aggie trends september 2009

8/2/2019 Aggie Trends September 2009

1/12

Vol. XXIV No. IX A Monthly Publication of the Department of Agriculture September 2009

DDDDDA allots initial P195 M fA allots initial P195 M fA allots initial P195 M fA allots initial P195 M fA allots initial P195 M fororororor OndoOndoOndoOndoOndoyyyyy victimsvictimsvictimsvictimsvictims

(Pls turn to p11)

(Pls turn to p2)

Crop damage tops P3.5BTropical storm Ondoy has

damaged more than P3.5-billionworth of rice, corn, vegetablesand other crops, based on fieldreports, gathered and processedby the DA Central Action Cen-ter (DACAC), as of September

30, 2009.

In his report to Agriculture Sec-retary Arthur Yap, DAUndersecretary for operationsand DACAC head JesusEmmanuel Paras said the ricesub-sector suffered the biggestloss at P3.23 billion, equivalent

to 187,432 metric tons (MT).This volume is equivalent to

2.9 percent of the projectedpalay harvest for the 4th quarter(October to December) harvest,at 6.48 million tons.

The fisheries sub-sector re-ported a loss of P127.5 M; high-value commercial crops, P114M; corn, P43 M; and livestockand poultry, P3.6 M.

A total of 130,325 hectaresplanted to rice was affected in

five regions (1,3, 4A, 4B and 5).

Agriculture Secretary Arthur C. Yap (right) monitorsprices of vegetables and other food items at the Pasay

City Market, after tropical storm Ondoy hit MetroManila and nearby provinces. He appealed to market ven-dors to refrain from jacking up retail prices of theirgoods. Looking on are OIC-Undersecretary for livestockand fisheries Salvador Salacup (left) and Pasay marketadministrator Eduardo Mendoza..

Farmers, fishers and ruralfolk,including market vendors inMetro Manila, who wereadversely affected by tropicalstorm Ondoy will receive aninitial assistance totaling P195million in emergency loan andcrop insurance claims.

Agriculture Secretary ArthurC. Yap said of the totalpackage, P95 million is in theform of insurance claims offarmers through the DAs Phil-ippine Crop Insurance Corpora-tion. (Pls read story below.)

The other P100 million will beextended as emergency loan (inkind) to affected Metro Manilamarket vendors and foodsuppliers.

Meanwhile, he assured thepublic that the country has an

adequate supply of basiccommodities, particularly riceand sugar, which he reportedduring the September 28 emer-

gency meeting of the NationalPrice Coordinating Council(NPCC) at the Board of Invest-ments, Makati City.

He said one positive develop-ment brought by Ondoy is thatit has filled up the major damsin Luzon, more than enough to

irrigate another 12,000 hectaresof cropland for the dry seasoncrop.

As for rice supply, the DA chiefreported that the country as atotal stock of 2.3 million metrictons (MT), equivalent to a 67-day supply, broken down as:commercial stocks, 372,000MT; households, 728,000 MT;and NFA, 1.2 million MT.

Meanhwile, he and other DAofficials conducted an aerial in-spection to assess Ondoys

damage to agriculture and fish-eries in Central Luzon other af-fected areas.

On September 26, 2009,tropical storm Ondoy(interna-tional name: Ketsana) dumpedthe heaviest rains in more thanfour decades on Metro Manilaand nearby Luzon provinces,causing massive flooding andtraffic gridlock.

On that fateful Saturday, thenine-hour deluge from morningtill affternoon, Ondoypoured atotal of 41 centimeters (16inches) of rain, exceeding themonthly September averageand the previous single-dayrecord of 33.4 centimeters inJuly 1967, said PAGASA or

Philippine Weather Bureau chiefPrisco Nilo.

Ondoy leaves grim statsThe deluge left some areas in

Metro Manila submerged up to20 feet of water, forcing familiesto scamper on their rooftops,

Thousands of farmers, whoenlisted and insured their riceand corn crops under thegovernments crop insuranceprogram, will receive a total ofP95 million (M) from the De-partment of Agriculture throughthe Philippine Crop InsuranceCorporation (DA-PCIC).

Agriculture Secretary and

PCIC board chairman Arthur C.Yap said the amount covers crop

DA-PCIC pays P95M insurance claims

(Pls turn to p2)

insurance claims of 13, 733 riceand corn farmers affected bytropical storm Ondoy.

He said the PCIC is workingdouble time to process claimsof other farmers and enablethem to replant again.

In terms of amount, the PCIC-insured farmers in Central Luzonwill claim a total of P40M in in-

demnities.(Pls turn to p2)


2/12

2

Editorial

Writers:Adora D. Rodriguez, Arlhene S. Carro,

Mc. Bien Saint Garcia

Contributors: Info Officers of DA-RFUs, Bureaus, Attached Agencies & Corps., Foreign Assisted Projects

is published monthly by the Department of Agriculture Information Service, Elliptical Road, Diliman,Quezon City. Tel. nos. 9288741 loc 2148, 2150, 2155, 2156 or 2184; 9204080 or tel/fax 9280588. This issue is nowavailable in PDF file. For copies, please send requests. via email [email protected].

Photograhers: Jose Lucas, Alan Jay Jacalan & Alarico Nuestro

Lay-out Artists:Almie Erlano, Alan Jay Jacalan

& Bethzaida Bustamante

Circulation: Teresita Abejar & PCES Staff

Printing: Oscar Barlaan & Romulo Joseco

Editor-In-Chief: Noel O. Reyes

Associate Editors: Karenina Salazar, Joan Grace Pera,

Cheryl C. Suarez

DA allots initial P195M ... (from p1)

During the NPPC meeting,Yap said that owners of super-market chains have committedto help the DTI monitor pricemovements and ensure thattraders do not jack up retailprices.

The NPCC meeting, chairedby DTI Secretary Peter Favila,was attended by officials fromthe Philippine Chamber of Com-merce and Industry (PCCI),headed by Edgardo Lacson, to-gether with Donald Dee, and AttyMiguel Varela; FranciscoBuencamino, executive directorof PAFMI and Alliance of FishCanners of the Philippines; Phil.Sugar Millers Assn, Atty. JesusBarrera, legal officer; PhilippineAmalgated Supermarket Asso.

Pres. Steven Cua; Phil Assn.of Supermarket Inc. sec-gen.Atty Federico Ples; Alaska MilkCorp. Santiago Pulido, vicepresident; Coca cola groupbrand manager Teejae Sonza;

BFAD chief product services di-vision Jesusa Joyce Cirunay.

Meanwhile, the DA-NFA hastransformed four of its ware-houses into temporary relief cen-ters: Uniden-FTI warehouse,Taguig City; at Visayas Ave.,Quezon City; Kingswood atQuirino Ave., Baesa, QC; andAntipolo warehouse at ManuelL. Quezon Ave. Ext.

For interested donors andvolunteers, please call DA at920-2216 or 926-3833, or NFAat 426-0569.

Yap directed the head of con-cerned DA agencies to fast-tracktheir assessment on actual farmdamages and food supplies, sothe DA management could drafta comprehensive aid and reha-

bilitation program for the benefitof affected farm fishingcommunties.

He also appealed to tradersnot to hoard and jack up retailprices of their goods.

The same appeal goes forconsumers to similarly refrainfrom hoarding supplies and con-tinue buying only what they nor-mally need. The last thing weneed at this point is for unscru-pulous people to aggravate thisunfortunate situation and profit

from such misfortunes by induc-ing abnormal food shortages orprice spirals, the DA chiefnoted.

Crop damage ... (from p1)The reported losses in each

region were: Regn 3 - 156,386tons; 4A 13,603 tons; 4B -12,176 tons; 5 1,742 MT; andRegion 1 934 tons.

In fisheries, 5,905 hectaresof fishponds in Central Luzonstocked with milkfish, tilapiaand prawn overflowed, resultingto a combined loss worthP127.5M.

In corn, about 1,250 hectaresin four regions (2, 3, 4B and 5)were affected, with a projectedharvest of 1,280 tons worthP43M.

About 11,110 tons of veg-etables and 60 tons of mangowere damaged worth P114M;.

Finally, P3.6-million worth oflivestock and poultry animalswere affected.

They are followed by farmersin Southern Tagalog, P28M;Bicol, P16M; Ilocos, P6M; andCagayan Valley, P5M.

The governments crop insur-ance program, implemented bythe DA-PCIC, enables farmersto recoup their crop loses

caused by natural calamities,as well as plant pests and dis-eases.

Crop insurance serves as acollateral substitute also for bor-rowing farmers of formal rural fi-nancial institutions, such as co-operatives and rural banks.

The scheme contributes tothe stability of the rural economyeven in abnormal times such asthe damaged brought byOndoy. (Philippine Daily In-quirer)

DA PCIC ... (from p1)

There is a growing

consensus among expertsand policy makers thatclimate change and aliberalized global tradingsystem are the biggestthreats to the sustainedexpansion and modernizationof all farming endeavors andeconomies the world over.

In its 2010 WorldDevelopment Report, theWorld Bank has warned thatthe adverse effects of climatechange now felt in the form

of floods, prolonged droughtsand other weather extremes if left unchecked couldreduce the gross domesticproduct of developingeconomies, like thePhilippines, by up to 5percent.

The Food and AgricultureOrganization, for its part, hasbeen warning that increasedvolume of trade, as well asimprovements in

transportation, infrastructureand technology heightens therisk of rapid spread of pestsand diseases acrossborders.

Indeed, these are toughtimes, and the challengesahead are daunting.

In fact, the fury of tropicalstorm Ondoy is a harrowingtestimony, with more thanP3.5-billion in crop damage(as of Sept. 30, 2009), whichhas adversely affected the

livelihood and incomes oftens of thousands of farmers,

Big budgetto sustain growth

fishers and their families,

including of course thehundreds of thousands inMetro Manila and nearbyprovinces, whose houses andbelongings were washedaway and devastated.

But the bottomline is thatthe agriculture sector is atthe forefront, as we strive toput food on every table andcreate jobs -- the keyweapons against poverty andhunger.

Hence, we seek the

indulgence of our lawmakersas they are currentlydeliberating on the DAsproposed 2010 budget toseriously consider thecontinuity of the ground workwe have laid the past eightyears -- to attaining andensuring food self-sufficiencyand security, making theagriculture and fishery sectorglobally competitivenessunder the current and future

strenous conditions.These include thedevelopment and promotionof science-basedtechnologies, building water-harvesting facilities, restoringold irrigation systems andputting up new ones, andemploying efficient soil andwater managementtechniques, and protectingplants and animals againstpest and diseases, amongother imperatives.

Next year, the DA proposes

(Pls turn to p11)


3/12

September 2009 3

Agriculture Secretary Arthur C. Yap holds the 780-gramampalaya grown by farmer Antonio Redondo, whichwon an award in the PINAKA-contest held during the

celebration of the Agro-Industrial Fair in Cabatuan,Iloilo. With Yap are Cabatuan Mayor Ramon C. Yee (left)

and Redondos wife.

NFA reverts plan to buy corn at P13 a kiloThe Department of Agriculture

through the National Food Au-thority (DA-NFA) has reverted tobuying yellow corn at P13 perkilo.

Agriculture Secretary ArthurYap said the NFA will buy

250,000 metric tons (MT) of yel-low corn from farmers at a sup-port price of P13 per kilo.

The volume is part of the firsttranche of 300,000 MT of yellowcorn that government hadagreed to buy at a higher sup-port price.The next tranche of300,000 MT will be bought at asupport price of P10 per kilo.

The DA-NFA has earlier low-ered its corn support price toP10 earlier to serve more farm-

ers, as prices dipped to P6 perkilo in Cagayan Valley, wherethere was bumber harvest of600,000 MT, Sec. Yap said.

Earlier, NFA AdministratorJessup Navarro admitted that theagency had to buy 40 percentof yellow corn at P13 per kiloand the rest at P10 per kilo so

the government can serve morefarmers.

He said other farmers will nolonger be able to enjoy the P13-per-kilo support price if NFAbuys the entire 300,00 MT atsaid price, Navarro told report-

ers during the NFAs 37th anni-versary celebration in QuezonCity, September 25, 2009.

Philippine Maize Federation(Philmaize) president RogerNavarro, who was at the meet-ing, said government alsoagreed to pay the differential inprice for yellow corn bought atP10 per kilo.

Earlier, the Philmaize hadthreatened to stage a nationwideprotest should the government

fail to heed its call to reinstateits original plan of buying thefirst tranche of 300,000 MT ofcorn at P13 per kilo.

Corn farmers had insisted ona higher support price for yellowcorn after the entry of more than1 million metric tons (MMT) offeed wheat into the country.

Feed wheat is an alternativeto yellow cornthe main ingre-dient used for producing animalfeeds.

Philmaize had blamed Execu-tive Order 765, which scrappedthe 7-percent duty on feed wheat.

The EO took effect from Janu-ary to June this year.

Agriculture UndersecretarySegfredo Serrano, however, said

the DA opposed the scrappingof the tariff but the departmentwas outvoted during the delibera-tions of the Cabinet-level Com-mittee on Tariff-Related Matters(CTRM).

The CTRMs decision led to

the issuance of EO 765 thateventually led to the tax-freeimportation of yellow corn. (Busi-ness Mirror)

Despite the damagewrought by tropical stormOndoy,the Department ofAgriculture projects total2009 palay and cornharvests to still hit recordlevels, at 17.45 millionmetric tons and 7.09 milliontons, respectively.

Agriculture SecretaryArthur Yap said the widerange of interventionprograms that the DA hasbeen carrying out under

President Arroyoscenterpiece program,dubbed as FIELDS, have ledto the expansion of areasand increase in the per-hectare yields.

In a recent report toPresident Arroyo, Yap saidthe palay productionforecast for 2009 is 3.8%higher than last yearsrecord of 16.82 million MT.

DA still sees record harvests

Intensive palay buying onNational Food Authority Ad-

ministrator Jessup P. Navarrohas ordered a more intensivepalay buying with this yearsmain harvest.

He said all NFA regional of-fices will supplement permanentbuying stations with mobile buy-ing teams to optimize assis-

tance to farmers, particularly infar-flung areas.The NFA currently operates a

total of 441 palay procurementstations nationwide. Massivebuying operations in the pastmonth reflected a jump in theaverage daily palay buying ratefrom a low of 3,000 bags per dayin the first week of August to29,686 bags in the first week ofSeptember, Navarro said.

This is close to 1,000 percent increase in volume in just

The increase in yield is aresult, he said, of theexpansion in area harvestedby 143,000 hectares, whichis 3.2% bigger than lastyears 4.46 millionhectares.

Average yield forecast for2009 is 3.8 MT per hectare,slightly higher than lastyears level, at 3.77 MT perhectare.

The projected total cornoutput for 2009, meanwhile,

is 2.3% higher than lastyears 6.93 million tons, asarea harvested may expandto 2.70 million hectares, andaverage yield may improveto 2.63 tons per hectare.

The DAs projectionswere based on a reportsubmitted to Yap by DirectorRomeo Recide of the Bureau

(Pls turn to p11)

one month period, Navarrostressed.

He also tasked the NFA fieldofficials to ensure they will maxi-mize the use of their logisticsand manpower in buying thepalay of farmers for the Septem-ber to December harvest.

According to Navarro, the NFA

has earmarked a total of Php13.7 billion for intensive palayprocurement for the last fourmonths where the bulk of themain harvest comes in. Thisamount is even higher than lastyears procurement budget forthe whole year when the NFAwas able to buy some 13 mil-lion bags of palay.

NFA targets to buy 778,885metric tons of palay equivalentto 15.5 million bags from this

(Pls turn to p11)


4/12

4

Plain curiosity is the main rea-son why Ramiro Panganiban,43, of Brgy. Dao, Pilar,

Seaweed farming improves Sorosogon fishers

Coco water featured in US

Sorsogon, shifted from drift-gillnet fishing to seaweed farming.

This he learned from fellowfishermen six years ago.

At that time, he became oneof the three farmer-cooperatorsand self-appointed chairman ofthe Seaweed Farmers and Trad-ers Association (SFTA).

Two years later, the groupgrew to 138 members.

At first, he admitted that theironly motivation was the pro-jected incoce of this crop to onepersons life and the economyof the country.

In a span of three years, each

one of the farmers-cooperatorswas able to own a boat.

To revive and modernize thecoffee industry, the Departmentof Agriculture has partnered withthe Philippine Coffee Board(PCB) and Cavite Coffee Grow-ers Multipurpose Cooperative,

and launched the Pilipinas!Gising at Magkape(Wake Upand Have Coffee) program.

The DA is earmarking a totalof P350 million over three years(2008-2010), of which P50 Mhas been infused to the PCB lastyear.

Agriculture Secretary ArthurYap said the DA will give P100million more this year for theprogram, to increase coffee pro-duction through the use of high-

yielding seeds, application ofnew technologies and establish-ment of post-harvest facilities.

Another P200 million is ear-marked under the proposed DAbudget for 2010, Yap said.

The PCB is co-chaired by

DA, Coffee Board launch

Pilipinas! Gising at Magkape

Seaweed farmer RamiroPanganiban of Sorsogon((Photo by Rita dela Cruz, DA-BAR)

They were also able to earnenough for the basic needs oftheir family.

Further, they were able to send

their children to school, put upsavings, and improved theirhouses.

According to the Food andAgriculture Organization, com-mercial production of seaweedsthrough farming is at present lim-ited to a few countries in EastAsia.

The Philippines is also notedfor the culture of seaweeds par-ticularly Eucheuma andCaulerpa which both can be ex-

ported in dried forms. (BusinessMirror)

Pacita Juan, founder-director ofFigaro Coffee Co., and Nicho-las Matti, president and generalmanager of Negros Coffee andGrains.

The goal is to increase cof-

fee production by 40,000 metrictons (MT) in seven to eightyears, to fill the shortage in thecountrys supply of the popularbeverage, Sec. Yap said in arecent coffee planting programin Mendez, Cavite .

With the program, the coun-try would lessen coffee imports(currently at more than 36,000tons annually), Yap said, sothat the money we spend wouldeventually go to our local grow-

ers, instead of farmers in Indo-nesia and Vietnam.The PCB said domestic con-

sumption is at 65,000 MT yearly,and grows by about 2.5%.

To date, under the program,more than 200 hectares of cof-

Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap (right) and a memberof the Cavite Coffee Growers Multipurpose Coopera-

tive plants a coffee seedling to launch the Pilipinas!Gising at Magkape program.

fee farms have been rehabilitatedin Cavite.

The program has also trained100 farmers on coffee rehabili-

Coconut water or coco juicewas put to the limelight recently,as it was featured in the US TVprogram Good MorningAmerica.

The show discussed itsvarious benefits, with Ms.Ashley Koff, a US dietician, asresource person. She said co-conut juice is a clear, sweet and

tasty liquid obtained from a freshcoconut. Koff explained that un-like coconut milk, it contains nofat and more potassium than abanana.

Moreover, the USDA NationalNutrient Database said nutri-ents, vitamins and minerals arefound in coconut juice.(ManilaBulletin)

tation and rejuvenation; orga-nized coffee growers for groupmarketing for the coming year;and established three coffeenurseries in Cavite that providequality planting materials.

Under the program, the DAand PCB are encouraging farm-ers to practice intercroppingcoffee with cash crops such asvegetables or fruit trees.

The PCB has dispatched areadirectors across the country tooversee the rehabilitation andrejuvenation of harvestable ar-eas in the countrys 22 coffee-growing provinces.

Cavite is currently the secondlargest coffee producer in thecountry, next to Sultan Kudarat.

It used to produce 24,331 MTof coffee each year, but is nowdown to 7,228 MT, as areasplanted to the crop have dimin-

ished from 16,538 hectares toonly 7,700 hectares.Cavite was previously the big-

gest coffee growing province inthe Philippines, with its highestproduction recorded in 1991, at24,331 MT harvested from16,538 hectares tilled by morethan 15,000 farmers.

There is big potential forCavite to recover, Ms. Juan said,considering that it produces 650to 800 kilos per hectare, whichis more than double the nationalaverage of 300 kilos.


5/12

September 2009 5

Top Saudi Arabian companiesare planning to make thePhilippines as the kingdomsfood hub in the region startingwith investments in productionand joint ventures with localagribusiness firms, Malacaang

announced.Deputy Presidential

Spokeswoman Lorelei Fajardomade the announcementfollowing a series of meetingsof President Arroyo, Trade andIndustry Secretary Peter Favila,and Agriculture Secretary ArthurYap with top Saudi businessleaders in Damman, Dhahran,Al-Khobar, and Jeddah.

She was scheduled to holdtalks with the King last night(Manila time) in Jeddah andexpected to be back tomorrow.

Top Saudi firms keen on RP as food hub

Sec. Arthur C. Yap (right)once meets with counter-part, Saudi Arabia Agri-culture Minister FahadBa lghunaim inD a r r a n . M i n i s t e rBa lghunaim le d anagribusiness investmentmission to the Philippineslast May, 2009.(Photo by Dir.

Roy Imperial)

The Department of Agricultureis set to implement this 2009-2010 dry cropping season a for-eign-assisted initiative, calledRapid Seed Supply FinancingProject (RaSSFiP), that will en-courage rice farmers to plantinbred certified seeds (CS) inrainfed and lowland irrigated ar-eas, where average harvest isless than 3.8 tons per hectare.

Majority of the project cost,equivalent to P1.16 billion, willbe used to subsidize palay CSwhich will be distributed to quali-fied farmers, tilling a total of803,750 hectares, in 60 prov-inces, belonging to 13 regions.

Participating farmers will onlyhave to pay one-half (or P600)for every 40-kilo bag of CS, whichcurrently sells for P1,200 each.

The RaSSFiP is jointly fundedby the International Fund for Ag-ricultural Development (IFAD)through a loan equivalent toroughly P670 million, and theEuropean Community (EC) thatextended a grant of P480 mil-lion. Government is sharing P10million as counterpart.

With the project, it is hopedthat the country will be able toproduce an additional 389,000metric tons of palay, which is

equivalent to P6.6 billion, at the

Yap met with a group of Saudiagricultural investors led bySheikh Mohammed Al Rahji,over-all coordinator of the FarEast Agricultural Company(FEAC), where it was agreedthat the group would visit the

Philippines in November andwork on investments inproduction and trading jointventures, Fajardo said.

FEAC is made up of 10 Saudicompanies engaged in theproduction and trading of poultryproducts, livestock, fruits, grainsand cereals.

Joining the FEAC are Saudicompanies Ommat, Tadco, AlSaniee Group, Hadco, andAltuwaijri Est, which arerecognized KSA companies infood (cereals and grains) and

fruits production, poultry andlivestock production, trading,distribution and logistics,Malacaang said.

Prior to the meeting, the Saudicompany Al Rahji wrote to Yapconfirming that the Philippines

is being strongly considered tobe Saudi Arabias food hub inthe region.

The Saudi group will visit thePhilippines in November 2009 tomeet with possible counterpartsand partners, even as initialtrading ventures in fresh andprocessed banana productshave been sealed, Fajardo said.

Yap also met with SaudiAgriculture Minister FahadBalghunaim to finalize agri-investments mission to thecountry.

Meanwhile, three SaudiArabian firms--Al-Zuwaidi,Rawabi, and Al-Zamil--haveexpressed interest to invest inthe Philippines during theirmeeting with Mrs. Arroyo.

Favila said discussions withJassim Mohammad Al-Suwaidi,chairman of the Al-ZuwaidiGroup, focused on how thePhilippines could fill the demandfor manpower requirements of

the Kingdom.They (Al-Zuwaidi Group)

encouraged us to fast track our

training and expand our training

facilities (to improve our workers

skill and competence

immediately), (The Philippine

Star)

current government supportprice of P17 per kilo.

Using certified rice seeds,farmers could harvest an aver-age of 4,035 kilos of palay perhectare, 485 kilos more than theaverage yield of farmers usingtraditional or home-saved seeds,at 3,550 kilos per hectare.

With a yield differential of 485kilos multiplied by the total areatarget of 803,750 hectares, thenthe RaSSFiP would be able pro-duce an additional harvest ofroughly 389,800 tons, accord-ing to estimates made by theDA GMA rice program.

The DA through the NationalFood Authority (NFA), Bureau ofPlant Industry (BPI), and Re-gional Field Units (RFUs) willimplement the project in partner-

ship with the local governmentunits (LGUs) and seed growers.The DAs GMA Rice Program Di-rectorate is the designated Pro-gram Coordination Office (PCO)of the RaSSFiP.

The NFA will buy the seedsfrom BPI-accredited growers,and then transport and distrib-ute these to participating farm-ers, based on the master listconsolidated by the DA-RFUsfrom the original list provided by

the respective LGUs. The CSwill be sourced from accreditedgrowers in major rice producingregions (2, 3 and 11).

Hundreds of thousands offarmers in the following regionswill benefit from the RaSSFiP:Cordillera, 2, 3, 4A, 4B, 5, 6, 7,8, 9, 10, 12, and 13 (Caraga).

It is the first sub-project of theRapid Food Production En-hancement Program (RaFPEP),funded by IFAD and EC. Thesecond is the Irrigated Rice Pro-duction Enhancement Project(IRPEP), which will be imple-mented in 2010 until 2015.

IFAD, EC fund certified seed program

The current production of co-coa in the country is only about

6,000 metric tons (MT) out ofthe 36,000 MT of cocoa con-sumed per year, but local pro-ducers are on the move to shareit with other markets.

Edward David, president of theCocoa Foundation of the Philip-pines (Cocoaphil) said that asmall batch (7 MT) of organicallygrown cocoa and a larger batchof 30 MT were sold separatelyto global companies, at the Phil-ippine Cacao Summit lastmonth.

Cocoa farmers may tap exportsHe added that the buyers are

clamoring for more; thus they are

encouraged to accelerate theirefforts to increase production

and improve quality control in

preparation for large shipments.

Cocoaphils plan is to inter-

crop at least 50 million cocoa

trees with coconut to produce

at least 100,000 MT or $300

million worth of export-quality

cocoa beans by 2015 as the glo-

bal demand for cocoa beans

grows at about 90,000 MT an-

nually. (Philippine Daily Inquirer)


6/12

6

Upon entering barangayCapuy which is about 8 kmbefore the city proper ofSorsogon, one would not miss

the long stretch of lush ricefields on both sides of thehighway. This is but thegateway to the Ayo - Valladolidrice farm which extends to 5more adjoining barangays.

In the olden days, ricefarming used to be identifiedwith the men in the familybecause it requires muchphysical strength andstamina. Moreover, it was atraditional practice for themale heirs to take over from

the father the task ofmanaging and tilling the farm which is considered themost valuable family treasureand asset the parents couldleave with their children.

But this was not so with theValladolid family of Capuy,Sorsogon.

Eduarda Valladolid-Ayofondly called Eden took overthe reins of managing the 5-hectare ricelands owned by

their family when their fatherdied.Because most of her

siblings had careers of theirown Eden, who had knownthe intricacies of farming andhad shown a great interest in

Farmer Eden V. Ayostrikes gold from the

golden rice grains


golden rice grains


golden rice grainsby Emily B. Bordado,

RAFID 5

farming assumed the task ofmanaging their ricefields,ricemill and palay and ricetrading business.

Although she herself hadtucked a bachelors degree inSocial Science, she opted togo full-time into farming.

Eventually, she establishedthe E..V. Ayo Ricemill andventured into allied businessesin line with rice farming andmilling.

She also embarked ontrading palay, rice, copra,fertilizers and pesticides, aswell as palay seed growingand hog breeding.

She has also ventured intorice seed production andjoined the elite group of seedgrowers which was dominatedonly by male big-time farmersin the 1980s.

With the diversity of farmactivites, we had to renameour business, Eden said.

Renamed as E.V. AyoEnterprise and presently runby Edens entire family, whatstarted as a small business

venture continues to providejob opportunities to over 3,000regular farm workers in theirrice fields alone at an averageof 20 workers per hectare.They also hire additionalseasonal workers as haulersand dryers during harvests.

Regular workers are paidP150 P170 per day whilehaulers are paid P10 P50per sack depending on thedistance from the highwaywhere the palay are gathered.

For every hectare, Edenand the Valladolids spend anaverage of P50,000 forproduction cost and harvest

100 to 130 sacks of palay.From this they obtain a netincome ranging P20,000 P60,000 per hectare or P3M -P9M per cropping.

In 2008, they harvested16,000 bags of palay.

E.V. Ayo Enterprise sellspalay seeds to other regionsand provinces like Palawan,Tarlac, Region IV and Region IIand some nearby provinces ofBicol. Seeds that do not pass

the certification are milled andsold as rice grains in theirown NFA-accredited store inCapuy and the rest to anotherstore owned by one of hersisters in Sorsogon city.

Aside from the ricemill,Eden and her family have built3 warehouses, dryingpavement measuring about4,000 square meters.

They have also acquired 1unit of ten-wheeler truck, 1self-loader, a back hoe, 7 units

hand tractors, threshers,blowers, and a dump truck.

Recently, the familyacquired 3 units of

recirculating dryer capable ofdrying 120 sacks of palay peroperation. Each unit is worthP630,000.

These facilities use rice hullas fuel, thus, they are verycost-efficient.

It is worker-fr iendly, unlikeother mechanical dryers thathave health-risks by exposingworkers to too much heat,Eden explains.

Eden regards the farm

location as an important factorfor her high yield andproduction. The Capuy lot issituated near a natural springwhich serves as a source ofirrigation. The area also hasvery fertile volcanic soil. Shealso uses balancedfertilization, combiningcommercial fertilizer withorganic. She buys driedchicken dung and utilizes thehog manure from their piggeryfarm as fertilizer. She also

Eden Ayo (top left) at her rice farm. Above, her rice ware-house.

Editors note: Ms. Ayois one of the finalists of

the national search forthe Filipino Entrepre-neur of the Year.


7/12

September 2009 7

follows the Palay CheckSystem an integrated ricemanagement system.

Nowadays, she continues toadvocate for synchronousplanting among her fellowfarmers to prevent infestationand pest population build-up.

Also if you are a seedgrower, it is a must for you to

undergo training on latest riceproduction technologies andimproved productionpractices, she explained.

At 56, Eden is still full ofenergy and enthusiasm. Proofof which is her regular roundsof the vast rice fields whichshe does on foot to be surethat she would not miss anysmall details. She is alsoconstantly in touch with herfarm workers and neighbors. A

low-profile multi-millionaire,she has remained humble andsoft-spoken. Although, shecould have built herself amansion in any of the uptownsubdivisions, she opted to livein the same house and stayin same compound with hersiblings close to where theirrice fields are.

A woman with keenbusiness acumen, Edenknows where to put herinvestments and manage her

resources well. Their familyhas invested in a 1,500 sow-level breeder farm in Rosario,Batangas being managed byher brother Joel. The driedmanure from this farm aretransported to Sorsogon andprocessed into fertilizer treatedwith the EM solution to removethe foul odor and hastendecomposition.

For her accomplishmentsand success and for her

efficient use of the loan sheobtained from the Land Bankof the Philippines she wasawarded a special citation(SME Gabay at Patnubay)during the 2008 GawadEntrepreneur Awardingceremonies in Manila.

She advises her fellowfarmers not to rely too muchon government support but torely on their own strengthand capabilities to upliftthemselves. After all our

country is so much blessedwith natural resource, shesaid.

We should not expectothers to produce the riceseeds and our food for us. Weshould do it by ourselves, sheadded.

Eden is now training her31-year old son Aldin tolearn the ropes of the familyenterprise. Aldin who studiedin Manila and was once a

First bioethanol plant rises up in Negros Occ.

basketball player in the NCAAhas recently married and has

now settled also in Capuy

assisting in the family

enterprise. From time to time

Aldin goes to Batangas to

check on their piggery farm

there.

After a tiresome day, Eden

spends time with her family or

retreats into her own little

garden of Eden.

As this years womens

month celebration aptly

affirms: Babae, Yaman ka ng

Bayan, Bicols very own Eden

Valladolid-Ayo enjoys the

wealth and bounty that rice

farming has given her. She is

truly an invaluable treasure not

only of the province of

Sorsogon province but of the

entire Bicolandia region and

the rest of the nation.

Complimentary efforts amongdifferent government agenciesand private sectors are movingforward the countrys marchtowards a greener environmentand future energy sufficiency.

San Carlos Bioenergy Inc.(SCBI), the first bioethanol plantin the country that uses sugarcane as feedstock, wasinaugurated last September 4,2009 at San Carlos City, NegrosOccidental.

The SCBI shows that takinga big leap in the biofuels industryin the Philippines is indeedpossible and this will greatlyencourage other biofuelcompanies to pursue theirrespective endeavors towardsthis initiative.

SCBI was incorporated lastMay 2005 to construct, own,and operate an integratedethanol distillery and power

cogeneration plant under thechairmanship of Mr. Jose MariaZabaleta of Bronzeoak CleanEnergy.

We see biofuels greatpotential to alter not only theface of energy production,consumption, and the

environment but the entireparadigm of agriculture as well.,acclaimed by Marriz B. Agbon,President of PhilippineAgricultural Development andCommercial Corporationrepresenting the AgricultureSecretary Arthur C. Yap duringthe inauguration.

PADCC, designatedmarketing arm of DA, ismandated to provide assistance

to prospective investors inidentification of the appropriateareas in the country where theycould locate and engage in thecommercial planting of thefeedstock used for biodiesel andbioethanol production.

There are about 49 active

biofuels projects beingmonitored by DA-PADCC whichinclude the SCBI. Twenty eightof which are on biodiesel; twentyare on bioethanol; and one is anintegrated project involving theproduction of both biodiesel andbioethanol. Around P40.8Bworth investments for theagricultural side and someP42.5B for the plants side isanticipated.(DA PADCC)

Officials of San Carlos Bioenergy Inc. pose with guests,among them Energy Sec. Angelo Reyes (3rd from right)PADCC President Marriz B. Agbon (4th from left), SRAAdministrator Raphael Coscolluella (center), andrepresentatives from the National Biofuels Board.


8/12

8

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

The turn-over of 19.832 km

farm-to-market road (FMR) inInitao, Misamis Oriental onSeptember 4, 2009, marks

another milestone in theagriculture sector as the

economic activity in thebarangays started to evolve.

The project materializedthrough the Department of

Agriculture (DA)-Infrastructure

for Rural ProductivityEnhancement Sector (InfRES)

Project, in coordination with the

Local Government Unit (LGU) ofInitao.

The FMR costs P48.8M, of

which P24.4 is taken from theproceeds of the governments

loan from the Asian DevelopmentBank (ADB), P10.9M from the

Government of the Philippines(GOP), P1.44M is the

ocunterpart of the Brgy.-LGUbeneficiaries, and P12.5M as

equity of the MunicipalGovernment of Initao.

The project comprises of four

road segments, benefitting 12hinterland barangays of Apas,Tawantawan, Aluna, Kitanglay,

P a g a h a n , P o n t a c o n ,Gimangpang, Kamelon, Oguis,

Kanitoan, Andales and Tubigan.DA-RFU 10 Regional

Executive Director (RED) Lealyn

DA-InfRES Project Manager Roy Abaya (right), DA-RFU 10 Dir. Lealyn Ramos (2nd from right), and InitaoMayor Enerito J. Acain V lead the ribbon-cutting andunveiling of the 19.832 km. FMR project in Initao,

Misamis Oriental. (Photo by MKVM)

P48.8-M worth of FMR

done in Misamis OrientalA. Ramos emphasized that the

LGU provides their equity beingthe co-owner of the project. Indoing so, LGUs are empoweredand will have the sense ofresponsibility in the projectimplementation therefore utmostcare, operation andmaintenance of the project isassured.

Initao Mayor Enerito J. AcainV in turn expressed gratitude tothe government agencies andoffices for the support in therealization of the project.(MannyKerwinV.Martinez, DARAFID 10)

The Department of Agriculture,

in tandem with local government

units (LGUs), has completed

two projects that aim to promote

and commercialize the produc-

tion of high-value commercial

crops (HVCCs) in Eastern

Visayas as part of its ongoing

initiatives to increase farm yieldsand household incomes in the

countryside.

In a report to DA Secretary

Arthur Yap, the Bureau of Agri-

cultural Research (BAR) said

these two projects involve as-

sisting farmers in producing

DA backs HVCC projects in Eastern Visayashigh-value vegetable crops

(ampalaya, tomato, eggplant,

and sweet pepper) and estab-

lishing a bagsakan or drop-off

trading center in Ormoc City in

Leyte and the commercialization

of vegetable planting technolo-

gies in the agricultural develop-

ment zones in Biliran.

BAR Director Nicomedes

Eleazar said both of these ini-

tiatives were successfully imple-

mented because of the coopera-

tion of LGUs, which provided

counterpart funding for the

projects and the East-West

Seeds Company which provided

technical support on vegetable

production and management

and supplied the high-value veg-

etable seeds for the project.

The Ormoc project, Eleazar

said, is now benefiting the

Ormoc Federation of Vegetable

Growers through the establish-

ment of a bagsakan center

that will supply the vegetable

requirements of the city resi-

dents as well as those outside

Ormoc, such as Tacloban City,

other parts of Leyte, and possi-

bly, even Cebu.

He noted that although Ormoc

City is a vegetable producing

area in Leyte , engaging farm-

ers in its commercial production

was difficult because they are

hampered by high input costs,

pests and diseases, and weak

marketing approaches.

Hence, the project was

implemented to assist vegetable

growers in the production of

high-value vegetables, Eleazar

said. The establishment of the

bagsakan center, on the other

hand, will provide farm produc-

ers with direct links to market

areas and consumers with

affordably priced foodstuff.

Eight storage facilities up in Regn 12To answer the high inventory

of corn due to low marketprices, the National

Agribusiness Corporation

(NABCOR) installed eight Her-

metic Cocoon storage facili-

ties in Region 12, a project es-

tablished by the Department

of Agriculture 12 Corn Program

and Local Government Units.

NABCOR Operations Man-

ager for Mindanao Mario

Apurada said the cocoons

were installed in the existing

Post Harvest Processing andTrading Center in Malungon,

Sarangani; Banga, South

Cotabato; and in Kabacan, North

Cotabato.

The Hermetic Cocoon, a tech-

nology from Israel, has a capac-

ity of 100 metric tons. Stored

grains could last up to one year.

Raul Rebollos II, GrainPro

Philippines Inc.Field Service

Manager, said the cocoon was

proven and tested safe for stor-

age and fumigation of bagged

grains. It is movable and can

be used by farmers in the field.

Plant Manager Mr. Gabriel-

Rie Rivera said, as of August

25, 2009, the processing cen-

ter in Malungon has 1,400

metric tons of corn grain stock,

while in Banga, 830 metric tons

of corn grain is stored. (Chat F.

Munez-DA-RFU12)


9/12

September 2009 9

International News Round-upA digest of selected news, developments and breakthrough agriculture, fisheries,agribusiness and related fields culled from websites and publications ofinternational institutions and organizations.

As climate changenegotiators continue to skirt therole of agricultural land use inreducing greenhouse gasemissions, top scientistsworking on land management inthe worlds vast dry areasgathered in Buenos Aires,Argentina, determined to makethe case that thwartingdesertification in drylands isviable and also critical to thesuccess of a new climate deal.

The desertification-climatechange nexus was the key topicof discussion at the globalscientific conference.

The Conference highlights the

importance of developing andimplementing science-basedmethods for monitoring andassessing land degradation andunderlines the need for a holisticapproach to understanding andovercoming the devastatingimpact of desertification.

Drylands comprise more than40% of global land area and arehome to nearly 35% of itspeople, according to a whitepaper prepared for the UNCCD

conference. As much as 20

percent of this land has already

been affected by desertification,

defined as land degradation

caused by a combination of

human activity and climate

conditions

1st global confab on desertificationopens in Argentina

We need to view drylands asthe front lines in our global effortto help the rural poor cope withclimate change, said WilliamDar, Director General of the

International Crops ResearchInstitute for the Semi-AridTropics (ICRISAT), a DSDmember supported by theConsultative Group onInternational AgriculturalResearch (CGIAR). He alsochairs UNCCDs Committee onScience and Technology (CST),under whose auspices theconference is being organizedby the DSD Consortium.

The main technical barrier to

progress in combatingdesertificationhas been a lackof standardized, science-basedmethods for monitoring andassessing land degradation andprogress in combating it throughadvances in science andtechnology.

Science and technology holdthe key to coping with thedesertification-climate changenexus, said Dar. With the right

combination of holistic policies

and sustained global action,path-breaking science can help

curb desertification and land

degradation, improving the

livelihoods of millions of poor

people in drylands.(ICRISAT)

Two deadly diseases Xanthomonaswilt and bananabunchy top are threatening to

wipe out African bananas andfurther endangering the food andlivelihood security of some 30million farmers still reeling fromthe global food crisis. But inter-national experts have come upwith a disease managementframework aimed at shoring upefforts to control the diseasesrapid spread across sub-Sa-haran Africa.

Disease monitoring studieshave indicated thatXanthomonas wilt, which

started in Uganda, is spreading

2 diseases could wipe outAfrican bananas

to neighbouring countries ineastern Africa, while the bananabunchy top disease is creeping

across southern and central Af-rica.Severe attacks of the banana

bunchy top disease spurred sci-entists into action.

Uganda, Africas leading pro-ducer and consumer of bananas,has been battling Xanthomonaswilt since 2001, and had by2007 saved the equivalent ofUS$513M worth of crops, a ba-nana expert from Ugandas Na-tional Agricultural ResearchOrganisation. The country loses

between US$70M and

US$200Mannually toXanthomonasw i l t .Uganda ison highalert for theb a n a n abunchy topd i s e a s ef r o mneighbouringcountries.

The twod i s e a s e shave caused losses of up to 90per cent in some of the areasunder attack, increasing thepoverty levels of a people recov-

ering from the effects of manyyears of war. In some villages,people have been forced toswitch to cassava.(www.iita.org)

Manila, Philippines - The In-ternational Rice Research Insti-tute (IRRI) announces staging ofits 6th International Rice Genet-ics Symposium, one of theworlds biggest and most impor-

tant rice research conferences.

More than 700 top interna-tional scientists and research-ers are expected to attend thisprestigious event to be held on16-19 November 2009 at theManila Hotel, Philippines. Add-ing to its scope and significance,this major event, to be openedby Her Royal Highness Prin-cess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn,will be held in conjunction withthe 7th International Symposiumon Rice Functional Genomicsand the Rice Annotation Project

6 (RAP6) Workshop.

The 6th International RiceGenetics Symposium comes ata key time for the internationalrice industry, which is under un-precedented pressure following

record high prices and major pro-duction challenges. It providesan important forum for reviewingthe latest advances in rice re-search, how recent break-throughs could affect global food

IRRI hosts rice geneticssymposium security, and in-depth discus-

sion and exchange of informa-

tion on classical genetics andgenomics.

This major event will show-case the latest developments inthe field, including research onbreeding, mapping of genes andquantitative trait loci, identifica-tion and cloning of candidategenes for biotic and abioticstresses, gene expression, andgenomic databases and mutantinduction for functional

genomics.

The 6th International RiceGenetics Symposium providesthe best opportunity to shareexperience in the efforts of im-proving tolerance of rice of abi-otic stresses, including ex-tremes in water availability, tem-peratures, and toxic minerals insoils and the air. This major riceevent draws an international co-hort of speakers and attendeeswho share a common goal inenhancing the understanding ofrice biology to improve rice pro-

duction for humankind. It prom-ises an exciting view of how in-teractions between basic andapplied scientists are affectingthe livelihood of farmers in Asiaand Africa.


10/12

10

Death comes unannouncedand without warning. It isunexpected and oftentimessad.

The DA family mourns forthe lost of two senior person-nel who joined our Creator

recently.Jovencio Cagulada of the

General Services Divison,passed away last September20 due to complications fromdiabetes while Cancia Samboof the Agribusiness Marketingand Assistance Serviceperished from liver cirrhosis.

Both Joven and ManangCansing spent most of theirprofessional life with DA havingserved for 21 and 35 yearsrespectively.

Joven,who was theincumbentPresident ofthe DAEmployeesAssociation,relentlesslyengaged innegotiationsfor employees benefitsspecifically compensation andhealth care. Before his unex-pected demise, he wasaggressively pursuing that the

Off to a better placelong overdue Cost of LivingAllowance or COLA begranted.

ManangCansing,who wasdearly lovedby hercolleaguesat theAgribusinessDevelopment and CoordinationDivision, will be rememberedfor her jolly persona and sillybanter. Her presence nevergoes unnoticed the minute sheenters a room or walk alongthe hallways. As a veteranSupervising Agriculturist shehas served walk-in clients withutmost candidness and hasmaintained a fruitful and

productive life.To all of us who knew and

loved Joven and ManangCansing, we are left behindwith a feeling of emptiness anda void that nothing else canever fill. But we are happy thatthey are finally free of theirtemporal illnesses.

To their family, our heartfeltcondolences,

And to the both of them,who are off to a better place,enjoy the goodness of theLORD for all eternity.

DA chief commends Bright Leaf journalists

Sec. Arthur Yap (2nd from left, top row) and Philip Mor-ris managing director Chris Nelson pose with BrightLeaf winners, among them Inez Magbual (1st from left,1st row) for the DA-NABCOR sponsored TV program,

Maunlad na Agrikultura, and Miko Jazmine J. Mojica

(3rd from left) , of DA-Bureau of Agricultural Research,for the Best National Agriculture Feature Story.

Agriculture Secretary ArthurC. Yap commended this yearsroster of best agriculturaljournaliststwo are membersof the Department of Agricul-ture familyduring the 3rd

Bright Leaf Agriculture Journal-ism Awards, sponsored byPhilip Morris PhilippinesManufacturing, Inc. (PMPMI),held at the Hyatt Hotel inManila, September 11, 2009.

The DA chief congratulatedthe winners as they continueto provide the general publicinteresting stories and break-throughs in the field of agricul-ture, fisheries, food process-ing, and novel agribusinessenterprises.

Further he said: The stories

that you tell in your own waywill help policy makers, aswell as farmers, fisherfolk,entrepreneurs and otherstakeholders in decision-making.

Among the winners werethe Bagong Maunlad naAgrikultura,adjudged astheBest Agriculture TV Program/

Segmentfor its Crafts fromcorn husksepisode, and MikoJazmine J. Mojica, who wrote

the Best National AgricultureFeature Storyentitled, Whenfish catch a cold, the rest ofthe world sneezes.

Bagong Maunlad na

Agrikulturais produced by the

Department of Agriculture

through the National

Agribusiness Corporation (DA-

NABCOR). The award was

received by Maunladprogram

producer Inez Magbual.

The TV programs winning

episode, aired on March 21,2009, featured the profitable

innovative enterprise of corn

husk processing, in Basista,

Pangasinan.

It showcased the Crafters

Joy Cornhusk Handicraftsof

Ms. Joy Ong-Perez, who

discussed that corn husks

could be transformed into

sustainable sources of income

and livelihood for farmers, rural

women and children.

On the other hand, Mojicais a staff member of theApplied CommunicationDivision of the DA-Bureau ofAgricultural Research. In herfeature, published in the BARR&D Digest, she discussedthe plight of the local milkfish(bangus) and other aquaticspecies in the midst of climatechange that the world isexperiencing.

The Bright LeafJournalism

awardees are:Melpha Abello (ManilaBulletin) - Agriculture Story ofthe Year: A housing materialmade from chicken feathers

Zac Sarian (Manila Bulletin)- Tobacco Story of the Year:Something new to Virginia

tobacco

Edgardo Espiritu - Agricul-ture Photo of the Year: SpiceScarecrow

Andy Zapata (Phil. Star) -Tobacco Photo of the Year:Among the Best

Neil Jerome Morales(BusinessWorld) - BestNational Agriculture NewsStory: Mango exports reelfrom pesticide curbs

Francis Martin - BestAgriculture Feature Story:Most outstanding farmer

practices indigenous farming

Gloria Tuazon - BestRegional Agriculture FeatureStory: The scent that heals

Salvador Cruzana, Jr. - BestAgriculture Radio Program/Segment: Careras Farm: BigTime at 200"

This years board of judgeswas once again chaired bySecretary Yap.

The other judges wereIsabela Governor GracePadaca; Ms. Eduviges Huang,President of the Federation ofPhilippine PhotographersFoundation; Jerry Carual,

Director of the Press Photog-raphers of the Philippines;Professor Candida Adalla, ofthe University of the Philip-pines Los Baos College ofAgriculture; Juan Dayang,President of the PublishersAssociation of the PhilippinesInc.; and Administrator CarlitosEncarnacion of the DA-National Tobacco Administra-tion.

Sec. Yap joined PMPMImanaging director ChrisNelson in handing out thetrophies, cash awards andprizes to the major winners.


11/12

September 2009 11

Ondoy ... (from p1)

DA still ... (from p3)

a revised budget of P37.8billion, down from P60.3 billioninitially submitted.

Unfortunately, the proposedP37.8-B budget is P9 billionless than this years budget.

We hope our HonorableSenators and Congressmen

would consider maintaining ourcurrent budget.

And we are counting on ourpartners in the private sector,LGUs, including farmers andfishers groups to help usconvince our legislators thatthe agriculture and fisherysector needs increasingannual budget -- so we couldwithstand and surmount thechallenges of climate changeand liberalized global trading

system.Nevertheless, to whommuch has been entrusted,even more will be demanded.

It simply means that theentire DA family the OSECor central office, regional fieldunits, bureaus, attachedagencies and corporations,GMA program directorates,

and foreign-assisted projects

should strive harder to using

the funds in the most efficient

and transparent way to

produce tangible, long-lasting

results and legacies.

Agriculture is the heart and

sould of the Philippine

countryside and economy.

Hence, its productivity and

sustainability must be the

concern of everyone.

After all, food is our common

ground and denominator.

and highways turned into rag-ing rivers, sweeping away cars,and overflowed creeks washedaway shanties..

Adding to the chaos, tele-phone and power services werecut off in worst-hit areas.

Manilas international and do-

mestic airports were closed onSaturday.

President Arroyo has declareda state of calamity.

As of September 30, 2009, theNational Disaster CoordinatingCouncil (NDCC) reported the fol-lowing:

casualties = 293 (246 dead,5 injured and 42 missing);

estimated damage = P5 bil-lion (infrastructure, P1.59 B; andagriculture, P3.5B);

373,675 families or2,254,915 persons were af-fected;

78,892 families or 389.616persons are staying in 561evacuation centers, and 63,989families or 346,581 persons arestaying with host families.(withreports from NDCC and Agence

France-Presse, Inquirer.net)

Editorial... (from p2)

years main crop.The agency buys palay at Php

17 per kg from farmers. Addi-tional incentives amounting to P0.20 per kg each for drying and

transport is being given to farm-ers selling their produce to theagency.

A P0.30 per kg cooperativedevelopment incentive is beinggranted to members of farmercooperatives for the post harvestfacility build-up of their organi-zation.

The government support pricefor palay will boost the NFAschance of buying a large per-centage of the local harvest, he

saidThe NFA has already procuredpalay during the summer crop,bringing to 3.35 million bags or167,985 metric tons the cumu-lative volume of palay boughtsince the start of the year.

By end of August, SouthernTagalog and the Bicol region viedfor the top place among theagencys most active field officesin terms of the volume of palayprocured for the year at 1.1 bil-lion bags each.

Intensive palay ... (from p3)

of Agricultural Statistics(BAS).

Yap noted that for thesecond semester palay outputis forecast to grow by 3.9%,as area harvested mayexpand by 2.9%, while yieldmay increase by 1%.

Palay production for the 3rdquarter (July-Sept) may reach3.59 million tons, 3.65% morethan last year.

The 4th quarter palayproduction is forecasts at 6.48million tons, 4% above last

years 6.23 million tons.For corn, the July

December 2009 crop isexpected to grow by 6.4%,with area harvested expandingby 2.7% and yield per hectareimproving by 3.6%.

The July-September cornproduction is forecast at 2.47million tons, up by 9.5% fromlast years 2.26 million tons.

Yield may improve to 2.55MT from 2.45 MT per hectarein the same period last year.

THERE IS MONEY IN AGRICULTURE. AgricultureSecretary Arthur C. Yap (right) inspires the youth andurges them to unleash the entrepreneur in them dur-ing the Go Negosyo Sigaw ng Kabataan Youth Summit

held at the SMX Convention Center, SM Mall of Asia.He also shared his views on the need for entrepreneur-ship development in the country, especially on agricul-ture which the soci ety percei ve s it as a lowl yprofession.Further, he cited farmers who from scratch

became successful because of perseverance and entre-preneurial skills. With him are (R-L): Joy Abaquin ( Mul-tiple Intelligence International School ), Dean PaxLapid ( Entrepreneurs School of Asia), and Maoi Ar-royo (Hybridigm Consulting).

NFA Central Luzon hasbought 929,500 bags whileCagayan Valley had 530,000bags of palay procured. CentralMindanao also made good in

palay procurement havingbought 518,626 bags todate.Meanwhile, Navarro reported

that as of the first week of Sep-tember, the NFAs rice inventorystood at 1.2 million mt in totalrice equivalent or 25.6 millionbags. This will be furtherbeefed-up by the palay that willbe bought from the main har-vest, he noted. (DA-NFA PublicAffairs Department)

Eight rice varieties bred by thePhilippine Rice ResearchInstitute(PhilRice) have been ap-proved by the National Seed In-dustry Council (NSIC) for com-mercial production.

These include two varieties forirrigated lowland: NSIC Rc216(Tubigan 17), and NSIC Rc218SR (Mabango 3), a special aro-matic rice;

Three-line hybrids: NSICRc196H (Mestiso 16), and NSICRc198H (Mestiso 17);

Eight rice varieties okdNSIC Rc184 (Salinas 2) which

yields 3.1 t/ha and matures in

120 days; Rc186 (Salinas 3)

which yields 3.1 t/ha, matures

in 115 days, and has good mill-

ing and head-rice recovery;

Rc188 (Salinas 4) which

yields 3.2 t/ha and matures in

114 days; and Rc190 (Salinas

5) which yields 2.9 t/ha and ma-

tures in 120 days. (Business Mir-

ror)


12/12

UN: Lack of drainage systemsworsened impact of Ondoy

Poor drainage systems andgarbage disposal problemsaggravated the impact of atyphoon that struck thePhilippines September 26,

2009, and killed hundreds ofpeople, the United Nationsdisaster prevention agency saysas it stressed the need forgovernments to make greaterinvestments before othercatastrophes strike.

National authorities havestated that at least 246 peopledied in the Philippines as a resultof Typhoon Ondoy(internationally known asKetsana), with the metropolitanarea around the capital, Manila,

among the hardest hit areas.More than 730,000 people

have had to flee their homes andseek shelter with relatives or inevacuation centres.

An eight-member UN DisasterAssessment and Coordination(UNDAC) team arrived in Manilato help local officials coordinaterelief efforts, which have beenfocused on providing water,sanitation and hygiene services,as well as food stocks and

health care.Loren Legarda, a Philippinelawmaker and the Asia-Pacificchampion for disaster risk

reduction for the UN InternationalStrategy for Disaster Reduction(ISDR), called on herGovernment to introduce moreprevention measures to cut the

risk from climate-relateddisasters.Realities on the ground

deserve priority for action, shesaid yesterday, according to apress release issued by ISDRin Geneva.

We must order massivecleaning of esteros [creeks] andall waterways to reduce ourvulnerability to flooding andimplement the solid wastemanagement law. The publicmust be educated on simple

doable actions such as properwaste disposal and wastesegregation.

Margareta Wahlstrm, theSecretary-Generals SpecialRepresentative for Disaster RiskReduction, called for moreactions to reduce the risks fromdisasters.

Spending on disaster riskreduction is not a cost, but aninvestment for safer and moresecure cities, she said.

Under-investment in buildingand maintaining drains cantrigger bigger disasters. (UNNews Centre)

Ondoy may have causedbig losses in poultry

Aside from the palay and thehigh-value commercial crops(HVCCs) sectors, the poultrysector in Central Luzon andRizal may have also been se-verely affected by the floodscaused by Tropical StormOndoy.

United Broiler Raisers Asso-

ciation (Ubra) president GregorioSan Diego said his group andthe Department of Agriculture(DA) are now making an assess-ment of the extent of the dam-age caused by the floods on thepoultry sector in Luzon.

As of September 30, 2009,the DA has reported initial dam-age to the livestock and poultrysector at only P3.6 million.

Photo showsTumana River

in Marikina(above) and

affected fami-lies (inset).

Central Luzon and Rizal areconsidered major poultry-pro-ducing areas in the Philippines,San Diego noted.

We are holding meetings withthe DA to [determine the extentof damage] so we cannot giveestimates yet, said San Diego.

When asked whether they

will allow the importation of poul-try during the holiday seasonshould the government suggestit, the Ubra chief was also mumon the issue.

The last time the Philippinesimported chicken products wasin 2006, when the Philippineswas hit by Super-typhoonMilenyo, which caused chickenproduction to fall short by 5 mil-lion kilograms.

Figures from the DAs Bureauof Agricultural Statistics (BAS)show that chicken production forJanuary to June 2009 posted anincrease of 4.15 percent.

BAS attributed the uptrend inbroiler production to the increasein the output of commercialfarms in Central Luzon,Calabarzon, Central Visayasand Northern Mindanao.

In general, the poultrysubsector expanded by 4.31percent and accounted for 13.57percent of total agricultural out-

put for the first semester of2009.(Business Mirror)

It began September 27, Tues-day, to avoid overtopping, whichcould cause flash floods and en-danger the lives of residents andtheir farms and properties inCentral Luzons low-lying areas,according to an official of theDAs National Irrigation Admin-istration.

We are anticipating heavyrains again like the volumespawned by Typhoon Ondoy,and we do not want the tragedyin Metropolitan Manila repeatedhere, said engineer CarlitoGapasin of the NIA-UpperPampanga River Integrated Irri-gation System (NIA-UPRIIS),which operates thePantabangan Dam.

The realease rate is 120 cu-

bic meters per second (cms),as the water reservoir elevation

Pantabangan Dam releases waterreached 219.5 meters above sealevel.

They have to reduce the wa-

ter by one meter gradually in the

next three weeks until it reaches

the safe level at 218 meters.

The dam automatically spills

water at an elevation of 221meters, explained Gapasin.

The NIA-UPRIIS has a com-

puterized early-warning system

that announces the water-re-

lease plan to strategic places

along the Pampanga River from

Rizal town in Nueva Ecija down

to Pampanga, Bulacan and

Tarlacthe areas of potential

flooding risksto prevent the

local residents from panicking.

It is operated in the central

mechanism station in the damsite and fed into the various

early-warning stations down-stream.

Gapasin also explained thatthe gradual release of waterfrom Pantabangan Dam wouldadversely affect the farming ac-tivities in more than 100,000hectares of rice fields being irri-gated in Central Luzon.

The NIA-UPRIIS is currently inthe so-called 20 percent of thedrainage terminal irrigationphase, which means it is direct-ing the excess flow of water tothe designated drainage struc-

tures to store the water for fu-ture use. (Business Mirror)

Photos by Alan Jay Jacalan

aggie trends september 2009

Documents