Vol. XXVI No. 11 A monthly publication of the Department of Agriculture November 2011

Agri grows by 4.28%, Jan-Sept 2011

The Senate of the Philippinesapproved on November 22 theproposed P1.816-trillion GeneralAppropriations Act (GAA) for2012, of which P61.73 billion isalloted for the Department of Ag-riculture, 60 per cent more thanthis year’s budget of P38.58B.

Senate okays 2012 nat’l budget

Under the scorching sun, Secretary ‘Procy’ Alcala (inset, left) in-structs DA-National Irrigation Administration officials, led by ad-ministrator Antonio Nangel (3rd from left) and engineer EfrenMananghaya (right), to repair Bulo Dam (foreground) in San Miguel,Bulacan, damaged by floodwaters due to typhoon ‘Pedring’ lastSeptember. With them are Bulacan 3rd District RepresentativeJonJon Mendoza (2nd from right), and San Miguel Mayor RoderickTiongson (2nd from left). (Pls see story on p3)

President Benigno S. AquinoIII has instructed the Depart-ment of Agriculture (DA) andthe Department of Departmentof Budget and Management(DBM) to allot at least two per-cent (%) of the DA’s annualbudget to hasten the imple-mentation of government’snational organic agriculture pro-gram.

He issued the directive onNovember 8, during the 8th Na-

P-Noy allots P1.2-Bfor organic program

(Pls turn to p10)

(Pls turn to p12)(Pls turn to p12)

Bannered by the cropssubsector, the country’s agricul-ture industry grew by 4.28 percent(%) in the first nine months of 2011,grossing P1.01 trillion at currentprices.

The growth was fueled by the

double-digit output increase inboth palay and corn, which grewby 16% each, at 10.75 millionmetric tons (MMT) and 5.49 MMT,respectively, according to the DA’sBureau of Agricultural Statistics(BAS).

The record harvests pulled upthe crops subsector overall per-formance by 9%. The cropssubsector comprises one-half oftotal agricultural output.

Other crops that performed(Pls turn to p2)

Despite damages causedby several typhoons duringthe third quarter of the year,the country’s 2011 palay andcorn production would reachmodest levels and bigger thanlast year’s output.

Palay production is ex-pected to reach 16.68 millionmetric tons (MMT), 5.7 per-cent (%) more than last year’s15.77 MMT, while corn willtop 6.99 MMT, 9.6% more the6.38-MMT harvest in 2010.

The DA’s Bureau of Agricul-tural Statistics (BAS) saidthe estimates were based ontotal harvest during the firstnine months of the year, plusthe expected 4th quarter har-vest based on standing crop.

Based on farmers’ plantingintentions, the BAS said out-put increases are expectedfor palay and corn for the first

2011 rice, cornharvests to reachmodest levels

The Senate’s approval of the2012 GAA came a week afterSenator Franklin Drilon, chair ofthe Senate committee on fi-nance, presented and defendedthe DA 2012 budget, during theNovember 17 plenary session,presided by Senate PresidentJuan Ponce Enrile.

Agriculture Secretary ProcesoJ. Alcala hailed the Senate’sunanimous support, saying it isa major step in achieving Aquinogovernment’s rice self-suffi-ciency target by end of 2013.

The Senate and the House ofRepresentatives will convene abicameral committee to craftand Senator Drilon said they willsubmit the final version of the2012 GAA to President Aquinofor his signature into law on orbefore December 17.

During the DA budget plenarydiscussion, Senator EdgardoAngara, who once served as DA

President Aquino said government will allot at least two per cent of the DA’s annual budget to implementa national organic agriculture program, during the 8th National Organic Agriculture Conference (NOAC)in Tarlac. Secretary Proceso J. Alcala, one of the main authors of the Organic Agriculture Act of 2010(Republic Act 10068), said it means the DA will spend at least P1.2 billion starting next year.

2

EditorialKasapatan sa pagkain: Tungkulin ng lahat

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 AgricultureInformation Service, Elliptical Road, Diliman, Quezon City. Tel. nos. 9288762loc 2148, 2150, 2155, 2156 or 2184; 9204080 or tel/fax 9280588. Thisissue is available in PDF file. For copies, please send requests via email:da_afis@yahoo.com.

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 Artists: Bethzaida Bustamante & Almi Q. ErlanoPrinting & Circulation: Teresita Abejar & PCES Staff

Ang kasapatan sa pagkainay abot-tanaw na.

Ngunit ang hangaring ito ayhindi makakamit kung angpamahalaan lamang angkikilos, ang gagawa.

Kailangan ng tulong nglahat - ng bawat isa sa atinupang makamit angpangmatagalan at likas-kayang kasapatan sapagkain.

Kamakailan lamang,binabatikos ang Kagawaranng Pagsasaka sa “suntok sabuwan” nitong layuning riceself-sufficiency by 2013.Nangangarap daw ng gisingang DA. Anila, matagal naitong ginagamit napropagandang pampulitika, atwala rin namang kinahinatnan.

Matapos ang 500 araw napanunungkulan ngadministrasyong Aquino,napatunayan ng DA—katuwang ang mga pinunonglokal, samahan ng mgamagsasaka at mangingisda,at pribadong sektor—nakayang abutin ang mgainilatag na programa tungo sakasapatan sa pagkain.

Mismong kinilala niPangulong ‘Noynoy’ Aquinoang ‘di matatawarangkasipagan at pagpupursige niKalihim ‘Procy’ Alcala sapagpapatupad sa mgaprograma at pagharap sa mgapagsusubok, kagaya ngnakaraang mga bagyo. Aniya:

“Sa pagharap sa mgahamon na ito, hindi yapak niJuan Tamad ang atingsinunod. Sa halip na humilataat maghintay sa pagbagsakng bunga, minabuti natingpag-aralan ang problema, atsaka nagpunla ng mga planoat inisyatiba upang mapitas atmapakinabangan agad ito.Naniniwala tayo na angpagtugon sa isyu ngseguridad sa pagkain atmatatag na pag-unlad sakanayunan ay dapat

nakasandig sa short-term,medium-term, at long-termsolutions.”

Sinang-ayunan din ito ngating mga Senador atKongresista – sa kanilangpag-approve ng DA 2012budget na nagkakahalagangP61.73 bilyon.

Napakalaking tulong ngkaragdagang pondo upangmaipatupad ang mganasimulang pagbabago.

Sa kabila ng mangilan-ngilang batikos, patuloy angpag-unlad ng kanayunan.

Kaya naman mataas angkumpiyansa ng pamahalaanna nagbubunga na rin paunti-unti ang mga binhi ngpagbabago na itinanim niKalihim ‘Procy’ at buongpamilya ng DA — kasamaang mga pinunong lokal,mga samahan ngmagsasaka at mangingisda,at pribadong sektor.

Sabi ni Sec ‘Procy’ kunghindi tayo hinagupit ng ilangbagyo, itong taon sana natinmararanasan angpinakamataas na ani ngbigas at mais sa atingkasaysayan.

Ngunit ang pagsubok ngnakaraang bagyo ay lalolamang nagpatibay ng loobni Sec ‘Procy’, sampu ngmga pinuno at kawani ngbuong DA family, upangmakamit ang kasapatan sabigas at mga pangunahingpagkain sa 2013.

Malayu-layo na rin angating narating sa nakalipasna 500 araw, ngunit marami-rami pa rin ang kailanganggawin.

Kaya naman, sama-samatayong makibahagi upangmakamit ang minimithingmaunlad na kanayunan,malaking kita ng mgamagsasaka at mangingisda,at sapat, masustansya, atabot-kayang pagkain saating hapag.

well during the nine-month periodincluded sugarcane (up by77.8%), tobacco (11.3%), rubber(5.5%), cassava (5.2%), pine-apple (3.5%), and abaca (2.7%).

The total value of various cropsproduced amounted to P575.2 bil-lion (B) at current prices, 26%more than last year’s value.

Livestock production, account-ing for 16% of total agricultural out-put, grew by 1.4%. Cattle and hogproduction increased by 1% and1.6%, respectively. Thesubsector’s gross value is esti-mated at P152.8B.

Poultry production grew by 4%.Chicken and chicken eggs re-corded gains of 4.3% and 3.5%,respectively. The subsector

Agri grows ... (from p1) shared 14% in the total agricul-tural production. Its gross valuewas P116.3B.

The fisheries subsector, con-tributing 20% to total agriculturaloutput, decreased by 3.8%.

Aquaculture grew by 3.5%,while commercial and municipalfisheries decreased by 16% and2.7%, respectively. Thesubsector grossed P165.8B.

On the average, farmgateprices increased by 9.3%.

Prices of various crops movedup by an average of 15.7%, whilefishery products were priced 5%higher than last year.

Meanwhile, prices of livestockand poultry products decreasedby an average of 1.5% and 1.3%,respectively. (DA-BAS)

Secretary ‘Procy’ Alcala (2nd from right) appreciates a member ofthe Banga Women’s Association as she weaves piña fiber into cloth,during his recent visit in Aklan. The province is emerging as a majorproducer of world-class, export quality piña fiber for clothing ap-parels, particularly ‘barong Tagalog’ and ‘Filipiniana’ dresses, andother novelty items. The DA through its Fiber Industry DevelopmentAuthority (FIDA) continuously conduct livelihood training on piñafiber products, particulalrly among rural women’s groups like Ru-ral Improvement Clubs (RICs), not only in Aklan, but also in otherprovinces like Negros Oriental, Antique, Guimaras, Capiz, Palawanand La Union. (DA6 Info Div.)

November 2011 3

Secretary Alcala (2nd from left) hands over to Davao Oriental Gover-nor Corazon Malanyaon checks totaling P51 million, representingthe DA’s initial counterpart to construct a P256-M irrigation projectin Cateel, Davao Oriental, under the World Bank-funded DA-Mindanao Rural Development Program (MRDP). When completedwithin five years, the project will irrigate 1,600 hectares, benefitingthousands of farmers and their families in 11 barangays. Of the totalproject cost, MRDP will extend a P128-M loan, the DA will providea counterpart of P102-M, while the provincial government will shareP26-M as its equity. Also shown are DA Undersecretary for financeAntonio Fleta (left) and Mark Woodward (right), WB team leader ofthe sustainable development department.

Mindanao will get at least 40percent of the proposed P61.73-billion 2012 budget of the De-partment of Agriculture, as it ismore climate change-resilientthan Luzon and Visayas.

With less typhoons,Mindanao is more ‘food-se-cured’ and deserves more pub-lic investments, said AgricultureSecretary during a November 16visit in Mindanao.

Hence, Mindanao may getroughly P26.7 B next year,

Mindanao to get 40% of DA’s 2012 budgetwhich will be spent mostly on newirrigation systems and rehabilitateexisting ones to support Aquinogovernment’s rice and corn suffi-ciency program.

The DA’s National Irrigation Ad-ministration said Mindanao has959,020 hectares (ha) or 31 per-cent of the country’s 3.126 mil-lion ha irrigable land.

Luzon has the largest irrigablearea, with 1.8 million ha or 61%.

“We need to expand the irri-gated area in Mindanao as it is

seldom visited by typhoons com-pared with Luzon,” SecretaryAlcala said during media breifingin Davao.

By expanding irrigated areasand investing in modern dryingfacilities, the DA aims to gradu-ally reverse the palay production

(Pls turn to p11)

DA-NIA to repairBulo Dam in Bulacan

The Department of Agriculturethrough the National Irrigation Ad-ministration (NIA) will help repairBulo Dam, at Malibay River, SanMiguel, Bulacan, that was dam-aged by floodwaters due to ty-phoon ‘Pedring’ last September.

Agriculture Secretary ProcesoJ. Alcala visited the site Novem-ber 9, with Bulacan 3rd DistrictRepresentative Jonjon Mendoza,San Miguel Mayor RoderickTiongson, NIA administrator An-tonio Nangel, and DA region 3director Andrew Villacorta.

Going to the site, the grouptrekked a makeshift footbridgeand travelled through a rough 2.4-kilometer barangay road.

Secretary Alcala said the DA-NIA will initially conduct a topo-graphic and hydrologic surveythat will take four months, andthereafter come up with the ap-propriate design and estimatedproject cost.

The DA-NIA will partner withthe Provincial Government of

(Pls turn to p5)

Agriculture Secretary ProcesoJ. Alcala signed on November 21a memorandum of undestandingwith Korea Export-Import Bankpresident Kim Yong-Hwan tojointly pursue the constructionof a P13-billion Jalaur River Mul-tipurpose Project, Stage II(JRMP2), in Iloilo.

It is one of the five agreementsforged between the two coun-tries, highlighting the three-daystate visit of South KoreanPresident Lee Myung-Bak.

President Benigno S. AquinoIII and President Lee witnessedthe signing of the agreementsin Malacanang on November 21.

Secretary Alcala said theJRMP2 targets to irrigate a to-tal of 31,840 hectares (ha), cov-ering six towns in Iloilo.

Of the total service area,9,500 ha are new areas and22,340 ha are rehabilitated ar-eas served by five existing irri-

South Korea to co-finance P13-B Iloilo irrigation projectgation systems, said DA-NIA ad-ministrator Antonio Nangel.

The project will be completed infive years. Thereafter, Nangel saidfarmers will be able to increasetheir average yield of palay (paddyrice) from 3.6 metric tons (MT) to5 MT/ha during the wet season,and from 3.4 to 5.5 MT/ha duringthe dry season.

Sugarcane farmers are also ex-pected to increase their averageharvest, from 45 MT to 60 MT/ha.

Other farmers will also be ableto plant other crops like corn,munggo (mung bean), water-melon, eggplant and ampalaya(bitter gourd).

Iloilo Governor. Arthur D. Defen-sor, Sr. welcomed South Korea’scommitment to co-finance theJRMP2.

He said the Iloilo Provincial De-velopment Council ExecutiveCommittee re-endorsed theproject after an evaluation team

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Secretary Alcala hands over a token gift to Suh Kyu-Yong, SouthKorean minister of food, agriculture, forestry and fisheries, afterdiscussing mutual initiatives that include the implementation of anagri-fishery multi-industry cluster (MIC) project in selected pilotprovinces, enhanced and faster trade of agricultural and fisheryproducts, and expansion of overseas development assistance, amongother technical cooperation. Minister Suh is a member of the offi-cial delegation of South Korean President Lee Myung-Bak, whowas in the country for a three-day (Nov 21-23, 2011) state visit.

The Department of Agricul-ture plans to put up agro-me-teorological (agromet) or auto-matic weather stations (AWS)to provide farmers and fisher-men up-to-date, site-specificweather information which theycan use to plan their farm andfishery production.

The collected weather datawill also serve as basis toimplement a weather-basedcrop insurance scheme.

The plan was bared by Agri-culture UndersecretarySegfredo Serrano, noting thatgovernment should invest inAWS to give farmers and fish-ermen a better fighting chanceagainst severe weather condi-tions brought about by climatechange.

He said every agriculturaltown should have its own AWS,especially that rainfall and ty-phoon patterns had been al-tered due to climate change.

Serrano made the proposalduring the opening of ClimateChange ConsciousnessWeek, November 21, 2011, atthe DENR in Quezon City.

He said the DA is pilot-test-ing the AWS in Panay andCagayan Valley.

Serrano said one unit ofAWS costs around P30,000.

DA eyes ‘agromets,’weather-based

insurance scheme

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4

The Department of Agriculturehas teamed up with the UnitedNations Industrial Dev’t. Org’n.(UNIDO) and Department ofTrade Industry to establish atraceability system for the Phil-ippines that would help secureits share in the export marketsfor its agro-industrial products.

Recently, inadequate trace-ability mechanisms havecaused the recall of some of thecountry’s exports. Hence,asystem should be in place tosustain the country’s accessto the world market.

The joint project is calledPhilippine Traceability for Re-vitalized Agricultural Competi-tiveness Enhancement or ‘P-TRACE.’

It will initially cover five of thecountry’s top exports like des-iccated coconut, chilled tuna,dried mango, fresh and pro-cessed pineapple, and bananachips and crackers.

It also aims to help achieveimproved food security and ru-ral income levels.

“P-TRACE is a wide-rangingproject that will make a signifi-cant contribution to the Philip-pine Government’s bid to alle-viate poverty and to provide

DA, DTI, UNIDO partner in ‘P-TRACE’employment and livelihood op-portunities for the country’spoor by means of increasedvalue-adding activities andcompliance to standards re-quired by the export markets,”said Dr. Suresh Chandra Raj,UNIDO representative in thePhilippines.

“P-TRACE is a necessarydevelopment that will build onthe collective efforts of theGovernment particularly theDA-DAR-DENR national con-vergence initiative and its part-ners, including UNIDO,” headded.

He noted that the successof P-TRACE will set up pro-poor policies and practices foragriculture and will signif i-cantly boost the earning ca-pacity of small farmers acrossthe country through their par-ticipation in enhanced agro-in-dustrial value chains.

The importance of an effec-tive traceability system for thecountry’s agro-industrial com-modities cannot be overempha-sized.

The major world markets, in-cluding the United States ofAmerica (USA) and the Euro-

Underlining the major role ofrural banks on the agriculture andfishery sector, Agriculture Secre-tary Proceso J. Alcala called onthe country’s banking sector tohelp facilitate the flow of credit tohelp farmers and fishers increasetheir productivity and incomes,and improve their quality of life.

Keynoting the 54th anniversaryof the Rural Bankers Associationof the Philippines (RBAP) at theManila Hotel, November 10, Sec-retary Alcala assured over 500rural bank executives that govern-ment has put in place enoughsafeguards to guarantee loans ex-tended to small farmers and fish-ers, including innovative pro-grams provided by the Agricul-tural Guarantee Fund Pool(AGFP), and those devised bythe Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinasand the Philippine Deposit Insur-ance Corporation.

He urged rural banks to expandtheir reach to serve small house-holds and micro enterprises byproviding microfinance technicalassistance and training.

“We commend the RBAP’sinitiative to explore the potentialsof mobile banking as a strategyto reach remote and inaccessibleareas,” Secretary Alcala said.

Already, rural banks through theuse of modern technology likemobile phones have succeededin extending banking services tomore Filipinos beyond the physi-cal reach of most banks,” hesaid.

He lauded the country’s ruralbanks for their compliance to theAgri-Agra Law (PD 717), saying“habang bigo ang ibang bangkosa pag-abot sa minimum rurallending requirements ng lumang

Secretary Alcala receives a token of appreciation from the RuralBankers Association of the Philippines (RBAP), led by its presidentIan Pama (3rd from left), after keynoting their 54th anniversary.Flanking them are RBAP Mabalacat president George Dycaico andRBAP corporate secretary, lawyer Edward Leandro Z. Garcia, Jr.

Agri chief woos rural bankersto support farmers, fishers

Agri-Agra Law, ang mga ruralbanks naman ay tagumpay nanakasunod dito, minsa’ylumalabis pa nga.”

He said rural banks have re-corded the highest compliancewith nearly 33% of total loansgoing to agriculture and agrar-ian reform clients, way beyondthe 25% required under the law.

On the other hand, the wholebanking industry has only man-aged a 20% compliance, headded.

“Dahil d’yan, nais ko kayongpasalamatan at papurihan sa di-matatawaran ninyongkontribusyon sa hangarin ngfood security at sustainable ru-ral development,” he added.

But despite said positive de-velopment, he noted that as of2010, rural bankers have f i-nanced only about 30% of theP359-billion credit requirementof farmers.

He also noted that rural bank-ers are being confronted by anumber of challenges that couldthreaten farmers’ access tocredit.

“Kaya ako po ay mag-iiwan ngisang panawagan at hamon saRBAP:

“Nasa inyo po ang sagot.Tulad ng sinabi ko, itinatayo nanatin ang pundasyon paramagkaroon ng stable at sus-tainable na kita ang magsasakaat mangingisda.

“Samahan n’yo po ang DA sapag-angat ng kabuhayan ngating magsasaka atmangingisda para sila aymaging maunlad na rural entre-preneurs, at makamit na natinang kasapatan sa pagkain,”Secretary Alcala concluded.

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Speed up DA-LGU counterparting projects. Secretary Alcala urgesDA officials to strongly coordinate with local officials to hastenimplementation of counterparting agri-fishery infrastructure and live-lihood projects, during a Nov. 16 forum in Davao City. He told themto consider as a model the DA-Mindanao Rural Development Pro-gram (MRDP) funded by the World Bank, where P5.9-billion of infra-structure, livelihood and environment projects are implemented, ben-efiting tens of thousands of farmers, fishers and ruralfolk in 225 ‘en-rolled’ municipalities and 26 provinces. Top photo also shows (fromleft) DA region 10 and concurrent MRDP director Lealyn Ramos, DADavao region director Oscar Parawan, ass’t. secretary and concur-rent Bureau of Agricultural Statistics director Romeo Recide, andundersecretary for finance and administration Antonio Fleta.

5November 2011

There’s enough food for Christmas. Secretary Alcala (middle) assures the general public that there is enough supply of rice, chicken,pork, vegetables and other basic food commodities for the coming holiday season, during the recent CNEX media forum, hosted by thePhilippine Information Agency (PIA), in Quezon City. He also reiterated that the Aquino government remains on track to attaining ricesufficiency by end of 2013, as the DA will frontload investments in irrigation, farm mechanization, postharvest, seed production, andexpansion of rice areas. Also shown are other CNEX forum guests (from left) Director Eufemio Rasco, Jr. of the DA-PhilRice and CustomsCommissioner Rufino Biazon, and host PIA director-general Jose Fabia.

South Korea ... (from p3)recommended some revisionsthat brought down the projectcost to P13.3 billion from theoriginal P15 billion.

Instead of constructing sixdams based on the original pro-posal, the evaluation team ap-proved the construction of onlythree dams (Jalaur high dam,Jalaur afterbay dam and Alibunancatch dam).

NIA Region manager GerardoCorsiga said they are currentlyconducting the social and envi-ronmental assessments that in-clude dialogues with indigenouscommunities, farmers, and localofficials.

The project involves the con-struction of an irrigation system,traversing six municipalitiesstarting at the headwaters of theJalaur River in Lambunao town

Secretary Alcala stresses a point during a discussion with Palaunatural resources, environment and tourism Minister Harry Fritz(middle) on a pioneering bilateral cooperation between the Philip-pines and Palau, particularly in agriculture and fisheries. SecretaryAlcala said Filipino commercial fishermen and processors are keenon establishing joint ventures in Palau. Also shown is Palau Ambas-sador to the Philippines Excellency Ramon Rechebei.

DA-NIA ... (from p3)Bulacan, and departments ofpublic works and highways(DPWH) and environment andnatural resources (DENR) to con-struct the dam, which may taketwo to three years to complete,said NIA administrator Nangel.

The Bulo Dam serves 20barangays in Bulacan, benefitingthousands of rice farmers andtheir families.

After inspecting Bulo Dam,Secretary Alcala presided over a

in north-central Iloilo until Tigbauanin the south. It will also have a hy-dropower plant.

Further, it will also provide po-table water to the Metro IloiloWater District (MIWD) through atapping station in Cabatuan, withan additional 86,400 cubic metersof water per day.

MIWD can only supply 30,000cubic meters of water a day whilethe water requirement of its con-cession area totals 98,666 cubicmeters a day.

The Jalaur River has a maximumwater reserve of 340 million cubicmeters, which can supply NIA’sexisting irrigation systems in Iloilo.

The project will also have floodmitigation benefits and is expectedto promote eco-tourism in se-lected areas where the dams andthe reservoirs are located.(BusinessWorld)

farmers’ forum at the residenceof Rep Mendoza, attended by500 farmers and local officials,led by San Miguel MayorTiongson.

After resolving their concernsand requests for assistance,Secretrary Alcala raffled off tolucky participants several unitsof farm equipment that includedhand tractors with trailers, cara-baos with farm implements, andwater pump engine sets forshallow tubewells.

The Department of Agriculturethrough the National Agriculturaland Fishery Council (DA-NAFC)is promoting ‘nutrition’ farmingthat showcase biotechnology-developed organic fertilizers inrice farms in Floridablanca,Pampanga and Dinalupihan,Bataan.

Agriculture UndersecretaryJoel Rudinas recently led thelaunch of the program inPampanga.

During a forum, he urgedfarmers to “isolate and reproducemore microorganisms to be usedin converting organic matteravailable in the environment intosoil nutrients.”

He also told them to stoppractices that pollute the soil andadd to the acidity of the soil,because the nutrients in acidicsoil are rendered useless to cropslike rice, corn and vegetables.

Rudinas stressed that it is timeto arrest the overuse and misuseof chemical fertilizers that,through time, reduces the naturalfertility of the soil, explaining that

Pampanga, Bataan farmers adopt‘nutrition,’ organic farming

without nourishing it, the resultwould be an annual one percentreduction of such fertility.

He urged them to makejudicious use of the right amountand quality of fertilizers, andapplying these at the right time.He also told farmers to practice‘balanced fertilization’techniques.

The launch cum harvestfestival was organized throughthe DA-NAFC, led by OIC-Director Noel Juliano, andsupported by the DAAgricultural Training Institute(ATI), led by director AsterioSaliot.

Participating farmers inDinalupihan and Floridablancaare using organic fertilizersdeveloped by 10 localcompanies. They committed todevelop ‘nutrition’ techno-demofarms in a 100-hectare irrigatedarea within a cluster of 1,000hectares of rice farms inPampanga and Bataan. (ThePhilippine Star)

6 November 2011 7

Close to 500 students fromelementary and secondaryschools in Metro Manila triedand witnessed how to harvestpalay, right in the heart ofManila, at Luneta Park, onNovember 18, part of the DA-PhilRice series of activities toobserve National Rice Aware-ness Month this November.

”The ceremonial rice har-vesting is a good opportunityfor the kids to learn moreabout our staple food as manyof them have seen a real riceplant,” said teacher VicenteRaguindin, of A.C. HerreraElementary School.

The ‘rice garden’ at Lunetawas established by the DAand PhilRice in 2003, inpartnership with the Bureau of

**If saved, this much rice can feed 2.7million hungry Filipinos per year.

National Rice Awareness Month (NRAM)

**November is National Rice Awareness Month pro-claimed by PGMA in 2004 (Proclamation 524) topromote awareness on the value of rice

**Theme: “Eat your rice right “ encouraging Filipinosto eat rice in the right amount and with zero leftovers.

I commit myself to helping conserve rice.

I will discourage and avoid drying palay on busy roads and high-ways as this will reduce the quality of the grains

I will promote and practice the sowing of just the right amount ofseeds

I will safely store and clean grains to drive away pests

I will not cook more rice than what my family and I can eat

I will not undercook or burn rice

I will recycle leftover rice into other dishes

Outside, I will consider ordering rice in half servings or bring homewhat I cannot consume

I will also eat equally nutritious foods as substitute for rice

I will always find ways to save every grain of rice to help mycountry achieve rice self-sufficiency

I will keep this pledge in my heart and soulat all times, for with the rice I save, I save lives.

Everyday, each Filipino wastes** 2 spoons of cooked rice (or 9 grams of rice grains)

daily. or 3.3 kg annually** Estimated rice wastage projection for 2011 =

308,883.40 tons/year** Value of import savings if rice is not wasted = P5.3

billion

Urban kids harvest riceat Luneta

Plant Industry, National ParksDevelopment Committee of theDepartment of Tourism, andAsia Rice Foundation. It aimsto showcase the art and sci-ence of rice farming for theappreciation of Metro Manilaresidents.

Currently the rice garden isplanted to several varieties like‘Sinampaguita,’ a traditional ricevariety; NSIC 160, an inbred;and Mestizo 20, a hybrid.

”We hope to replicate thisgarden in major cities in thecountry through our collabora-tion with local governmentunits,” Eufemio T. Rasco Jr,PhilRice executive director said.

While at Luneta, the school-children recited the ‘PanatangMakapalay,’ a pledge to con-serve rice and prevent wastageor left-overs.

An 11-year-old pupil, AnagenePelayo of the Lakandula El-ementary School, said fromhereon she will eat all the riceon her plate every meal time.She will also try eating otherstaples like white corn in lieu ofrice.

PhilRice rice chemist JoyBartolome A. Duldulao said adiversified diet is a healthyoption, noting that kamote,saba, potato, gabi, and whitecorn have more complexcarbohydrates and high fibercontent than rice.

Director Rasco took theopportunity to encourage theyoung students to considertaking up agriculture courses incollege.

“We are worried becausemany of you may not want tofarm. That is why we encourageyou to consider agriculture, asthere is money and good futurein farming,” the PhilRice chiefnoted.

“We hope some of you will beour future food producers,” hetold the young crowd at Luneta.To encourage students to enrolin agriculture courses, he saidPhilRice promotes severalcareer opportunities in thecountry’s rice industry, andconducts a series of forumacross the country to encourageFilipino youth to engage inagriculture. (DA-PhilRice)

Brown, colored rice are more nutritiousUnpolished (or brown) and

colored (or pigmented) rice aremore nutritious than white rice.

“They have more macro- andmicro-nutrients as well asantioxidants,” said Dr. MarissaV. Romero, program leader ofthe DA-PhilRice natural prod-ucts and value-adding systems.

She said polishing or remov-ing the rice bran takes away alot of the nutrients, which arefound mostly in the bran.

“Polishing rice removes 15percent (%) of protein, 90% ofcalcium, 85% of fat, 80% ofthiamine, 75% phosphorus,70% of riboflavin, 68% of niacin,and 60% of other minerals” saidDr. Romero, who was awardedin 2010 as one the country’s“Outstanding Women in theNation’s Service for Scienceand Technology.”

Thus, she recommends thatwe should consider eatingunpolished and colored rice, asthey are rich in nutrients.

In fact, she said based on

clinical studies unpolished andcolored rice can help preventcardiovascular diseases,cancer and diabetes.

There are also claims thatimproved brain metabolism isassociated with eating sproutedor germinated brown rice.

Meanwhile, pigmented ricesuch as Ballatinao, Dinorado,Calatrava, and La Castellanaare also said to be rich inphytonutrients, or the chemi-cals in plants beneficial to thebody. Benefits of phytonutrientsinclude doses of antioxidants,immune system boost, andcellular repair.

“We consume 35 percent ofrice in our daily food intake. Assuch, we should be aware ofthe quality of rice that we eatas this awareness will lead usto a healthier lifestyle andbetter health,” said Romero,who also leads PhilRiceresearches on antioxidant-richpigmented rice and rice branoil.

Agriculture Secretary Proceso J. Alcala (inset, left) joins Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) Executive Director Eufemio T.Rasco, Jr. (right) and employees in reciting the Save Rice, Save Lives pledge during the celebration of the PhilRice’s 26th Anniversary inMuñoz,Nueva Ecija on November 8, 2011. The pledge aims to encourage the rice sector and the consumers to promote and practice thesowing of just amount of seeds, cook enough rice for the family, recycle leftover rice into other dishes. These, among other interventions, areintended to help the country achieve rice self-sufficiency in 2013. Sec. Alcala encouraged PhilRice to intensify the promotion of itstechnologies and the use of certified and hybrid rice seeds as he assured his full support to the agency’s thrusts and mandate.

SAVE RICE SAVE LIVESpledge

8

The Philippine Genome Center(PGC) agriculture program wasrecently launched at the Univer-sity of the Philippines at LosBanos, Laguna.

PGC executive director Dr.Carmen Padilla said the corestudies of the Center are on plantgenetics, and its breeding labo-ratories and facilities are locatedat the UPLB Institute of PlantBreeding.

Padilla said PGC actually hada soft launch on October 20 via asymposium and a general discus-sion on the operations of PGC.

She said PGC is envisioned tobe a “world class center of ex-cellence in gene discovery andgenomics research that effec-tively translates knowledge intoapplications beneficial to soci-ety.”

Thus, the Center will work onbasic research that has strongapplications on Philippine com-modities, including traditionalcrops and biotechnology prod-ucts, she added, in addition topharmaceuticals, forensics andother issues of social and eco-nomic impact.

PGC’s five programs cover ag-riculture, health, biodiversity fordrug discovery and bioenergy, fo-

PH genome center launched at UPLB

Hailing the country’s rice sci-entists as heroes, AgricultureSecretary Proceso J. Alcala gaveinitial marching orders to the Phil-ippine Rice Research Institute(PhilRice) to prepare for the daywhen the country will be export-ing rice once again.

Speaking at the 26th anniver-sary celebration of PhilRice at theScience City of Muñoz in NuevaEcija, Secretary Alcala said theInstitute is effectively carrying outits role as government’s leadagency in rice science and de-velopment.

“Umulan man o umaraw,andiyan kayo na makibahagi saadhikain ni Pangulong BenignoS. Aquino III, lalo na sa food se-curity at sustainable rural devel-opment.

“Kaya’t para sa akin, kayo aytapat at mahusay na naglilingkodat hindi simpleng governmentemployees lamang.

“Kayo’y maitututuring na din namga bayani,” Secretary Alcalasaid.

During the program, the agri-culture chief also gave awards,honoring outstanding PhilRiceofficials and employees, led bynewly-appointed executive direc-tor Dr. Eufemio Rasco.

Secretary Alcala vowed contin-ued government support until thecountry achieves rice self-suffi-ciency by the end of 2013, andstarts exporting rice thereafter.

“When we start exporting rice,PhilRice will conduct researches

Agri chief cites rice scientists as ‘heroes’

(Pls turn to p11)

Study suggests two species of Ludong

Japanese Ambassador visits Sentrong Pamilihan. JapanAmbassador to the Philippines Toshinao Urabe, second from left,enjoys a tour of the Sentrong Pamilihan and Agricultural TradingCenter at Quezon province on Monday (Nov. 19) as he conveys hisgovernment's interest to adopt market systems at the Sentro for theirown trading centers in Japan. With him inspecting locally producedpumpkins are, from left, Sentrong Pamilihan Administrator CarloSena, Quezon Rep Irvin Alcala, Japanese First Secretary and agri-culture attache to the Philippines Takehiko Sakata, DA Region 4ATechnical Director Vilma Dimaculangan, and agriculture provin-cial coordinator, Ms. Cora Gallego.

on how to make our rice accept-able and adaptable in the inter-national market,” he said.

He noted that PhilRice re-searches and initiatives will re-main vital in sustaining in-creased rice productivity and inensuring enough rice for everyFilipino by 2013 and beyond.

These technologies includePalay Check, Palayamanan,leaf color chart (LCC) and Mi-nus-one Element Technique(MOET).

Palay Check is an integratedcrop management system forrice, while Palayamanan is a di-versified integrated rice-basedfarming system.

On the other hand, LCC andMOET are cost-saving and low-cost tools that aid farmers in de-termining the right amount andkind of fertilizers, and the righttime to apply these.

He said achieving rice self-suff iciency may not be thateasy, as an avearge of 20 ty-phoons annually hit our country,and that we have to be more pre-pared with the possible occur-rence of stronger typhoons.

He added taht we are not aslucky as Thailand and Vietnamas these have the Mekong Riveras regular source of irrigation.

With these challenges, he en-couraged PhilRice to further in-tensify the promotion of tech-nologies and the use of certifiedand hybrid rice seeds.

rensics and ethnicity, and so-cial, legal, and ethical issues,Padilla revealed.

All of these programs will belaunched on November 21, saidDr. Rita Laude, Vice Chancellorfor Research and Extension ofUPLB and Director for the Agri-culture Program of PGC.

Laude said that cropgenomics, particularly in abaca,saba, and pili will be a priority ofPGC’s Agriculture Program.

The three crops, she said, areendemic to the Philippines.

In her message, Dr. Padillaadmitted that PGC will require alot of hard work and capital, butshe asserted that a lot more canbe gained.

“If you know how to use re-sources wisely, the returns areactually huge,” she said on theoutputs of researches ongenomics.

The Department of Scienceand Technology has initially pro-vided funding to support PGChealth research efforts.

Moreover, the Department ofAgriculture-Biotechnology Pro-gram Office (DA-BPO) providesresearch funds for ongoing cropgenomics studies.

(Pls turn to p11)

A pre-liminary reportof the DA-BFAR Na-tional Fisheries Research andDevelopment Institute (NFRDI)shows there at least two spe-cies of ‘Ludong.’

NFRDI scientist Dr.Mudjekeewis Santos said theLudong found in Cagayan region02 are Cestraeus oxyrhynchusand Cestraeus goldiei, basedon DNA analysis of severalsamples submitted by theBFAR and based available pub-lications.

He said there is an absenceof the species Cestraeusplicatilis, which has been re-

garded asthe species of

Ludong found previosuly inthe region. This may be dueto the limited number ofsamples submitted for analy-sis, Santos said.

The scientific identity of theLudong (aka Lobed River Mul-let) present in Northern Luzonhas been a subject to frequentchanges.

In 1938, G.E. Blanco, writ-ing in the Philippine Journal ofScience Vol. 66, identified orreferred to ludong as Liza

9November 2011

Agriculture Secretary Proceso J. Alcala (2nd from right) hands overa mock-up key to Oriental Mindoro Governor Alfonso V. Umali (left),Naujan municipal Mayor Maria Angeles C. Casubuan (middle) andNaujan municipal agriculturist Ely Vargas (2nd from left), symboliz-ing a package of farm machines (foreground), greenhouses, abat-toir equipment, fishing paraphernalia, livestock and poultry ani-mals, livelihood projects worth P27 million awarded to various farm-ers’ cooperatives and associations, and local government units dur-ing the 61st foundation day of Oriental Mindoro, in Calapan City,November 15, 2011. Assisting him is DA Region 4-B (Mimaropa)director Atty. Cipriano G. Santiago (right). (DA RAFID 4-B)

The Department of Agriculturein Eastern Visayas (Region 8)will pilot a ‘ridge-to-reef’ projectunder the Local Agro-EnterpriseConvergence (LAEC) initiative inJavier, Leyte and NorthernSamar.

DA region 8 director AntonioGerundio said the municipaland provincial technical workinggroups (TWGs) for the twoLAEC sites recently partici-pated in the DA-DAR-DENRConvergence Initiative (CI)Agribusiness Investment Pro-posal (AIP) Writeshop and Cri-tiquing, at the Leyte Park Ho-tel, Tacloban City.

Director Gerundio said “wehave to come up with well-syn-chronized agribusiness invest-ment proposals so that it wouldbe easy for us to invite inves-tors to the region especially toour Local Agro-Enterprise Con-vergence areas.”

He added that “many foreigninvestors are interested to ven-ture into agribusiness in thecountry because they believethat it is the most stable areafor investment.

However, in the case of Re-gion 8, some investors do notgamble to invest, perhaps be-cause they don’t see a cleardevelopment roadmap whichcould be their investment refer-ence.

Coming up with standardizedAIPs would, I think, do a lot toattract investors, he said.

Region 8’s Convergence Ini-tiative focal person RTD WilsonA. Cerbito said the writeshop isin preparation for the NationalConvergence Agribusiness Fo-rum (NCAF) on November 28,2011.

“We have to capacitate theTWGs of our two pilot LAEC ar-eas so they can formulate theAIPs that would fit into the CIAIP format, which is being rec-ommended by the NCI Secre-tariat to qualify in the forthcom-ing NCAF. Said activity will begraced by national and interna-tional investors,” he said.

For his part, Department ofAgrarian Reform region 8 direc-tor Eliasem Castillo said NCAFis an opportunity to evaluate theprocesses that the RegionalTWG have adopted in the imple-mentation of various LAECprojects in the region.

“This is an opportune time forus to determine our strengthsand weaknesses in order to fur-

DA8 pilots ‘ridge-to-reef’ projectin Leyte, Samar towns

ther improve our implementationstrategies,”he said.

After a series of lectures rela-tive to investment/business planpreparation, the participants wereable to draft four AIPs on abacafiber and coco coir for NorthernSamar, and organic banana andginger for Javier, Leyte.

The participants were com-posed of provincial and municipalagricultural officers, agriculturaltechnologists, planning develop-ment officers, fiber developmentofficers, agrarian reform officers,farmer-leaders, and some mem-bers of the CI RTWG.

Said AIPs were critiqued by apanel of experts from the DA andDAR central offices. They wereLuz Brenda Balibrea, FernandoFlores, Teresita Matias, MarinoSamar, Claire Fedival, andGlennie Tolentino from DA. Thosefrom DAR were Jose BenedictoChopongco, Dir. Ma. ElenaCabañez, and Ma. SoledadPeralta.

RTD Cerbito said the DA8 willalso conduct a localizedwriteshop to refine the AIPs basedon the suggestions from the crit-ics. (DA 8 Info Div.)

The Department of Agriculturein Bicol recently convened variousLocal Government Units to for-mulate the region’s Agriculture &Fisheries Modernization Plan(AFMP) for 2012-2017, at DaetKalinangan Center.

DA Region 5 Director JoseDayao said it is the first in theseries of workshops for the 6 prov-inces of the region.

A total of 60 participants com-posed of representatives from DAattached agencies, provincial andmunicipal agriculturists, and pro-vincial and municipal planning anddevelopment coordinators at-tended the two-day workshop, Nov4-5.

DA 5 planning chief ErnestoParato said the AFMP will trans-late into operational terms Chap-ter 4 of the Philippine DevelopmentPlan (PDP) 2011-2016, and theprinciples and practices in Agri-Pinoy 2011.

The plan will also optimize useof limited resources, provide stra-tegic, medium-term and consis-tent context for the DA annualbudget, and strengthen the DA“culture of performance.”

He said the Region 5 AFMP is

DA5, Bicol LGUs craft 2012-27 AFMP

guided by the following principles:1) modernization of the sectorthrough gendered value-chain ap-proach, or from farm-to-table; 2)DA-LGU engagement governedby consistent transparent and ac-countable policies and proce-dures; 3) rational and harmonizedcost-sharing as primary mode offunding programs, projects andactivities; 4) application of les-sons from previous AFMP; 5) ef-fective participation of variousstakeholders thru the NAFC; 6)Mainstreaming of climate changeconcerns; and 7) inter-agencyconvergence to reduce sec tor-wide transaction costs for deliv-ering public goods.

Parato said under the AFMA,the clients of the DA are the LGUsand the clients of the LGUs arethe farmers.

The LGUs are responsible fordevolved support services undertheir respective areas of jurisdic-tion. To perform their “rowing func-tions,” LGUs are provided by theDA with the funding, capacity-building, and other “enabling sup-port.”

The DA’s complementary“steering role” is to perform core

functions which include: infra-structure support; research, de-velopment and extension; regu-lation; policy, planning and leg-islative liaison; and risk reduc-tion including climate changeadaptation.

To generate immediate andpriority needs in every munici-pality, the workshop utilized sim-plified area-based value chainanalysis – focusing on value cre-ation, innovation, product devel-opment and marketing. Theanalysis aid in deriving costs ef-ficiencies as well as help theLGUs come up with appropriateinterventions.

Camarines Norte provincialagriculturist Francia Pajaressaid that the good attendanceof the stakeholders show theircommitment towards thecompletion of the AFMP. Shesaid that the output of the groupwill be an implementable planand will help improve the livesof the farmers and fisherfolks inCamarines Norte.

DA RTD for Research andRegulations Edgar R. Madridurged the LGUs to mainstreamtheir priority projects in the for-mulation of the AFMP for theLGUs and the national govern-ment to achieve a unified direc-tion. (DA 5 Info Div.)

10

Sec. Alcala shares with the officers and members of Kapihan sa Klub, Inc. during their November 10forum in San Juan City, the various initiatives being pursued by the Aquino government to achieve self-sufficiency in rice and other major staples by end of 2013. Kapihan sa Klub is composed of incumbentand retired officials, justices, lawyers, businessmen, and distinguished individuals. It is led by formerchief presidential legal counsel and Sandiganbayan Justice Raoul Victorino (3rd from right). Alsoshown (from left) are Bro. Tosh Lansang, former human rights commission chairperson Aurora Recina,former exec. secretary Eduardo Ermita, former justice Manuel Pamaran, and lawyer Ramon Maronilla.

pean Union (EU), have takena keen interest on food safetyand security as a critical con-cern forthe overall welfare of theircitizens, Raj said.

In 2002, the European Parlia-ment and of the Council of theEuropean Union adopted apolicy creating the ‘GeneralFood Law’ which requires trace-ability at all stages of the foodchain.

In the USA, the Public HealthSecurity and Bioterrorism Pre-paredness and Response Act,or Bioterrorism Act (BTA), wassigned into law in June 2002 toimprove capacity to prevent andrespond to terrorist attacks.

The law requires all exportersto register with the Food andDrug Administration (FDA) andgive prior notice to product ar-rival in the United States.

DA, UNIDO, DTI Partner in P-TRACE ... (from p4)

DA eyes agromets ...(from p3)

quarter of 2012.The BAS said 3rd quarter (July-

Sept) palay production increasedby 19.7% to 3.17 MMT, versuslast year’s 2.65 MMT, as morearea was planted, at 871,000hectares (ha), up by 23.4% from706,000 ha in 2010.

The 4th quarter palay produc-tion, based on standing crop, isforecast at 5.93 million, 8.8% lessthan last year’s 6.5 MMT, due tothe adverse effects of typhoonsPedring and Quiel.

Based on farmers’ planting in-tentions, the January-March 2012palay production and harvest areaare expected to surpass thisyear’s level by 1.4% and 2.8%,respectively.

For corn, 2nd semester produc-tion may decrease to 3.96 MMT,7.1% less than last year’s 3.68MMT.

The 3rd quarter production was2.18 million MT, 6% below the2010 level of 2.32 million MT. Har-

2011 rice, corn...(from p1)

He said a P1 billion allocationfor AWS would go a long way inhelping farmers.

The AWS would also help inthe conduct of a weather-basedactuarial study on agriculturalcrops, which will serve as abenchmark for a weather-basedcrop insurance scheme currentlybeing piloted by the DA’s Philip-pine Crop Insurance Corporation(PCIC).

PCIC president Jovy Bernabesaid they are currently pilot-test-ing a weather-based crop insur-ance scheme in CARAGA re-gion. Results will be known af-ter the 2011-12 dry season.Evaluation of the project will thenbe undertaken to see if we canimplement the program full-blast.

However, coverage will be lim-ited in areas where there arePAGASA weather stations.

It would be indeed beneficialto farmers and the DA-PCIC ifgovernment will put up moreweather stations particularly inmajor crop producing towns andprovinces, where subsequentlya weather-based or weather in-dex crop insurance system maybe applied or implemented,Bernabe said.

Serrano said based on site-specific weather data, certaincrop insurance parameters maybe set. These could be used asbasis to compute for indemnityclaims of insured farmers, evenwithout an adjuster’s field in-spection report of typhoon-dam-aged crops.

He said the traditional proce-dure is expensive because ittakes time for an adjuster to visitfarms and evaluate extent of thedamage, and file a consolidatedreport to the PCIC. (w/ reportsfrom Philippine Daily Inquirer &The Philippine Star)

The US recently enacted aFood Safety Modernization Act(FSMA) of 2011 that mandatesall foreign suppliers to improvethe safety of imported foodproducts.

Raj said the Sanitary andPhytosanitary (SPS) Agree-ment of the World Trade Orga-nization (WTO) further lay downthe basic terms for complianceto the imposed rules withoutcausing them to become ob-stacles to global trade.

The FAO/WHO CodexAlimentarius Commission, aninternational standard-settingbody recognized under theSPS agreement, has developeda set of principles for traceabil-ity and product tracing as atool within a food inspection andcertification under the Codexguideline GL 60-2006, Raj said.

Secretary Proceso J. Alcala(SPJA) recently designated andre-assigned 12 DA officials for thecentral office, regional field units,and attached agencies and cor-porations, as part of the agency’scontnuing efforts to better servefarmers and fisherfolk, and otherclienteles.

The officials and their respec-tive posts or assignments are:

• Valentino Perdido, OIC-Direc-tor, DA-RFU I;

• Dir. Eduardo Haloyohoy, OIC-Director, DA-RFU IX;

• Honesto Baniqued, Presi-dent, National Agribusiness

SPJA designates new DA officialsCorporation (NABCOR);

• Rudy G. Santos, LegislativeLiaison Officer;

• Joaquin C. Abejar, Jr, Direc-tor III, DA-RFU II, Special Assis-tant for Regional Engagements

• Raul C. Tupas, Director III,DA-RFU XI;

• Dir. Carlos Mendoza, Spe-cial Managing Officer, ASEANGoat and Sheep Center inZamboanga del Norte;

• Dir. Ricardo Oblena, SpecialManaging Officer of the UbayStock Farm in Ubay, Bohol;

• Dir. Pedro Jerry D. Baliang,Special Managing Officer of the

Baguio Stock Farm in BagiuoCity;

• Dir. Reinero Belarmino, Jr.,Special Managing Officer of theNueva Ecija Stock Farm in Gen.Tinio;

• RTD Jose P. Balatucan, Su-pervisor of the Aranan Seed Sta-tion in Region XII; and

• Mr. Renato Maguigad, Cen-ter Superintendent, AgriculturalTraining Institute, Region II.

vest area contracted 856,000 ha,4.9% less than in 2010.

Based on standing corn crop,October-December 2011 produc-tion is forecast to drop to 1.5MMT, 8.7% less than last year,as harvest area may contract by6.5%, from 632,000 hectares to591,000 hectares.

Based on farmers’ planting in-tentions, the January-March2012 corn production and har-vest area are expected to behigher than the 1st quarter in2011 levels by 3.8% and 5.6%,respectively.

11

DA, DBP, CCAP to hasten cold chain program. Sec. ‘Procy’Alcala (middle) recently forged an agreement with the Develop-ment Bank of the Philippines (DBP) and Cold Chain Ass’n. of thePhilippines (CCAP) to establish semi-processing and cold storagefacilities in major crop and fishery production areas and food trad-ing centers, and provide refrigerated vehicles to enable farmers’groups and entrepreneurs transport their products to markets. Asagreed, the DA will identify priority areas, the CCAP will extendtechnical expertise and agribusiness support, while the DBP willprovide credit to finance the establishment and acquisition of coldchain system facilities and refrigerated vehicles. Flanking Sec.Alcala are CCAP president Anthony Dizon (left) and DBP execu-tive vice president Benedicto Ernesto Bitonio, Jr.

Mindanao to ... (from p3)

Hong Kong firm to invest in cassava industry. Secre-tary ‘Procy’ J. Alcala (center) recently hosted officials of a HongKong firm, Asia Cassava Resources (ACR) Holdings Ltd., wantingto establish a cassava flour (tapioca) processing facility, as part oftheir expansion from their current base of operations in Thailand.Secretary Alcala welcomed the investment as it would provide farm-ers and their families sustainable livelihood and income, and as-sured market for their cassava harvest. The ACR officials are chair-man Chu Ming Chuan (2nd from right) and his son William Chu(left). They were accompanied by ACR Philippine representativeMichaela Magtoto (2nd from left), who presented their corporateprofile to Secretary Alcala. Also shown is DA assistant secretaryEdilberto de Luna, concurrent DA national corn program coordi-nator, who also oversees the implementation of a cassava industrydevelopment program.

November 2011

mix from the current 60:40 ra-tio, pertaining to harvest duringwet season versus the dry sea-son, to 40:60 ratio.

He said ideally the countryshould produce more during thedry season than during the wetseason. This would only be pos-sible if there are more irrigatedareas in typhoon-free provinces,like in Mindanao.

During his Davao visit, Sec.Alcala handed a check to DavaoOriental Governor CorazonMalanyaon to start the con-struction of a P256-millionCateel Irrigation Project, fundedunder the DA-Mindanao RuralDevelopment Program (MRDP).

Of the total project cost, theWorld Bank through MRDP willextend a loan of P128M, the DAwill share P102.4M, while the

Farmer’s Contact Center“Ang Inyong Kaagapay sa Usaping Agrikultura”

Call: 1800-10-982AGRI (or 1800-10-9822474)-for provincial toll-free calls 02-982-AGRI (or 982-2474)-for Metro Manila 0920-946AGRI (0920-9462474) for mobile callsText: 391DA (or 391-32) for Smart and Talk ‘N Text subscribers 0920-946AGRI (0920-9462474) for Globe, TM and Sun Cellular subscribersEmail: info@e-extension.gov.ph

For the Nutrient Manager for Rice (NMRiceMobile): Call 2378 for Globe SubscribersFor Market Information: www.afmis.da.gov.phOfficial Website: www.da.gov.ph, www.e-extension.gov.ph

provincial government will coun-terpart P25.6M.

Cateel is considered as the ricegranary of Davao Oriental. Theproject will irrigate a total of 1,600hectares, ensuring at least twocroppings a year.

“It is high time to give due at-tention to the agricultural poten-tials of Mindanao. And we are trulygrateful that Secretary Alcala isvery supportive of projects imple-mented in Mindanao,” said MRDPDirector Ramos.

Gov. Malanyaon said she isgrateful that despite setbacksduring the preparatory stage of theproject, the MRDP personnel andher provincial staff have pursuedthe project as part of her desireto construct vital rural infrastruc-ture for the benefit of Davao Ori-ental farmers and their families.(DA-MRDP)

seheli, from its earlier identityas Valamugil seheli.

The latest in 1982, J.M. Thomp-son of the University ofQueensland in Australia identifiedludong as Cestraeus plicatilis. Hebased his findings on morphologi-cal characteristics using samplessubmitted by Philippine research-ers.

Santos said that his findingscame from analysis using twodifferent DNA markers.

“We will still have a third andfinal run using another marker,and likewise, we will cross-checkwith species from other areas, inorder to ascertain the findings,”Santos said.

The fish genetics expert alsonoted the dearth of reference

materials with which to base orcounter-check current findings.

“The science concerning mul-let is very scarce. It is actuallyyou who will come-up with stud-ies and develop the science forthis,” Santos said.

“The study is very significantas it will enable us to set thescientific records straight, avoidconfusion and there from, craftand implement appropriate man-agement measures for the saidspecies,” added Dr. JovitaAyson, DA-BFAR region 2 direc-tor.

Santos’ study is a componentof the Oplan Sagip Ludongproject launched by SecretaryProceso Alcala in October2010. (DA-BFAR R2)

Study suggests... (from p8)

PH genome... (from p8)During the pre-launch mini

symposium, scientists and re-searchers from UPLB and the In-ternational Rice Research Insti-tute (IRRI) presented conductedand ongoing studies involvinggenomics in agriculture.

The speakers included Dr.Evelyn Mae Mendoza (NationalAcademy of Science and Tech-nology academician and UPLBscientist) who talked about Phil-ippine banana genomics and on-

going studies in UPLB, Dr. An-tonio Lalusin (UPLB) who pre-sented about abaca varietal im-provement studies, Dr. RobertaGarcia (UPLB) who shared theongoing genomics research onpili, Dr. Francisco Elegado, whodiscussed research initiatives ofUPLB’s National Institute forMolecular Biology and Biotech-nology (UPLB-BIOTECH) on mi-crobial biotechnology and Dr.Ramil Mauleon (IRRI) who dis-cussed bioinformatics in ricegenomics. (Biolife News Service)

Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile (left) listens as Senate Finance Committee Chairman FranklinDrilon (at rostrum, right) defends the proposed 2012 DA budget, totaling P61.73 billion, during plenarysession, November 17. Senator Drilon said the budget will fund major interventions in irrigation, farmmechanization and postharvest facilities, production support, and research and development and exten-sion - geared at further increasing production of rice, corn, other food staples and basic commodities,and improving the incomes of farmers and fisherfolk. Backstopping him are DA officials led by Secre-tary Proceso J. Alcala and Undersecretaries Segfredo Serrano and Antonio Fleta.

P-Noy allots ... (from p1)

Senate okays 2012 ... (from p1)

tional Organic Agriculture Confer-ence, at the Aquino Center, Haci-enda Luisita, in Tarlac City, wherehe was joined by Agriculture Sec-retary Proceso J. Alcala andTarlac Governor Victor Yap.

More than 1,000 farmers, or-ganic farming advocates, entre-preneurs and resource personsattended the four-day event, jointlyspearheaded by the DA and theProvincial Government of Tarlac.

The President said he expectsthe DA to continuously exert ef-forts to implement the policies andprograms to hasten the growth oforganic farming in the country.

In tandem with the DBM, he as-sured the DA would allot no lessthan 2% of its annual budget toimplement the organic farmingprogram, as called for under the‘Organic Agriculture Act of 2010’(Republic Act 10068).

Secretary Alcala is one of themain authors of RA 10068, dur-ing his second term (2007-2010)as Representative of the 2nd Dis-trict of Quezon.

“Inaasahan ko ang tuloy-tuloyna pagdodoble-kayod ng Depart-ment of Agriculture sa pagbuo atpagpapatupad ng mga polisiya atprograma na magpapabilis sapag-unlad ng organic farming sabansa, sa ilalim ng kanilang Na-tional Organic Agriculture Pro-gram,” the President said.

“Katuwang naman ang Depart-ment of Budget and Management,sisiguruhin natin na mailalaan ng

DA ang hindi bababa sadalawang porsiyento ng kanilangtaunang budget sapagpapatupad sa nabanggit naprograma, alinsunod sa RA10068,” he added.

Secretary Alcala said thismeans the DA will allot at leastP1.2 billion starting next year toimplement various initiatives andprojects under the national or-ganic agriculture program.

The DA proposes a total bud-get of P61.73 billion for 2012.

This year, the DA’s organicagriculture has a budget ofP900M.

The President said that whilegovernment is expanding accessof each Filipino family to suffi-

cient food, government should vig-orously promote new technolo-gies to restore the richness andproductivity of farmlands throughorganic agriculture.

“Habang pinapalawak natin angaccess ng bawat pamilya sasapat na pagkain, kailangan dinnating pag-igtingin angpagpapalaganap ng mgakaalaman at teknolohiya namagpapanumbalik sa kalusugan

secretary, said the agency is “ex-tra-ordinarily fortunate” to have abig budget next year.

He asked the DA to vigorouslypursue a ‘targeted and focusedresearch and development (R&D)’program and allot a bigger bud-get to sustain productivity gains.

With these efforts, he said thecountry would be able to producemore basic food commodities, in-cluding coconut, from dwindlingland and natural resources, us-ing breakthroughs developed byFilipino and foreign scientists.

He asked the DA to considerforming ‘innovation clusters’ inpartnership with the private sec-tor, academe particularly StateUniversities and Colleges(SUCs), and international agricul-tural R&D agencies to developinnovative food products.

He mentioned about researchon algae products and their com-mercialization, ‘precision farmingand smart agriculture’ – aimed atsustaining the country’s food pro-duction in the face of climatechange and diminishing land re-sources.

For his part, Senator FrancisPangilinan, chair of the commit-tee on agriculture and food, saidthe DA’s bigger budget indicatesthat the Aquino administrationfully recognizes the key role of

the agriculture sector in povertyalleviation and moving the nationforward.

“After decades of serious ne-glect, it is about time the sec-tor gets its due,” said SenatorPangilinan, who co-chairs theCongressional Oversight Com-mittee on Agricultural and Fish-eries Modernization (COCAFM).

“We believe that it was throughour consultations with SecretaryAlcala, Budget Secretary ButchAbad, Finance Secretary CesarPurisima and President Aquinohimself that the exponential in-crease in the DA’s budget wasrealized,” he said.

Senate Presdient Enrile alsosupported the proposed 2012DA budget, along with SenatorsVicente Sotto III, GregorioHonasan, and Loren Legarda.

Based on major components,the proposed 2012 DA budgetallots 44 % for irrigation(P27.1B), 18% for postharvestand other infrastructure(P11.3B), 8% for production sup-port (P4.86B), 8% for R&D, ex-tension and training (P4.7B).

The balance is alloted for mar-ket development, policy formu-lation, planning and advocacy,regulatory, information, credit fa-cilitation, and budget for at-tached corporations.

ng mga lupang sakahan,” thePresident said.

“Dito pumapasok ang halagang organic agriculture,” headded.

For his part, Secretary Alcalasaid the country’s organic farm-ing movement has achieved amilestone during the 8th nationalorganic agriculture conference,as it was the first time a Presi-dent graced the annual event.

• agri-fisheries production data, demand & supply and price trends• alternative markets for your agricultural products• technologies that could improve your agricultural products and be competitive in the local and foreign markets• directory of buyers/sellers of agri products• better investment opportunities• market outlets/trading centers for agri-fishery products• market assistance and advisory services• farmers’ and fishers’ success stories

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The MDC is composed of Information Technology Center for Agri-culture and Fisheries (ITCAF); Agribusiness and Marketing Assis-tance Service (AMAS), Agriculture and Fisheries Information Ser-vice (AFIS), Bureau of Agricultural Statistics (BAS); and NationalAgricultural and Fishery Council (NAFC).

Agriculture and Fisheries Market Information System (AFMIS) isa web-based system that integrates various information resourcesof the Market Development Cluster (MDC) agencies into a singledata base and application system. It caters to the needs of farm-ers/fisherfolk, traders, and other users of market information.