand trac-

tors, six sets of shallow tube

wells, 27 head of carabaos, vari-ous planting materials (coconut,

coffee, cacao, cassava, and ba-

nana), and assorted vegetableseeds.

The DA has also committed todevelop and expand abaca areas,

set up abaca nurseries, conduct

institutional credit capability

building seminars, provide tech-

nical assistance in organic ag-riculture and agro-forestry, pro-

vide REINA farmers and fisherscrop and fishery insurance cov-

erage.For its part, the DAR will

spearheaded the construction ofa P66-million Anibongan Bridge,

in Barangay Magsikap, GeneralNakar, as part of the Tulay ng

Pangulo program of President

Aquino.The DENR will pursue the

Kanan Watershed Management

Project in Infanta. The agency

awarded farm families an initialP338,000 for watershed

projects, including 25 land titles

to beneficiaries from REINA.

The DENR said farmers can

use the lots for farm,agribusiness and livelihood en-

terprises, or plant them with fruit

trees as part of governments

National Greening Program.

For his part, Governor Suarez

expressed his constituents

gratitude to President Aquino,

particularly to the DA, DAR and

DENR, for selecting REINA as

a convergence area.

He assured the three agen-

cies that the project beneficia-

ries and the provincial govern-

ment would do their part to makethe convergence initiative a suc-

cess.

Since September 2010, six

convergence cluster areas have

been set up in Antique, Iloilo,

Isabela, Camarines Sur,

Sorsogon, and Leyte. (with re-

ports from Cheryl Suarez of DA-

AF IS , An ge li ca Ba rl is of DA -

PADCC, and John Bello of Busi-

ness Mirror).

Ngayong buwan ng mgamagsasaka at mangingisda,ating ding bibigyan sila ngkaukulang pagpapahalaga sapahinang ito. Kaya naman,minarapat namin na ilathalaang mga piling diskurso satalumpati ni PangulongBenigno S. Aquino III,noong Mayo 23, 2011, saMalacaang, nang kanyangginawaran ang mga katangi-tanging magsasaka atmangingisda ng taong 2009-2010.

Ayon kay PangulongAquino:

... May kasabihan potayong kapag may itinanim,may aanihin. Ngayong araw,

pinapatotohanan natin ang

kasabihang ito.Mga magsasakang

nagtatanim ng pawis at orasupang mapalago, hindilamang ang sarili nilangsakahan, kundi maging angkabuhayan ng mga kasamanila sa lokalidad sa

pamamagitan ng pagtuturo ngmakabagong mga paraan atteknolohiya.

Mga mangingisdangpumapalaot, hindi lamangpara may maihain sa mesa,kung hindi para salungatin

ang mga rumaragasa atnakakapinsalang paraan ngpangingisda at hikayatingalagaan ang ating likas-yaman.

Patunay silang hindilamang sipag ang kailangansa tagumpay, kungdimahalaga ring tumbasan itong prinsipyo, dedikasyon atwagas na malasakit sakalikasan at kapwa. Kayanaman, sa ngalan ng bawatPilipino, taos-puso akongnagpapasalamat sa inyo ponglahat.

Ang mga parangal sa inyongayong araw ay hindisasapat sa mga ibinigayninyo para sa inyongkomunidad.

Salamat sa pagpupunlaninyo ng inspirasyon at pag-asa.

Salamat sa pag-aambagninyo tungo sa kaunlaran atmakabuluhang pagbabagosa ating bansa.

Kaya naman kasabay dinninyo kaming nagpupunla ngmga butil ng reporma para

palaguin ang sektor atsakahan at pangisdaan sabansa, lalo pat malaki angkontribusyon ninyo sa

pagpapayabong ngpambansang ekonomiya.

Binubuhusan natin anghanay ninyo ng mga

proyekto at programangmagbubunga ng masmaraming trabaho, atmagpapatubo rin sa kita nginyong mga manggagawa.

Ano po ba ang mgahakbang na kailangannating gawin?

Hindi naman po uusadang mga inisyatibang itokung kulang-kulang at

palsipikado ang ating mgapasi lidad...

Kailangan natingmapagbuti ang atingirigasyon. Makapagpatayong karagdagang mga daan,mga daungan, mgakagamitang pangsaka at

pangingisda, at importantesa lahat marketing centers.

Alam kong pabalik-balikna dinadalaw ng sakit anginyong mga hayop athalaman, kaya kailangannating mapagpatibay angating depensa laban samga ito. Mahalaga ring

maiangat ang kalidad ngating mga produkto, at angkaalaman at kakayahan ngating mga manggagawa sasektor para makasabay sakompetisyon sa

pandaigdigang merkado.Nagagalak naman po

tayo na tulad ninyo,kumakayod atnagpapakitang-gilas din angating Department of Agricul-ture, sa pangunguna po niSecretary Procy Alcala...

Tumaas po ng mahigitapat na porsiyento angsektor ng agrikultura saunang tatlong buwan ng2011.

Sa kasalukuyang presyo,umabot na ang gross valueng ating agricultural outputsa halos tatlong daan atlimampung bilyong piso(P350B). Mas mataas po itong humigit-kumulanglabing-tatlong porsiyentokumpara sa nakaraangtaon.

Pinasimulan na rin po niSecretary Alcala, sampu ng

(Pls turn to p6)


3/11

May 2011 3

DA lends 50 pumps ... (from p1)

Record palay, corn harvests push Q1 agri growth to 4.1%An unprec ed ented and

record-breaking harvest of palay,corn and sugarcane, has driventhe countrys agricultural sectorto a 4.1 percent (%) growthduring the first quarter of theyear.

Secretary Proceso J. Alcala

said the countrys first quarterpalay production of 4.037 millionmetric tons (MMT)15.6%higher than last years 3.491MMTis the biggest versus all1st quarter production throughthe years.

We project even highergrowth for the next two quartersthat will put us on target, as theprograms and interventionsshow results in terms of stillhigher output and production,Sec. Alcala said.

He projected a similar goodpalay production in the second

quarter, and a 30 percentincrease for the third quarterall due to timely interventions

The DA through its Bureau ofFisheries and Aquatic Re-sources (BFAR) will also distrib-ute over 1 million bangus and ti-lapia fingerlings to affectedfishfarmers in Taal Lake andPangasinan, once the oxygenlevel in their respective areashave improved.

Newly-appointed BFAR na-tional director Atty. Asis Perezsaid fish cage owners may tem-porarily keep their harvested fishfor free at the DAs PhilippineFisheries Development Authority(PFDA) cold storage facilities inNavotas (which has a capacityof up to 100 tons) and in Lucena(with a capacity of 40 to 70 tons).

He said the fish kill incidentsin Taal Lake and Pangasinanwere due to lack of dissolvedoxygen and overstocking.

Perez said in Pangasinan, par-ticularly in Kakiputan Channelbetween Anda and Bolinao, itwas more due to overstockingand improper fish cage manage-ment.

In Taal Lake, the lack of oxy-gen in the water was aggravatedby too many illegal fish cages,and some are oversized. The pre-scribed dimensions are 10meters by 10 meters and sixmeters deep. Perez said somefish cages are circular, which aredouble than the 10m x 10msquare cages. Worse, othercages are up to 15 meters deep.

The provincial government of

that include repair andrehabilitation of irrigation facilitiesnationwide, and promotion of goodquality palay seeds.

He also cited the positiveeffects of a moderate La Niaphenomenon during the lastquarter of 2010 that provided

water to rainfed farms.First quarter harvests of corn(1.9 MMT) and sugarcane (12.75MMT) were also unprecedented,at 19.5% and 26.7%, respectively.

We expect these crops to postdouble-digit growth in the nextthree quarters, with peaks in thesecond and third quarters of theyear, Sec. Alcala said.

Total agricultural productionamounted to P347.2 billion (B) atcurrent prices, 12.7% moreversus last years level for thesame three-month period.

The crops sub-sectorwhich

grossed P206B and contributed53% to total agriculture outputexpanded by 8.19%.

Batangas under Governor VilmaSantos has been clearing TaalLake of illegal fish cages, wherecurrently there are 1,300 more tobe dismantled.

The lakes sustainable capac-ity is only 6,000 cages.

Perez said the same is true inAnda and Bolinao, where morethan enough illegal fish pens and

cages are installed along the nar-row Kakiputan Channel.

Anot her fac to r is thatfishfarmers stocked more fishinto their cages in their desire toearn more profit, Perez said.

The recommended density forclosed water systems like TaalLake is 20 pieces per cubicmeter. For open waters, it couldgo up to 30 fish per cubic meter

or more, depending on water qual

A worker repairs the net of a circular fish cage in Talisay, Batangas,where fish kill was most prevalent. (BFAR photo)

ity and circulation.In Taal Lake, nine lakeshore ar-

eas (eight towns and one city)were affected, led by Talisaywhere 895 tons of fish (worth P78million) from 136 fish cages died,representing less than one-half ofthe total fish killed (2,056 tons)from 339 fish cages worth P144million.

The last time that theagriculture sector posted a firstquarter growth of more than 4%were in 2004 (7%), 2002 (7.3%),and in 1999 (4.7%), saidassistant director MauraLizarondo of the DA-Bureau of

Agricultural Statistics (BAS).

Meanwhile, the livestocksector, which accounted for15.2% of total production,registered a 0.59% growth, whilethe poultry sector, accounting for13.3% of total production, posteda 3.9% growth.

We are optimistic that thepoultry sector will maintain itsgrowth path, along with thelivestock sector, added Sec.

Alcala.Fisheries production,

accounting for 18.5% of total farmoutput, declined by 3.5% due toa self-imposed moratorium from

November 2010 to February 2011by commercial and municipalfishermen in Sulu Sea off

Zamboanga Peninsula.This is where they catch

herring (tamban), which isprocessed into bottled andcanned sardines.

Sec. Alcala said suchtemporary decline may beconsidered a good news as

the country will expectsustained fish productionparticularly in Mindanao.

He therefore urged othercommercial and municipalfishermen in other parts of thecountry to follow the exampleof Mindanao fishermen bysetting aside a no fishingseason or moratorium,particularly during fishspawning and breedingseason.

Finally, average farmgateprices outstripped inflation byregistering an increase of

8.3%, indicating real farmincome growth, Sec. Alcalaconcluded.

(Pls turn to p11)

In Anda and Bolinao,Pangasinan, some 39 tons of fish(mostly bangus) died worth P37million.

Two weeks prior to the TaalLake fish kill on May 27, 2011,mostly involving fish cages inTalisay, Batangas, the DA-BFARhas advised fish cage owners andoperators during a meeting of TaalLake Alliance Inc. of the lakes

poor water quality.

Unfortunately, those in Talisayand other lakeshore towns didnot take heed.

The DA-BFAR Region 4-A f ishhealth monitoring team, at theInland Fisheries Research Sta-tion (IFRS) in

Ambulong,Tanauan City, saidtwo weeks prior to the fish killoccurrence, heavy rains wereexperienced at Taal Lake and

lakeshore towns.This has caused an overturn,

where relatively heavier cold rain-water settled down the lake, sub-sequently pushing up the lighterwarm water at the bottom. Asthe water overturns orupswells it carried with it sedi-ments and relatively un-oxygen-ated lakewater, causing as-phyxiation that drowned thefishes.

The BFAR-IFRS team has ear-lier warned members of the TaalLake Alliance Inc. during their

May 12 general assembly oflakes deteriorating water qual-ity. The alliance has 1,000fisher-members.

The IFRS conducts monthlymonitoring of the Taal Lakeswater quality parameters liketemperature, transparency,color, pH, dissolved oxygen, am-monia, nitrite, hydrogen sulfide,carbon dioxide, and hardness,including weather condition andwind direction.

On May 23, heavy rains fellon Taal Lake and lakeshore


4/11

4

The Department of Agricultureis implementing a white corn pro-duction and advocacy program,alloting an initital P40 million,aimed encouraging more Filipi-nos to eat white corn grits orbigas na puting mais, andcomplement rice as a major

staple.Agriculture assistant secretary

(A/Sec) for f ield operationsEdilderto de Luna, who is con-current national corn program co-ordinator, said white corn grits iscurrently the staple food of about14 million Filipinos, particularlyin Visayas and Mindanao.

He said the DAs Agr i-P inoywhite corn program aims to morethan double the per capita con-sumption of white corn grits fromthe current eight kilograms (kg)to 18 kg by 2016.

To provide the needed supply,the DA aims to increase the pro-duction of white corn from 2.18million metric tons (MMT) in 2010to 2.76 MMT in 2016.

He said nutrition and wellnessexperts recommend consump-tion of white corn grits, as it hasa low glycemic index (GI), mak-ing it slower to digest, therebyreleasing its glucose graduallyinto the blood stream, thus less-ening the risk of diabetes.

Medical experts say diabetesis a leading degenerative dis-

ease. Roughly 4.6 percent of thepopulation or about 3.5 millionFilipinos are diabetics.

Meanwhile, A/Sec de Luna saidthe DA has been funding produc-tion of high-yielding varieties ofwhite corn through the Instituteof Plant Breeding of the Univer-sity of the Philippines in LosBanos (IPB-UPLB), and plans tosustain it on a yearly basis.

The IPB is propagating IPB Var6, whose yield is nearly compa-rable to commercial white cornhybrid, said IPB deputy director

Dr. Artemio M. Salazar, who for-merly served as DAs nationalcorn program coordinator.

He said field trials show IPBVar 6 can produce an average of5.84 metric tons (MT) per hect-are (ha), in Luzon; 5.45 MT/ha inVisayas, and 4.47 MT/ha inMindanao.

He said last year, the IPB,given a P15-M budget from theDA corn program, producedsome 10,000 bags (18 kilos perbag) of foundation and registeredwhite corn seeds. This year, with

DA launches white corn program to ease pressure on rice

Cagayan Valley sets to

... (from p5)Another factor is that more

farmers are using modern sus-

tainable production technologies a result of the establishmentof technology demonstrationfarms in 262 sites, benefitting12,584 farm ers, Alviar said.

As a result of these efforts,theregions first semester palay harvest is projected to reach 1.223million MT, which is 31.4 %more than last years output of930,999 MT and 0.6% morethan in 2009 (1.216 million MT)for the same six-month period.

Corn harvest is expected to

top 852,239 MT, 114% or morethan double last years yield of397,417 MT, and 5.6% morethan in 2009 (807,290 MT), dur-ing the first semester.

Alviar said 2010 is an abnor-mal year, as prolonged droughtcaused by El Nio phenomenonreduced production of rice, cornand most crops. Thus, it is bet-ter to compare this years pro-duction with 2009, Alviar noted.

Cagayan Valley produced1.746 million MT of palay in2010, representing 11% of na-

tional output (15.77 million MT).In 2009, its contribution was big-ger at 12.8% (2.077 million MT)of total national yield (16.27 mil-lion MT).

Region 2 ranks third behindCentral Luzon (Region 3) andWestern Visayas (Region 6), interms of rice production.

In 2009, Regions 3 and 6 con-tributed 17.2% and 13.6%, re-spectively, to national palay pro-duction. Last year, the two re-gions shared 18.8% and 11.4%,respectively, to total harvest.

Sec. Alcala commends hundreds of Oriental Mindoro farmers andfishers at the 1st Probinsya Negosyo Farmers Congress, held May6, at Pinamalayan, for their continuing efforts to sustain the devel-opment of their agriculture, fishery and livestock sectors. He as-sured them that the DA will complement their perseverance andhardship by providing the needed technical and marketing supporttheir bring in more projects that will cover fisheries, rice and corn.

a P25-M budget, the agency istasked to produce 22,000 bags.

The IPB said one-half of theseseeds have already been distrib-uted to DA regional offices na-tionwide for mass propagationand then distribution to farmers.

Moreover, under a proposed

program for a continuing seedproduction, the DA will releaseP7 million yearly over the nextfive years.

Our aim is to bring technolo-gies to the boondocks wherethere are many people who donthave much to eat, said Salazar,who is also head of the nationalcorn research, development,and extension network.

One does not need capital-in-tensive irrigation facilities, be-cause corn grows whereverthere is rain. The only other thing

we have to provide farmers is acorn mill, Salazar said.

The IPB has developed an in-expensive and mobile mini cornmill, which costs P100,000. Itcan process 100 kilos of corngrains per hour. For an eight-

hour operation, the corn mill canturn out enough corn grits formore than 1,000 people (popula-tion in a barangay), at an aver-

age consumption of 300 gramsper day.

In all, he said white corn pro-duction will provide upland farm-ers additional incomes, but alsoprovide them and those in urbanareas a healthy substitute forrice.

Compared with rice, white cornis definitely more nutritious, asit has more protein, lysine, tryp-tophan, dietary fiber, minerals,and antioxidants.

Eventually, as more Filipinoseat white corn, it would lessenthe demand for rice, Salazar con-cluded.

sokonii .files.word press.co m


5/11

5May 2011

Fueled by sustained govern-ment interventions like expansionof irrigated areas and use of qual-ity seeds, and blessed with goodweather, Cagayan Valley (Region2) is expected to produce recordharvests of palay (unmilled rice)and corn for the first semesterof the year.

In a report to Agriculture Sec-retary Proceso J. Alcala, DARegion 2 Director Lucrecio Alviar,Jr. said total regional harvest ofpalay and corn is estimated toreach 1.223 million metric tons(MT), and 852,239 MT, respec-tively, for the six months of theyear.

The projected harvests will bethe highest to date versus otherfirst semester regional rice andcorn outputs, Alviar reported dur-ing the visit of Sec. Alcala inIsabela and Nueva Vizcaya, May18-19, 2011.

Sec. Alcala said CagayanValleys record rice and corn har-vests buttresses governmentsgoal to attain self-sufficiency inrice by end of 2013.

He commended the DAfamilys sustained efforts in part-nerships with Cagayan Valleyfarmers groups, local govern-ment officials and other industrystakeholders, during an Irrigators

Associat ion (IA) congress inCauayan City, Isabela, attendedby 2,000 officers and membersof 363 IAs served by the Magat

River Integrated Irrigation Sys-tem (MARIIS), one of the majorirrigation systems supervised bythe DA-National Irrigation Administration (NIA).

The NIA-MARIIS irrigates morethan 80,000 hectares and benefits more than 64,000 farmers inIsabela, Nueva Vizcaya and

Sec. Procy Alcala responds to farmers queries during an Irrigators Association (IA) Congress inCauayan City, Isabela, attended by 2,000 officers and members of 363 IAs served by the Magat River

Integrated Irrigation System (MARIIS), one of the countrys major irrigation systems supervised by theNational Irrigation Administration (NIA). MARIIS irrigates more than 80,000 hectares and benefitsmore than 64,000 farmers in Isabela, Nueva Vizcaya and Quirino provinces. With him during the affairwere Isabela Governor Faustino Dy III, DA Region 2 Director Lucrecio Alviar, Jr., and NIA Administra-tor Antonio Nangel.

Cagayan Valley sets to post record rice, corn harvests in 1st sem 2011

Quirino.Sec. Alcala said as irrigation isthe lifeblood of agriculture, we willcontinue to allot and seek moreresources to vigorously pursuethe repair and rehabilitation ofexisting irrigation systems, and

construction of big systems andsmall water impounding projects(SWIPs)all to attain self-suffi-ciency in rice by end of 2013.

In Cagayan Valley, such effortsare paying off, as an additional7,000 hectares were irrigated du-ring the first semester of 2011,said NIA administrator Antonio

Department of Agriculture-XI Plant Quarantine Chief Ramon B.Milloria (left) and Bureau of Customs District Collector EdmundoB. Magdaraog show to the media a few samples of the eight (40-footer) container-full of smuggled onions during a press conferenceheld this morning at the Bureau of Customs Office, km 10, Sasa,

Davao City.(Photo by Socorro R. Supino/Rafid XI)

The Bureau of Customs (BOC)on May 26 seized eight (40-footer) container vans ofsmuggled onions at Davao Port.

Davao BOC officer EdmundoMagdaraog said the onion ship-

ment from China has no importpermit from the DA-Bureau ofPlant Industry (BPI), and thus isillegal.

The onions weigh about 130tons, with a retail value of P6.4million. It was consigned to RedJaguar Merchandise, a Davao-based company that regularlyimports onions from China.

Magdaraog said previousimportatis by Red Jaguar werecovered by valid phyto-sanitarycertifications (PSC) from thecountry of origin and had priorclearance from BPI quarantine.

BOC seizes smuggled onions in DavaoThis is their first time to get

a shipment without necessaryclearance, Magdaraog said.

Davao BPI quarantine officerRamon Miloria said the DA-BPIsince late last year has not is-

sued any onion import permit.The DA has done so to pro-

tect the welfare of Filipino onionfarmers. If we allow import ofonions, our farmers will sufferbecause of unfair competition,Miloria said.

He said the smuggled onionshave no required PSC fromChina, thus there is danger ofdiseases which can be harmfulto both human and the localcrops.

The Davao BOC said theseized onions will be disposedoff by burying it under theground. (EgDeligero, DA Davao)

.

(Pls turn to p4)

Nangel.Additional areas irrigated duri

ng dry season reached 6,252hectares, served by national andcommunity irrigation systems,while 830 hectares were irrigatedthrough SWIPs.

Alviar said as of middle of May,only about 3.4% (about 11,000hectares) of rice farms and 1.4%(3,100 hectares) of corn areasremain to be harvested on or be-fore June 30, 2011.

He said for the first semester

the total area planted to rice inCagayan Valley was 298,661hectares, while for corn, 215,970hectares.

He said the other major factorthat contributed to the record-breaking rice harvest is that

more and more farmers are nowusing quality seeds with150,175 hectares planted to cer-tified seeds, and 20,269 hect-ares to hybrid seeds.


6/11

May 2011

Efrren T. MillareSan Juan, AbraIntegrated Rice

Farmer

Ambrosio Acosta

La Trinidad,Benguet

Organic Farmer

Michael W. Lumas-iTabuk, Kalinga

Hybrid Rice Farmer

Jose F. Lorenzo

Tupi, South CotabatoCorn Farmer

Gawad Saka Awardees: Taga-punla ng inspirasyon at pag-asa (from p2)

anyang mga kawani, ang mgaeporma at inobasyon saanilang Kagawaran.Lipas na po ang panahon ng

mga farm-to-market road atbang proyektongmprastraktura na hindiinubusisi nang husto.Ngayon po, ang isinasagawa

atin mga proyekto ay pinag-sipan at nakatuon saangangailangan atapakipakinabang o

apakipakinabangan ngaumbayan.Pinabilis na rin natin ang

aghahatid natin ng serbisyo.Ginawa nating mas simple

ng pagkuha ng permit atsensya ng mga trader ng fibert fiber products. Dahil sa mas

maayos na sistema, angrocessing time na dati-rating

naabot ng tatlong tulog aymatatapos na sa loob lamang

g tatlumpung minute...Mas pinalawak na rin natin

ng konsultasyon sa mgarobinsya at rehiyon, katuwang

ang mga lokal na gobyerno atiba pang grupo. Nais natingtiyakin na tumutugon sa tunayna pangangailangan ngkanayunan ang anumang plano,programa, at proyekto ngpamahalaan.

Gaya po ng madalas kongsinasabi: walang sinuman angmaiiwan sa pagtahak natintungo sa mas masaganangbukas.

Gagamitin din natin, sa

kauna-unahang pagkakataon,ang makabagong teknolohiyang Geographic InformationSystem (GIS) para sa tinatawagna precision agriculture.

Isa sa mga bahagi ng GISang pagbuo ng National Farm-ers Registry System, mistulangcensus ng mga magsasaka atmangingisda sa buong bansana pasisimulan sa Quezon,Leyte at Bukidnon isa po saLuzon, isa po sa Visayas, isapo sa Mindanao...

Ang mga nakakalap naimpormasyon mula sa bawat

magsasaka, kabilang na ang uring sinasakang pananim at lawakng lupang sinasaka, ay gagamitinpo natin upang m akapagsagawang mas komprehensibongprograma at kapaki-pakinabangna serbisyo.

Upang maging matagumpay poang mga inisyatibang ito,tinatawagan ko ang mga kawaning gobyerno at ang sektor ngpagsasaka at pangingisda:samahan ninyo ako sa pagtahak

sa tuwid na landas.Gawin nating ehemplo ang mgaGawad Saka awardees sainaasahang dedikasyon,dynamismo at propesyunalismomula sa inyo po.

Talaga naman pong pagbabagona ang natatanglaw natin ngayon.

Maging gabay nawa ang liwanagng mabuti nating pamamahalaupang magtuloy-tuloy na ang atingpag-unlad bilang isang bansa.

Huwag niyo po sanangmamasamain kung magbahagiako ng isang munting mungkahisa magigiting nating mga

magsasaka at mangingisda.Hindi naman po siguro

maikakailang unti-unti na tayongtumatanda.

Kaya naman, mahalaga na anginyong kaalaman, ang mga butilng inyong karanasan ay maipasasa bagong henerasyon ng mgakabataan.

Sa paraan pong ito, patuloynating mapapalago angagrikultura ng bansa, na siyanamang magbubunga ng masmatiwasay, mas maunlad at maspayapang Pilipinas na ipapamananatin sa susunod na salin-lahi.

Isama na rin po natin yungdasal -- dahil alam naman poninyo maski anong galing at tamang ating paggagawa, pag tayonaman poy dinalaw ngdalawamput-tatlong bagyo samaling panahon, tapos po angating pinaghirapan.

Pero may awa po ang Diyos.Kilalanin na lang po natin nakailangan tayong tumawag saKanya at humingi ng tulong.

Iyong atin, gawin natin. Yungsa Diyos, Siya na po ang bahalasa atin.

Marami pong salamat.Mabuhay po tayo lahat!

Catalino V. Ordinario, Jr.Antequera, BoholCoconut Farmer

Florencia CabauatanWarat, Piat CagayanSugarcane Farmer

Edita A. Dacuycuy

Burgos, Ilocos NorteHigh Value Crops Farmer

Eduarda V. AyoCapuy, Sorsogon City

Agri-Entrepreneur

Rodrigo BasalloCataanan, CDO, Misamis Oriental

Fisherfolk (fish culture)

Ramon M. GrimaldoAtimonan, Quezon

Fisherfolk (fish capture)

Leonora D. Jukni

Datagan, Pagadian CityLarge Animal Raiser

Hanani NietesManticao, Misamis Oriental

Small Animal Raiser

Elnard S. Ympal

San Juan, SiquijorYoung Farmer

Mr. & Mrs. Abias Rosalita and FamilyValencia, Bukidnon

Farm Family

Diffun Saranay & D evelopment CooperativeDiffun, Quirino

Small Farmers Organization

Sinamar NorteSan Mateo, Isabela

Rural Improvement Club

Catuguing Palayamanan 4H Working Youth ClubSan Nicolas, Ilocos Norte

Young Farmers Organization

Dingras Ilocos Norte MAFC

Municipal Agriculture and Fishery Council (MAFC)

Quezon Province PAFCProvincial Agriculture and Fishery Council (PAFC)

San Quintin Abra Federated RIC Inc.San Quintin, Abra

Barangay Food Terminal (Non-LGU)

MLGU of San Miguel CatanduanesBarangay Food Terminal (LGU Operated)

Tiwi MFARMC, AlbayFisheries and Aquatic Resources Management Coun


7/11

8

The newly appointed director ofthe Bureau of Fisheries and

Aquatic Resources (BFAR) vowsto combat destructive fishingmethods and the continuous in-trusion of commercial f ishers intomunicipal waters all over thecountry.

Asis Perez, an environmentallawyer from Tiaong, Quezon,took his oath of office before Ag-riculture Secretary Proceso

Alcala.He assumes his new post on

June 1, 2011, replacing BFARassistant director Gil Adora, whoserved as officer-in-charge, whenlong-time director, Atty. MalcolmI. Sarmiento, Jr., retired April 27,2011.

Commercial fishers have per-mits and licenses issued by the

BFAR. We will strictly monitorthat the rules surrounding theirfishing activities are being fol-lowed, Perez said after beingsworn in.

A former executive director ofTanggol Kalikasan (Defense ofNature), a public interest environ-mental law office, Perez won the2010 Clark R. Bavin Wildlife LawEnforcement Award.

He is also the in-country rep-resentative of the US Departmentof the Interior, which he will re-linquish upon assuming the

BFAR post.Perez also earned the recog-nition of the Species Survival Net-work (SSN), a global coalition of

Two DA agencies -- the Bu-reau of Soils and Water Man-agement (BSWM) and Bureauof Fisheries and Aquatic Re-sources (BFAR) -- will partnerto tranform Small Water Im-pounding Projects (SWIPs) intofishponds, too.

BSWM Executive DirectorSilvino Tejada said the jointproject with BFAR will providefarm-families not only additionalfood (tilapia) but also extra in-comes.

The BSWM-BFAR project--known as SWIP-based Aquac-ulture Livelihood Project--startedin April 2011, as instructed by

Agriculture Secretary ProcesoJ. Alcala.

Tejada said the project willcover 436 SWIPs nationwide,benefitting about 22,300 farmfamilies.

It will be implemented initiallyin four provinces, where mostSWIPs are located: Cagayan,Isabela, Quirino and NuevaVizcaya.

Aside from BFAR, Tejada saidthe other project partners are the

host local government units(LGUs) and SWIP irrigatorsassociations.

The BFAR, aside from pro-viding tilapia fingerlings, will as-sess the feasibility of existingSWIPs, if these can viably sup-port tilapia raising.

For their part, the farmer-ben-eficiaries will safeguard, moni-tor and maintain the project.

SWIPs are small-scale irriga-tion systems established in ar-eas that cannot be covered bynational irrigation systems.

(BSWM)

PalayCheck--an integratedrice production managementsystem implemented by theDepartment of Agriculturethrough the Philippine Rice Re-

search Institute (PhilRice)--isseen as a possible platform foradvancing Good Agricultural

Green lawyer heads BFAR,vows to wage war vs illegal fishers

82 organizations from more than30 countries as true protectorsof wildlife resources.

As BFAR head, Perezs toppriority will be the strict imple-mentation of fishery laws to pro-tect the countrys remaining ma-rine resources.

The agency is quite small tomeet the task at hand, he said.

To meet the demands of hisoffice, he said he would work tostrengthen the capacity of itsworkers.

The DA-BFAR is responsiblefor the development, improve-ment, management and conser-vation of the countrys fisheriesand aquatic resources.

It was reconstituted as a linebureau by virtue of Republic ActNo. 8550 (Philippine Fisheries

Code of 1998).The militant fisherfolk alliance

Pambansang Lakas ngKilusang Mamamalakaya ngPilipinas (Pamalakaya) has

charged that RA 8550 failed toprotect the livelihood of fishermenand the marine environment.

It has assailed the blatant in-

trusion of commercial f ishing ves-sels into the 15-kilometer munici-pal waters which are reserved forsmall fishermen. (Delfin T. MallariJr., Inquirer Southern Luzon)

PalayCheck eyed as platformfor quality rice certification

SWIPs will doubleas fishponds, too

Sec. Procy Alcala commits to work closely with farmers and otherstakeholders (below) to attain the goals of the dairy industry roadmapat the 14th Dairy Congress , May 12, in Davao City. Among thoseshown at the head table (above, from left) are: vice chair Antonio

Manikan of Dairy Confederation of the Phils. (DairyConfed); chairMezraim Melchor of Federation of Davao Dairy Farmers' Coopera-tives; Davao City Agriculturist Leo Avila; chair Danilo Fausto of ,

DairyConfed; ADministrator Grace Cenas of the DA-National DairyAuthority; USDA Agriculture Counselor Phillip Shull; and formerPnagasinan Rep. Mark Cojuangco.

Practices (GAP) certification inrice in Asia.

This was bared by Dr. KarenEloisa Barroga of DA-PhilRice,who represented the country at

a recent symposium on GAP forrice in Southeast Asia, inBangkok, Thailand.

She said the symposium tack-led the promotion of best prac-tices for rice production as a plat-form for rice GAP in Asia to en-sure sustainability, safety, andquality in rice production whilestrengthening farmers competen-cies in the market.

She shared with other foreignparticipants that PalayCheckobserves GAP on seed quality,land preparation, crop establish-ment, and proper management of

nutrient, water, pest, and harvest.She said PalayCheck was de-

veloped by DA-PhilRice, in part-nership with the UN Food and Ag-riculture Orgn., farmers, andLGUs, including the Irrigated RiceResearch Consortium (IRRC).

Barroga is chief of PhilRicesDevelopment Communication Di-vision and one of palaycheckmain proponents in the country.

The Bangkok meeting wasfunded by the International RiceResearch Institute and co-orga-nized by Rice Department of Thai-

land and IRRC.

Sec. Alcala swears into office new Bureau of Fisheries and AquaticResources (BFAR) director, Atty. Asis Perez. He succeeded Atty.Malcolm Sarmiento, Jr., who retired April 2011.


8/11

9May 2011

LA TRINIDAD, BenguetTissue cultured strawberries

have given strawberry produc-

tion a new lease on life.

In the past, strawberry pro-

ducers in La Trinidad would

contract fellow farmers for their

planting materials, said Joan

D. Bacbac, an agriculturist at

the DA Cordillera Administra-

tive Region (CAR).Usually the planting materi-

als come from different variet-

ies, and farmers are not con-

cerned if these are clean or not,

she added.

Today, such practive will be

a thing of the past, as the DA-

CARFU and the local govern-

ment unit of La Trinidad re-

cently collaborated to teachfarmers how to produce cleanplanting materials through tis-

sue culture.

Tissue culture ensures strawberry farmers clean planting materialsShe said they showed how

planting materials imported ei-

ther from Japan or the UnitedStates are studied and evaluatedin the nursery.

Once these are found to pos-sess the desired qualities, run-ners are taken from selectedplants and are used as mother

plant for tissue culture.

Explaining the whole process,Ms. Bacbac said that with the use

of a microscope, they would getthe tip of the runner or meristemand plant these in test tubes

using Murashige and Skoog (MS)medium.

After a month, the meristemsare cut and transferred into newbottles.

Ms. Bacbac said that a singlemeristem could produce up to 200or more meristems in six months

depending on their ability to pro-liferate.

As one of the highlights of theFarmers and Fisherfolks Monthcelebration, the Department of

Ag ricu lture in Bi co l Reg ionconducted the 1st Barangay FoodTerminal (BFT) Summit on May16-17, 2011.

The activity, spearheaded bythe Agribusiness and Marketing

Assistance Division,showcased various products ofthe different BFTs in the region,and served as a venue for sharingthe good practices and successstories of BFT operators and forestablishing linkages, andnetworking with farmers andfishers groups, and other foodsuppliers and institutionalbuyers.

The summit--which adoptedthe theme: BFT on the Go--featured a mini-fair withtiangge, and a sharing sessionon good practices and lessonslearned.

A workshop was also heldwhere participants discussed thestrengths, weaknesses,opportunities and threats of theBFTs, other issues andconcerns, and identify strategiesto further strengthen theoperation of BFTs.

Mayor Edna R. Bernal of SanMiguel, Catanduanes sharedthe success story andexperiences of the LGU-operated BFT in theirmunicipality, adjudged as

national Gawad Saka awardee

Bicol hosts 1st BFT Summitas Outstanding BarangayBagsakan for 2010.

Nicolas Beda Priela, businessconsultant and former chairpersonof the Camarines Sur Chamber ofCommerce and Industry sharedsome tips on doing successfulbusiness.

A fellowship night capped the

1st

day of the summit at the DA-RFU5 RIARS training center tofoster camaraderie among theBFT operators and stakeholders

DA regional director Jose V.Dayao enjoined the BFTs tocontinue offering rurlafolk withaffordable, safe and quality foodproducts like meat, poultry, fish,vegetables, rice and basiccommodities.

He said the BFTs also helpfarmers and fishermen sell theirproducts directly to consumers ata very reasonable price.

He urged Bicol farmers, fishersand local officials to continuesupporting the agriculturalprograms of the Aquinogovernment.

To date, there are 82 BFTs inBicol region, managed or operatedby cooperatives, barangay ormunicipal councils, and other ruralbased organizations.

To qualify as a BFT operator,an interested group shouldprovide the site and the buildingor structure.

For its part, the DA provides thebasic equipment. These include

two chest freezers, two chillers,

She and her group do not ex-ceed, however, the six cutting

stages in order to ensure that thedesired qualities of the plant aremaintained.

Once transferred into the nurs-ery, and upon the developmentof roots, these explants becomethe mother plants from which run-

ners will ensue.

The tissue culture protocol forstrawberry was patterned after

that used for banana to preventthe spread of bunchy top virus.With tissue culture, DA-CAR re-

searchers thought of controllingmites, the leading pest of straw-

berries, but it also led to otherincidental benefits.

Now in its second year, the pro-

duction and distribution systemfor clean planting materials forstrawberries did not only lessen

the incidence of pest and dis-eases, but also improved yield.

A plant produced from tis-sue-cultured mother plants

could produce about 400grams of fruit per plant, com-pared to a non-tissue cultured

plant which could only

produce about 200 grams.It also eliminated defective

farming practices, amongwhich is the use of motherplants to bear berries, instead

of using runners.It also enhanced organiza-tion among farmers, inasmuch

as DA-CAR would only sellplanting materials to growers

associations.In the past, any grower could

buy directly from DA-CAR.

Further, the system of trans-ferring planting materials en-hances communication be-

tween local authorities and thefarmers, and facilitates the con-duct of trainings for greater pro-ductivity.

25 plastic crates, five weighingscales, styrofoam boxes andcalculators, including anoperating capital.

The 1st day of the summit alsocoincided with the culminationof the nine-day novena held atthe DA-RFU 5 chapel in honor ofSt. Isidore, the patron Saint offarmers.

The occasion was graced byMs. Lenny Pecson, whorepresented Engineer Leandro A.Gazmin, director of the DA

Agribusiness and Mark et ingAssistance Services. With herwas Jocelyn Palisada, also ofDA-AMAS.

Also present were DA-RFU 5

regional technical directorsElena B. de los Santos(Operations and Extension) andDr. Edgar Madrid (Research andRegulatory), BFAR region 5director Dennis del Socorro,Maria Elvira Martinez, assistantregion 5 director of the NationalFood Authority, and members ofthe local media.

The province of Catanduanesrecorded the highest salesduring the 2-day tiangge in theamount of P32,363.

Meanwhile, the booth of theAlbay delegation was adjudgedbest booth. (Emily Bordado, DA

5 Info Div. Chief)

DA Region 5 Regional Director Jose V. Dayao (left) and LennyPecson of DA-AMAS cut the cerem onial ribbon to open the 1stBarangay Food Terminal Summit in Bicol region. Assisting themDA-5 RTD Edgar Madrid and BFAR5 RD Dennis Del Socorro.


9/11

10

Secretary Alcalas travelogue for the month of May 2011The month of May was a flurry of activities for the Department

of Agriculture, that took Agriculture Secretary Proceso J. Alcalato the island of Mindoro, to a Dairy Congress and Expo in Davao.

He would later unveil multi-million projects in the CagayanValley Region and in Infanta Quezon, side by side with a trip toCebu and various Manila locations for administrative, policy, anddevelopment programs.

Before the month was over, Secretary Alcala, along with

President Benigno S. Aquino III, honored farmers, fishers andrural-based organizations at the 2009-2010 Gawad Saka awardingceremonies at Malacanan Palace.

The detailed calendar of activities of Secretary Alcala is asfollows:

May 6 - Mindoro Oriental

Delivered a message at the 1stProbinsya Negosyo FarmersCongress, Abada Gym, Pinamalayan, Oriental Mindoro;

Raffled off 100 sacks of certified seeds, 50 head of pigletsand two hand tractors to farmer-attendees;

Visited a tilapia hatchery in Barcega, Naujan at the BFARcompound;

Led the inauguration of a Fish Health Center and dialoguedwith fisherfolk and BFAR employees;

Visited ATI MIMAROPA Center; Consulted with the ROSACARA ARB coffee farmers

association; and Visited an agricultural techno-demo center.

May 12 - Davao City

Had a breakfast meeting with Phil Carabao Center Dir. LibertadoCruz, National Dairy Authority Grace Cena, DA Region 11 Dir.Oscar Parawan and other DA officials on the cost-benefit analysisof live animal versus embryo transfer importation;

Delivered keynote speech at the 14th Dairy Congress & Expo2011, Davao Convention and Trade Center, where he committedto work closely with the stakeholders to attain the goals of thedairy industry roadmap;

Joined the local media for a press conference; Met with the Regions organic agriculture practitioners at the

Grand Menseng Hotel and discussed the issues and concernsof the organic industry.

May 18-19 - Isabela & Nueva Vizcaya

Delivered a message to 2,000 officers and members of 363Irrigators Associations (IAs), being served by the Magat RiverIntegrated Irrigation System (MARIIS), at the Isabela IA Congressin Cauayan City, Isabela. Also present were by Isabela GovernorFaustino Dy III, DA Region 2 Director Lucrecio Alviar, Jr., and NIAadministrator Antonio Nangel;

Visited and watched farmers practice on threshing and drying

munggo in Brgy. San Ignacio in San Mateo, Isabela; Delivered a message at the 3rd Balatong Festival in San Mateo,

Isabela, where he turned over 100,000 tilapia f ingerlings, 10 unitsgillnets to San Ignacio Fisherfolk Organization; Awarded MunggoPackaging & Processing Plant to Rural Improvement Club (RIC)Cooperative of Brgy. San Marcos; Awarded a Greenhouse toLGU of San Mateo to intensify crop development;

Inaugurated Nagbitin Development Cooperative (NADECO)Warehouse and Mechanical Dryer in Brgy. Nagbitin, Villaverde,Nueva Vizcaya;

Inaugurated and turned over Trading Post & Barangay FoodTerminal to KinGBiKS Farmers Marketing Cooperative in Brgy.Kinabuan;

Turned over fish cages and tilapia fingerlings to fishers inDupax del Norte and Dupax del Sur;

Turned over 7 million tilapia fingerlings to Nueva Vizcayafishers through Gov. Luisa Cuaresma;

Visited Omallo strawberry and lettuce farms in Bgy. Malico,Sta. Fe, Nueva, Vizcaya, where he was adopted as an honoraryson of the Kalanguya indigenous tribe for his contributions tothe agricultural community;

Dinner meeting with Nueva Vizcaya local officials, led byGov. Cuaresma, DA Region 2 family agency officials.

May 25 - Mandaluyong City

Attended a budget meeting on theAgri-Fishery 2025 Summit,Club Filipino, Greenhills, Mandaluyong City.

May 26 - Makati City

At tended a meet ing of the Congressiona l Oversig htCommittee on Agriculture and Fisheries Modernization(COCAFM), New World Hotel, Makati

May 27 - Quezon City

Attended a Media Forum, Rembrant Hotel, Quezon City

May 28 - Cebu City

Dialogued with farmer-leaders and local officials during theIrrigators Associations (IAs) and Small Water ImpoundingSystems Association Consultative Workshop Cluster III,compris ing of Visayas Region (VI, VII and VIII) at SarrosaInternational Hotel. This is part of a series of nationwideconsultations, spearheaded by the DA national rice program,to establish stronger partnerships with IAs nationwide tosuccessfully achieve rice production targets this year and through2013 and 2016.

May 30 - Infanta, Quezon

Delivered a message and signed a memorandum ofunderstanding for the REINA (Real-Infanta-Nakar) LocalConvergence Agro-enterprise Cluster and ceremonial turn-overof the REINA local convergence agro-enterprise clusterinvestment plan in close coordination with the DA-DAR-DENRConvergence Initiative;

Signed a memorandum of agreement between the DA andGawad Kalinga on a food sufficiency and wealth creation project,where DA funded P21.7M for agricultural inputs, infrastructureand training activities, while GK provided P8.19M for communitydevelopment, advocacy, and regular monitoring and evaluation;

Signed a MOA between the National Convergence Initiativefor Sustainable Rural Development and Kabang Kalikasan ngPilipinas Foundation, Inc (KKPFI), also known as the WorldWide Fund for Nature-Phils. to develop and showcase working

convergence models; Distributed to Quezon farmers through the Provincial

government coconut planting materials from PCA; cof fee, cacao,vegetable and banana production support from the DA-HVCDP;seedlings and farm equipment from the DA-Region IV-A; abacaproduction support from FIDA; institutional capacity-building insupport of credit programs from ACPC; construction of tradingpost from DA-AMAS; and farm mechanization and postharvestequipment from PhilMech.

Distributed fishing gears, paraphernalia, and fish seeds fromBFAR; committed to undertake community-based organicagriculture and agro-forestry projects from BAR, includingtrainings and capability building activities by ATI; committed toprovide crop insurance coverage courtesy of PCIC; implementGulayan sa Paaralan project by BPI; and distribute draft animalsto qualified farmers courtesy of LDC.


10/11

11May 2011

Entire Philippines is now FMD-free ... (from p1)Catbagan, May 26, 2011, inParis, France, during the 79 th

general session of the OIE.The certificate was signed by

OIE president Dr. Carlos A.Correa Messuti and director-gen-eral Bernard Vallat.

Catbagan said the countrysFMD-free status also augurs wellfor the domestic livestock indus-try, as livestock and swine rais-ers and meat processors cannow freely transport and trade liveanimals and livestock and porkproducts within the country.

He said the free movementand transport will enhance pro-ductivity, particularly in improv-ing, upgrading and increasingcurrent livestock herd and swinepopulation.

Zone 2 covers four regions (1,3, 4-A, and NCR), particularly 12provinces and 17 cities and townsin Metro Manila or NCR.

The 12 provinces arePangasinan (Region 1); Bulacan,Pampanga, Nueva Ecija, Tarlac,Zambales, and Bataan (Region 3);and Cavite, Laguna, Batangas,Rizal and Quezon (Region 4-A).

The other four zones of thecountry previously declared andrecognized by OIE as FMD-freewithout vaccination are: Zones 1and 3 in May 25, 2010; Visayas,Palawan and Masbate Zone in2002; and Mindanao in 2001.

Zone 1 (North Luzon) includesCordillera Administrative Region(Abra, Apayao, Benguet,Baguio City,Ifugao, Kalinga and Mt. Province),Region 1 (Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Surand La Union), Region 2 (Batanes,Cagayan, Isabela Nueva Vizcayaand Quirino), and Region 3 (Au-rora).

Zone 3 (South Luzon) coversRegion 4-B (Marinduque, Occiden-tal Mindoro, Oriental Mindoro andRomblon), Region 5 (Albay,Camarines Norte, Camarines Sur,Catanduanes and Sorsogon).

Visayas Zone covers all prov-inces in Regions 6, 7, and 8, in-cluding Palawan and Masbate.

Mindanao Zone covers all thesix regions (9, 10, 11, 12,CARAGA or 13, and ARMM) and29 provinces.

Sec. Procy Alcala (right) answers a query from mediapersons at aBalitaan media forum, Rembrandt Hotel, Quezon City, hosted bybroadcast journalist Erick San Juan (left). Among the topics hediscussed was the recent declaration of the entire Philippines as

free from the dreaded foot and mouth disease (FMD) without vacci-nation by the Office International des Epizooties (OIE) or WorldOrganization for Animal Health.

ergy (DOE), science and technol-ogy (DOST), and tourism (DOT).

Human development andpoverty reduction Chair: Deptof Social Welfare and Devt(DSWD)

Secretariat: National Anti-Pov-erty Commission (NAPC)

Members: DA, DILG, DBM,NEDA, departments of agrarianreform (DAR), environment andnatural resources (DENR) educa-tion (DepEd), health (DOH), laborand employment (DOLE), Hous-ing and Urban Development Co-ordinating Council (HUDCC), and

Commission on Higher Education(CHEd).Climate change adaptation

and mitigation Chair: DENRSecretariat: Climate Change

CommissionMembers: DA, DOST, DILG,

DPWH, DAR, DOE, HUDCC,Dept of National Defense (DND),and Metro Manila Devt Authority(MMDA).

Good governance and anti-corruption Chair: President

AquinoSecretariat: DBMMembers: DOF, DILG, Dept of

Justice (DOJ), head of the Presi

P-Noy forms ... (from p12)

Nueva Vizcaya emerges ... (from p12)

in Benguet, and the NuevaVizcaya Agricultural Trading Cen-ter.

Kinabuan Barangay chairmanTeodoro Bumacas, who led the

organization of KinGBiKS, saidDupax Del Sur produces one-thirdof total vegetable production inNueva Vizcaya. The rest comesfrom Dupax del Norte and Kasibutowns.

Dupax del Sur has 10,000 hect-ares planted to various crops, ofwhich about 1,500 hectares arecurrently planted to semi-temper-ate vegetables.

Bumacas said in previousyears, Dupax del Sur farmerswere confronted with such prob-lems as lack of technical assis-tance, absence of financial sup-

port, and poor farm-to-marketroadsresulting in low productionand quality of vegetables.

Also, most farmers were at the

DA lends 50 pumps ... (from p1)towns. The following day, tilapia

and small gobies were seen

dead floating at Palsara River inBalete town. Investigationshowed that the run-off rainwa-ter contained high levels of am-monia and nitrite. Likewise, ani-mal wastes from nearby swinefarms were seen carried down bythe blackish-brown colored rivercurrent.

On May 26, blackish-brownwater was seen over a wider areaat the eastern side of the lake.Water temperature, transpar-ency and pH were at critical lev-els, indicating overturn is immi-nent. Initial reports showed about

500 kilograms of goby, shrimp,kataba, cardinal fish, and tilapiawere affected in Cuenca.

On May 27, lakewater over-turn and fish kill occurred, affect-ing an initial 375 metric tonsworth P3 million.

The BFAR-IFRS team issuedan advisory through text andphone calls to different munici-palities recommending emer-gency harvest of marketable-sized bangus and tilapia.

On May 28, water quality pa-rameters were still critical. Badsmell and oily waters were evi-

dent. Dead tilapia were floatingover a wide area in Manalaw-Subic Ilaya.

On May 30, BFAR issued afish kill advisory to the munici-pal offices of affected towns likeTalisay, Agoncillo, San Nicolas,Mataas na Kahoy, Laurel andBalete, including the Batangasprovincial DENR office orPGENRO.

In all, as of May 31, a total of89 Taal Lake operators, with 501units of fish cages, and over1,840 MT of tilapia and bangusworth roughly P137 million were

affected.

mercy of usurers and traders,hence they were forced to selltheir products at very low prices.

All our produce before weredelivered to the traders, who dic-

tated the buying price, which wasfar below the prevailing marketprice. We cant do anything, butaccept the 70-30% financer-farmer sharing scheme, he la-mented.

Fed up with the injustice, thefarmers organized themselvesinto an association, one eachfrom the five barangays. Thus,KinGBiKS was born.

The cooperatives plight wasbrought to the fore in Septem-ber 2010 in Bayombong, whereSecretary Alcala was guest ofhonor and speaker at a provin-

cial farmers forum.Right then and there, Sec.

Alcala instructed concerned DAunitsthe Agribusiness Market-ing Assistance Service, Agri-Pinoy Trading Center ProjectManagement Office, and DA Re-gional Field Office 2to assistKinGBiKS.

Bumacas said at first they didnot expect Sec. Alcala to makegood on his promise.

Now, the rest is history, andthey have a challenge to sur-mountto be the countrys sec-ond major salad bowl. (Adam

Borja, DA Info Service)

dential Legislative Liaison Office,and chief Presidential legal coun-sel.

Security, justice andpeace Chair: Sec. Ochoa

Secretariat: National SecurityCouncil

Members: DILG, DND, DOJ,Dept of Foreign Affairs (DFA), andPresidential adviser on the peace

process. (Presl News Desk)


11/11

N. Vizcaya is countrys next salad bowl

P-Noy forms 5 cabinet clusters;DA chief is member of 3 clusters

(Pls turn to p11)

President Benigno S. AquinoIII recently formed five Cabinetclusters, composed of the re-spective heads of executive de-partments and cabinet-level ad-ministration offices, to ensure ef-ficiency, effectiveness, and focus

in carrying out government pro-grams and policies.

Executive Secretary PaquitoOchoa, Jr. said President Aquinobelieves it is more productive andefficient to meet Cabinet secre-taries on specific concerns ratherthan have officials join meetingson concerns that do not involvetheir portfolios.

The five clusters createdunder Executive Order No. 43,signed by President Aquino onMay 13, 2011 address the fol-lowing key priority areas:

Economic development; Human development and pov-

erty reduction; Climate change adaptation

and mitigation; Good governance and anti-

corruption; and Security, justice and peace.The Department of Agriculture

is a member of the first three clus-ters.

The clusters are based on theproposals submitted by Sec.Ochoa and the Cabinet to thePresident during a workshop heldat the beginning of 2011.

The cluster system wasadopted during the first Legisla-tive Executive Development Ad-visory Council (LEDAC) meeting,on February 28, 2011.

Sec. Ochoa said subsequentCabinet meetings were orga-nized along this line, consistentwith the Presidents policy of con-vening the Cabinet in clusters.

The cluster system will alsohelp the President in the effec-tive implementation of the 2011-2016 Philippine DevelopmentPlan, which is essentially theblueprint we will use to guide usin hitting the development tar-

gets we have set based on the16-point agenda of the Presi-dent, Sec. Ochoa said.

The clusters will also serveas advisory committees for thePresident and shall recommendpolicies related to their respec-tive clusters concerns, headded.

Each cluster is chaired by aCabinet member, with a lineagency or office designated assecretariat.

The Executive Secretary andthe Presidential ManagementStaff will attend all cluster meet-ings, with the Executive Secre-tary exercising supervision overthe cluster system in the per-formance of his general monitor-ing and oversight functions.

Cluster chairs may also re-quire the participation of theheads of other departments oragencies when necessary.

The five clusters and their re-spective chairs, secretariat andmembers are:

Economic development -Chair: Dept of Finance (DOF)

Secretariat National Eco-

nomic Development Authority(NEDA)

Members: NEDA, DA, depart-ments of budget and manage-ment (DBM), interior and localgovt (DILG), trade and industry(DTI), public works and highways(DPWH), transportation andcommunications (DOTC), en-

Dupax del Sur, an upland townin Nueva Vizcayasome 107 ki-lometers southwest of Baguio Cityand 250 kilometers north of Ma-nilais emerging as the countrysnext salad bowl.

Five of its 19 barangays, col-lectively known as KinGBiKS,grow semi-temperate vegetablesthat can compete well in qualityand price with those from Benguetand in the Cordilleras.

KinGBiKS is the acronym of five

barangays, namely: Kinabuan,Ganao, Bi ruk, Kimbutan, andSanguit

Most farm-families in KinGBiKSmigrated from Benguet, and thusare veteran growers of semi-tem-perate crops like lettuce, broc-coli, cabbage, sweet peas, chay-ote, cucumber, tomatoes, and bellpepper. They also grow othercrops like squash, ginger, cornand adlai.

Majority of the KinGBiKSruralfolk belong to the IbaloiandKankanaeytribes. They migrated

in Nueva Vizcaya when SanRoque Dam was constructed inlate 1990s.

Now, with a vigorous supportfrom the Aquino governmentthrough the Department of Agri-culture, KinGBiKS has the majorelements to make their dream areality.

To date, the DA has extendeda total of P13 million in operatingcapital, trading post, irrigation,tramline, and other equipment.

Currently, some 1,500 hectaresin the five barangays are devotedto semi-temperate crops, but thearea could be further expandedto about 15,000 hectares, said

KinGBiKS chairman MarceloBaysa.

Agriculture Secretary ProcesoJ. Alcala turned over close to P7million in various assistance andinterventions to the KinGBiKSFarmers Marketing Cooperative,May 19, 2011.

The group is composed of 200farmers. While it was organizedin 2000, it took Sec. Alcala dur-ing his visit in September 2010to recognize KinGBiKS poten-

tials as a major producer ofsalad vegetables.

Part of the P7M given by SEc.Alcala is a P3.5-million operat-ing fund from the DAs Agricul-tural Credit Policy Council(ACPC); P3.2 million for irriga-tion facilities and a tramline;P50,000 worth communicationfacilities; and a pair of carabaosto help in land preparation.

The amount is actually thesecond wave extended by theDA. In September 2010, whenSec. Alcala first visited Nueva

Vizcaya, he committed P6M,broken down as: P3.5-M oper-ating capital from ACPC, P1.2million for a packinghouse andtrading post with multi-purposedrying pavement; P1 million forplastic crates and weighingscales.

The DA also provided assis-tance to KinGBiKS cooperativein the form of marketing and fi-nancial management training; avegetable techno-demo project;and lakbay-aral to learn the op-erations at Sentrong Pamilihangng Produktong Agrikultural saQuezon, La Trinidad trading post

(Pls turn to p11)

Secretary Procy Alcala (right) samples lettuce grown in BarangayKinabuan, Dupax Del Sur, Nueva Vizcaya, where the Aquino govern-ment through the DA is investing an initial P13 million to transformthe town into the countrys second major salad bowl. Looking on(from left) are Dupax del Sur Mayor Romeo Magaway, Sr., NuevaVizcaya Rep. Carlos Padilla, Robert Olinares of DA-Region 2, and

farmer-leader Marcelo Baysa, who heads the KinGBiKS farmersmarketing cooperative.

Sec. Procy Alcala appre-ciates a boy as he poundson dried munggo pods, in

San Mateo, Isabela, con-sidered as the countrysmunggo or balatong capi-tal. San Mateo farmers

plant balatong to some7,400 hectares after rice,

giving them a gross incomeof up to P50,000 per hect-are in two months time. Atinset photo, Sec. Alcala is

jo in ed (f rom le ft ) byIsabela Gov. Fau st inoBojie G. Dy III, San

Mateo Mayor Cri spi naAgcaoili, DA Region 2 Dir.Lucrecio Alviar, and ViceGovernor Rodolfo RoditoT. Albano III.

aggie trends may 2011

Documents