Vol. XXVI No. 9 A monthly publication of the Department of Agriculture September 2011

DA to help typhoon Pedring-affected farmers

PCIC to pay P334-Mcrop insurance

The Department of Agriculturewill implement an initial set ofinterventions to help farm fami-lies recover from crop lossesdue to typhoon ‘Pedring’ (inter-national name Nesat), which bat-tered Luzon, September 27 and28, damaging mostly palay(paddy rice) in Central andNorthern Luzon, and Cagayanregions.

Unvalidated crop damage es-timate as of September 30,2011 has reached at least450,000 metric tons (MT) of

palay, representing 6.9% of the4th quarter projected harvest of 6.5million MT, or 4.5% of the 2nd se-mester projected harvest of 9.88million MT.

In a memorandum to PresidentBenigno S. Aquino III, Agriculture

DA-NIA allots P144-M to repair Ala River Irrigation System in Mindanao. The DA through theNational Irrigation Administration (NIA) is allotting P144 million (P6-M this year and P138-M for2012) to repair and upgrade the Ala River Irrigation System (ARIS) that serves more than 12,000hectares in South Cotabato and Sultan Kudarat, benefiting 8,850 farm families. Agriculture SecretaryProceso J. Alcala (inset, 3rd from left) made the announcement at the 13th annual gathering of the ALADam 2 Federation of Irrigators’ Associations (IAs) in Isulan, Kudarat, September 30, 2011, attended by2,000 IA officers and members, belonging to 83 IAs. Inset photo also shows (from left) Isulan MayorDiosdado Pallasigue, NIA administrator Antonio Nangel, DA national rice program director DanteDelima, Maremco IA president Victoria Fernando and DA Region 12 director Amalia Datukan.

Secretary Proceso J. Alcala rec-ommended that the DA throughthe National Food Authority(NFA) buy storm-damaged palayto provide farmers enough moneyfor their subsistence.

The DA will also assist them

to replant as soon as possibleby providing them free certifiedseeds from the DA seed bufferstock.

Likewise, the DA will imple-ment a ‘Quick-Turn-Around’

The Department of Agricul-ture through the PhilippineCrop Insurance Corporation(DA-PCIC) will expedite therelease of P334 million toLuzon farmers whose cropswere damaged by typhoon‘Pedring.’

In a report to AgricultureSecretary Proceso J. Alcala,PCIC President Jovy C.Bernabe said the amount willbe paid to 26,794 farmers in30 Luzon provinces, who in-sured their crops planted to acombined area of 40,138 hect-ares.

Bernabe assures farmersthat the PCIC will process andpay their crop insuranceclaims in a speedy and effi-cient manner.

He said it is the biggest in-demnity the PCIC has madeto date, as the agency hasexpanded its insurance cov-erage during the last 12months.

He said the PCIC will alsoreactivate its partners, par-ticularly the ‘adjusters’ in theprivate sector, to help theagency cope with the hugetask of verifying the crop in-surance claims of farmers.

Fast-tracking the indemnitypayments will enable rice andcorn farmers to recover theirlosses and re-plant again,Bernabe said.

The Department of Agriculturethrough the Bureau of Fisheriesand Aquatic Resources (BFAR)has reduced the export fees oftuna and other f ish speciescaught in Philippine waters, fromthree percent (%) to 0.2 %.

Agriculture Secretary ProcesoJ. Alcala announced thereduction at the 13th NationalTuna Congress, in GeneralSantos City, where he approvedto amend Fisheries

DA to pursue ACEF program under new rules

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Tuna, fish exportfees reducedThe Department of Agriculture

resumes the implementation ofthe Agricultural CompetitivenessEnhancement Fund (ACEF), fol-lowing the recent approval of therevised guidelines by the Con-gressional Oversight Committeeon Agriculture and Fisheries Mod-ernization (COCAFM), headed bySenator Francis Pangilinan andRepresentative Mark Mendoza.

Agriculture Secretary ProcesoJ. Alcala said “we are mandatedby law to continue implementingthe ACEF and to help farmers and

fishers’ groups, cooperatives, andentrepreneurs to enable them toproduce world-class agri-fisheryproducts.”

He said there are sufficient con-trols in place in the new ACEFguidelines, and that the nationalACEF executive and technicalcommittees have also been re-constituted to ensure that ques-tionable transactions involving thefunds are eliminated.

ACEF, funded by tariffs from ag-ricultural products, is a mecha-

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2

EditorialLoco over coco

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 Artist: Bethzaida BustamantePrinting & Circulation: Teresita Abejar & PCES Staff

Magandang balita angipinasalubong ni P-Noy sakanyang pagbalik mula sakanyang ikalawang UStrip. Ani ng Pangulo,handang mag-invest ngbilyong dolyar ang USbusiness giants na PepsiCo. at Vita Coco para sabuko juice natin.

Wow! Magandang balitanga.

Aabot sa $15 milyongdolyar ang handang isugalng mga investors para sasabaw ng buko ngPilipinas.

Ang halagang ito ayilalaan para sa pagtatayong processing facility ngcoco water na siyanamang iluluwas saEstados Unidos at Europakung saan hit na hit itongpamalit sa mamahalingsports drink.

Di ba nga’t mismongang Pop Icon na si Ma-donna ang kasalukuyangnagsusulong ng pag-inomnito. At di lamang basta-basta endorser si Ma-donna, dahil investor dinsya.

Nitong nagdaang buwanlamang, idinaos anggroundbreaking para sa$5-milyong packagingfacility sa Pili, CamarinesSur. Kasunod nito, tiyakna darami angoportunidad, trabaho atkabuhayan para sa mgaBicolanong coconutfarmer.

Ngunit bagamatmaganda ang balita, hindiibig sabihin na madaliitong kamtin.

Sa kasalukuyan, nasalabinlimang porsyento ng

mga nakatanim na punoang retired na. Ibigsabihin mahigit saapatnapung milyongcoconut trees ang hindina kayang mag-prodyusng bunga.

Tiyak din na magigingusapin ang kasapatansa suplay nito.

Dahil bukod samasarap na inumin,ginagamit din ang bukojuice na sangkap sapagkain at panggatong.

At sakali ngang handana tayong magsuplay saibang bansa, maymatitira pa ba sa atin?

Marahil kailangannang seryosohin angreplanting program ngPhilippine CoconutAuthority upangmapalitan ang mgamagulang atmatatandang puno.

Panahon na rin siguropara isakatuparan angnabinbing PhilippineCoconut DevelopmentAct na maglalaan ngregular na pondo para saindustriyangnagkakahalaga ng P65milyon at inaaasahan nglibo-libong Pilipino.

Higit sa kahit naanupamang investmentng ibang bansa,kinakailangan sigurongtayo mismo angmaglaan ng pondo atmalasakit para sapagpapaunlad ng atingmga coconut farms.Upang sa hinaharap,handa tayo sa kahit naanong malakihang agri-business venture napapasukin natin.

DA invests P29.4-M to expand northern Iloilo fish port.The DA through the Philippine Fisheries Dev’t. Authority (PFDA) isdeveloping another major fish trading hub in Panay, as it recentlyexpanded the Bancal fish port, in Carles, Iloilo, worth P13-M. TheDA through the National Agribusiness Corp. (NABCOR) also in-stalled a P6.4-M liquid quick freezing facility, where fish catch fromIloilo, other Panay provinces, Masbate and Romblon are unloadeddaily. To complete the package, a P10-M farm-to-market road lead-ing to Bancal will be constructed, while the DA through the Bureauof Agricultural Research will train rural women how to make sar-dines. Photo shows Agriculture Secretary Proceso J. Alcala (4th fromleft) witnessing the inauguration, with Iloilo 5th District Rep. NeilTupas, Jr (2nd from right), PFDA general manager Rodrigo Paz, Jr.(left), DA Region 6 director Larry Nacionales (2nd from left), andCarles Mayor Arnold Betita (right). Others shown (from left) areMrs. Jenelin Tan Betita, Batad town mayor Pedro Alarcon and Carlesvice mayor Edsel Betita.

DA to help ... (from p1)

(QTA) palay production programto recover the losses due to ty-phoons.

The DA will also link up withagribusiness enterprises, par-ticularly fertilizer and seed companies, to encourage them toimplement a plant-now, pay-laterscheme, coupled with a rice mar-keting tie-up with the NFA.

The DA will also implement a (Pls turn to p12)

credit program through coopera-tive rural banks (CRBs) in ty-phoon-affected provinces to pro-vide farmers crop productionloans. The DA through the Agri-cultural Credit and Policy Coun-cil (ACPC) has initially allottedP400 million for said credit pro-gram.

Despite the damage, Sec.Alcala said in his memo to Presi-dent Aquino there is no need to

September 2011 3

DA Proposes P61.7-billion budget in 2012. Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile (left) asks Sec. Alcala (right) details of the DA’sbudget during the September 8, 2011 deliberation of the proposed 2012 budget of the Department of Agriculture at the Senate Committeeon Finance chaired by Senator Franklin M. Drilon (3rd from right). The DA is proposing a budget of P61.73 billion, 60 percent more thanthis year’s allotment, as it will ‘frontload’ investments in irrigation (P27.1B), postharvest and other agri-fishery infrastructure (P11.28B),production support (P4.86B), and research and extension (P4.75B). Secretary Alcala said with the budget, the Aquino administration willbe on track in attaining food security and sufficiency in rice and major staples by end of 2013, increasing rural incomes, and achievingother major agri-fishery sector goals. Also in photo (from left) are Senators Panfilo Lacson, Francisco Pangilinan and Sergio Osmeña III,National Food Authority administrator Lito Banayo, DA assistant secretary Romeo Recide, and DA undersecretaries Claron Alcantaraand Antonio Fleta.

Tobacco floor prices up

To further boost farm productivity and income, and contribute toattaining self-sufficiency in rice and major staples, DA is promotingthe use of modern farm machines and equipment via a nationalagricultural farm machinery and equipment exhibit and roadshow,dubbed as ‘AgriMach 2011,’ held consecutively in Muñoz, NuevaEcija for Luzon, Iloilo for Visayas, and General Santos City forMindanao. The three-leg event held in September showcased vari-ous machines and equipment that farmers’ groups, irrigators’ asso-ciations, and local government units can avail under the Aquinoadministration’s farm mechanization program, where qualified ben-eficiaries need only counterpart 15 percent of the cost of the farmmachine or equipment of their choice, instead of the previous 30%.Photo shows Sec. Alcala (extreme right) inspecting a power tiller(foreground) and a shredder (left) at AgriMach in Iloilo. With himare Dir.Ricardo Cachuela of the DA’s Philippine Center forPostharvest Development and Mechanization (2nd from right) andDA’s National Irrigation Admin. Antonio Nangel (3rd from right).

Tobacco farmers will earnmore income starting crop year2012 as minimum prices of theirproducts were increased.

National Tobacco Administra-tor Edgardo D. Zaragoza saidprices of Virginia, burley, andnative tobaccos will increase ef-fective crop years 2012 to 2013.

It was a result of a success-ful tripartite conference amongfarmers, buyer-firms and NTA.

Minimum price of AA-gradeVirginia tobacco is pegged atP72 per kilo, up from P66 in2010-2011 season.

Prices for grades B, C, D, andE were all increased by P5 perkilo, while grades E, F1, and F2were increased by P3.

Usable R tobacco was pricedat P40 per kilo, up by P12 fromthe previous price of P28.

Prices of burley grades A, B,C, D, E, F and R, and nativehigh grade/morado, liso high,liso medium, and short sapodwere increased by an averageof P7 per kilo.

Native sexta or reject sapodwas hiked at P22, from P14.50.

Zaragoza said the new to-bacco rates were a result of suc-cessful negotiations held sepa-rately with farmers and buyer-firms.

“We came up with floor pricesthat are acceptable to both par-ties based on calculations thatwill ensure 25 percent incomefor the farmers,” he said.

Meanwhile, he said total to-bacco production this year hasreached 78.5 million kilos(green weight), 4.5 M kilos morethan in 2010.

Total exports could reach 35.1million kilos, up by 5% from lastyear’s 33.45 M kilos.

“Total import of unmanufacturedtobacco was pegged at 80 M ki-los dry weight, equivalent to 133M kilos in green weight,”Zaragoza said.

NTA estimated that total de-mand for tobacco leaves was at

127 M kilos dried weight, or 211M kilos green weight.

The Philippines exports un-manufactured tobacco to theUnited States, Belgium, SouthAfrica, Korea and Malaysia, whilethe country exports manufac-tured tobacco to Thailand, Korea,Singapore, Malaysia and Viet-nam. (NTA)

Phl mango industry getsbacking

Agriculture SecretaryProcy Alcala assured Philip-pine mango growers with hisdepartment’s support as hegraced the 13th NationalMango Congress at IslaJardin del Mar resort inGumasa.

“Rest assured that the DAwill continue with support pro-grams including the estab-lishment and rehabilitation ofnurseries and foundationscion grove, household andvillage processing assistanceand crop improvement espe-cially for climate changeadaptability,” Alcala told 322delegates at the closing ofthe three-day mango con-gress.

Alcala reported a seven per-cent growth in the annual pro-duction of mangoes in 2010which was reportedly“prompted by the continuousflower induction in CentralLuzon, CALABARZON, BicolRegion and all the Visayasregions.”

However, a decline of 5.3percent during the earlymonths this year was noted.

He said this was causedby the changing weather con-ditions and the early rainyseason which may have beentriggered by climate change.

Last year, fresh mango ex-ports reached 20,115 tonsworth US$15.2-M.

The country also exporteddried and processed man-goes at 3,600 tons and 9,328

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The Department of Agricultureis linking vegetable farmers in theprovinces of Benguet andQuezon with prospective buyersfrom Singapore.

Agriculture Secretary ProcesoJ. Alcala said a three-manSingaporean team recently vis-ited the provinces of Quezon andBenguet to see for themselvesthe various vegetables that theirfellow Singaporeans prefer.

“Their visit is an indication thatFilipino farmers are now ready toexport their quality, organically-grown vegetables to Singapore,Japan and other neighboringcountries,” said Sec. Alcala.

The Singaporean team is com-posed of Dr. Michael Lau, CEOof Green and Fresh Pte. Ltd., andits directors Ong Hock Beng andAng Yong Beng. They arrived Sep-tember 9 and proceeded toQuezon, where they toured sev-eral organic vegetables farms. OnSeptember 11, they motored toBenguet and visited vegetablefarms in the towns of Mankayan,Buguias, and Madaymen.

They were accompanied byFilipino entrepreneur AgripinoFerrer, Jr., and Singaporean MaxTeo Chin Huat, project leader ofthe Philippine-Singapore veg-etable mission.

Sec. Alcala said the group tookinterest in semi-temperate Chi-nese-type vegetables that arewidely grown in Quezon andBenguet that include bell pepper,tomatoes, cabbage, pechay, sev-eral types of lettuce, and corian-der. They are also interested toimport fresh banana leaves asplate liner.

The Singaporeans brought withthem seeds of vegetables pre-ferred in Singapore and see ifthese would adapt well for propa-gation in various parts of the Phil-ippines.

Sec. Alcala said the Depart-ment of Agriculture through itsHigh Value Crops DevelopmentProgram (HVCDP) directorate isready to organize farmers’ groupsin Quezon and Benguet to meetthe demand and preferences ofSingaporeans through Green andFresh.

“We will talk with our farmersand seed growers and we will tellthem what varieties you prefer.We can also supply you withbanana leaves. We are also will-ing to expand our production ar-eas to satisfy your quantity re-quirements,” Sec. Alcala told theSingaporeans during a courtesycall on September 12 before theyflew back to their country.

The group will be back soon toaccomplish needed documenta-

Singaporeans to Import Phl Veggies. Officials of the Greenand Fresh Pte. Ltd., recently visited the country to look into thepossibility of importing quality vegetables from the Philippines.Inset photo shows (from left) Green and Fresh directors Ong HockBeng and Ang Yong Beng and their CEO Dr. Michael Lau withBenguet vegetable farmer Francis Ching (2nd from right), as heushers them into his lettuce farm in Mankayan. Sec. Alcala said theSingaporean’s visit is an indication that Filipino farmers are nowready to export their quality, organically-grown vegetables toSingapore, Japan and other neighboring countries. The group hasan initial order of lettuce, kamote (sweet potato) and onion. Theyare also interested to buy fresh banana leaves as plate liner. Fortheir next visit to the Philippines, they will also look into possibilityof buying more vegetables from Mindanao. (Photo by DA-RFU-CAR)

DA links veggie farmers with Singaporean buyerstion and procedures and followup initial orders of vegetablesfrom Quezon and Benguet.

Alcala said the DA on behalfof qualified farmers’ groups isprepared to enter into a growingcontract arrangement with theSingaporeans and other inter-ested foreign and Filipino busi-nessmen.

“We should have a timelineand we must consider factorssuch as production cost, logis-tics and freight requirements.The bottomline is still the farm-ers’ income,” he said.

While in Benguet, theSingaporeans visited the farm ofFrancis Ching in Mankayan,which is planted to bell pepper,cabbage, romain and iceberg let-tuces and coriander.

DA’s HVCDP director Jenni-fer Remoquillo said theSingaporeans were impressedwith the vegetables.

She added that the group hasmade an initial order of Benguetvegetables as part of a prelimi-nary contract that would includecontract growing with farmerslike Ching.

Sec. Alcala (left) discusses with Mr. Sun Zhengcai (2nd from left),former agriculture minister of China, possible agricultural and fish-ery technical cooperation and trade opportunities that will contrib-ute to increasing trade between the two countries to US$ 60 billionin the next five years. Mr. Sun is currently the Party Secretary ofJilin, a major agro-forest-mineral province in northeast China, witha gross domestic product of more than $120 billion. He heads a 15-man delegation to explore investment and trade opportunities inthe Philippines. Also with them are Chinese Ambassador to thePhilippines Liu Jianchao and DA Undersecretary for special con-cerns Bernadette Romulo-Puyat.

The Philippines through theDepartment of Agriculture andChina, particularly Jilin province,recently committed to furtherstrengthen bilateral cooperationand trade in agriculture and fish-eries.

This was bared by AgricultureSecretary Proceso J. Alcala af-ter meeting with former Chineseminister of agriculture SunZhengcai, September 22, 2011,in Manila.

Mr. Sun is currently the Party

Phl, China firm up agri cooperation, trade

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Secretary of Jilin, a major agro-forest-mineral province in north-east China, with a gross domes-tic product of more than $120 bil-lion. He heads a 15-man delega-tion to explore investment andtrade opportunities in the Philip-pines.

Sec. Alcala said they dis-cussed possible agricultural andfishery technical cooperation andtrade opportunities that will con-tribute to increasing trade be-tween the two countries to US$

60 billion in the next five years.Agriculture is one of the prior-

ity areas that President BenignoS. Aquino III has discussed withChinese President Hu Jintaoduring his China state visit lastmonth.

For his part, Mr. Sun acknowl-edged that China and the Phil-ippines have huge potentials forcooperation in the agriculturaland fishery sector.

He expressed particular inter-est in plantations, fisheries, andtropical plants. He said Chinaparticularly Jilin, can further ex-tend technical assistance andinvestments in the area of agri-fishery and countryside infra-structure such as irrigation andpost harvest facilities.

Situated in northeast Chinanear the Russian and North Ko-rean border, Jilin is a major agro-forest-mineral province.

Its main products are rice,corn, sorghum, sheep, deer, tim-ber, ginseng, ethanol,biochemicals, and industrialproducts like cars, train car-riages and steel alloys.

Secretary Alcala said Jilin-based companies are welcometo invest in the country.

“With Jilin’s strength in agri-culture, I am certain that bothsides can find mutually benefi-cial cooperation, especially in

5September 2011

NFA Anniversary Tree Planting. National Food Authoritydeputy administrator Vic J. Jarina (in yellow shirt, top photo) andMiss Earth 2011 Athena Mae Imperial, lead the tree planting ac-tivity at Quezon Memorial circle in celebration of the 39th anni-versary of NFA. The NFA employees duplicate the tree plantingactivity on a wider scale this time in Payatas (lower photo) as theylend their hand in rehabilitating and re-greening the formerdumpsite. The NFA celebrates this year’s anniversary with the theme“39 na Taon ng Paglilingkod sa Pilipino, Sapat na Pagkain,Itaguyod” emphasizing the continuous relevance of the agency inensuring enough rice for the Filipinos and stabilizing the country’sfood security. (NFA Release)

The Philippines may be ableto produce its first commercialscale sweet sorghum-basedethanol as the Philippine Na-tional Oil Co.-Alternative FuelsCorp. (PNOC-AFC) is in ex-ploratory talks to establish a1,000-hectare sweet sorghumplantation in Negros Occiden-tal.

A foreseen milestone notonly in the Philippines but glo-bally, the sweet sorghum pro-duction will require P45-P75million investment at aP30,000-50,000 per hectareproduction cost. The cane willbe used to produce sweet sor-ghum syrup for ethanol pro-duction at the San CarlosBioenergy Inc.'s (SCBI) plantin San Carlos City in NegrosOccidental.

At a yield of 2,500 liters perhectare, 1,000 hectares canproduce as much as 2.5 mil-lion liters of ethanol per year.

The likelihood of PNOC’ssupporting the plantation pro-gram anchors on the fact thatsweet sorghum is very com-petitive as bioethanol feed-stock as studied by UPLB andMariano Marcos State Univer-sity (MMSU) team, accordingto Prof. Rex B. Demafelis, Uni-versity of the Philippines LosBanos (UPLB) Alternative En-

Phl may produce sweet sorghum bioethanol in Negros by 2013ergy Research, Development, andExtension (RDE) Convenor andChairman of UPLB Energy Sys-tems Committee.

The commercial production isexpected to come after severalyears of agronomic research andinter-agency coordination fundedby the Department of Agriculture-Bureau of Agricultural Research(DA-BAR).

Prof. Demafelis emphasized theneed for PNOC-AFC to conductfirst a feasibility study (FS) to vali-date previous studies done and thesite specificity analysis before anyengagement is made. All theserequire PNOC-AFC’s board ap-proval and that of the PNOCmother board .

Given an FS that proves eco-nomic viability for the plantation,a memorandum of agreement(MOA) may subsequently besigned. The MOA will be betweenPNOC-AFC and SCBI.

When realized, the plantationwill generate jobs either in an avail-able upland in San Carlos City oror in adjacent municipalities.

“The challenge to farmers is toplant sweet sorghum as againstsugarcane. This is a perfectcomplement crop to sugarcanebecause the identified uplandshave not been planted at all withsugarcane, so now people willstart earning from them,” said

Demafelis.At an estimated 50 per MT of

stalk yield plus three MT of grainyield per hectare per cropping,this will give farmers an estimatedadditional P60,000- 80,000 netearnings per year.

There is a need to introduce analternative feedstock to sugar-cane for ethanol production dueto the erratic changes in the priceof sugar, consequently sugar-cane.

“We're mainstreaming sweetsorghum for bioethanol," Eleazar."The commercial plantation inNegros will stabilize feed supplyfor the plant. We're trying to dothis because the price of sugar inthe market is very volatile, and weneed to help produce the feed-stock.”

Because of the high price ofsugar in the world market before,farmers in northern Negros wouldrather sell their cane for sugarproduction rather than for ethanol,said Demafelis. Cane price forsugar production had reached ashigh as P2,200 per metric ton(MT), while an ethanol distillerycan only offer P1,550 per MT.

A sweet sorghum businesssummit was conducted last Junein Bacolod to link variousbioethanol stakeholders for poten-tial financing from DevelopmentBank of the Philippines, Land

Bank and Philippine NationalBank .

With sweet sorghum etha-nol, the Philippines may beable to become competitivewith imported ethanol whoseprice was reported before tohave reached P38 per liter fromBrazil.

At present, the country has69 million liters per year(MLPY) of plant ethanol com-bined capacities which is fedby sugarcane-based material(syrup or molasses) by 100percent.

It includes 30 MLPY eachfrom SCBI Inc. and RoxolBioenergy Corp. (RBC), bothin Negros Occidental, andLeyte Agro-Industrial Corp. hasa nine MLPY plant in Leyte.

Sweet sorghum is consid-ered to be an ideal ethanolfeedstock since it is more re-silient to drought. Growing itrequires less water comparedto sugarcane. It needs lowerfertilizer requirement and hasa shorter crop cycle of 110 to115 days enabling planting oftwo to three times a year com-pared to sugarcane's once ayear. It is a multi-purpose cropas stalk and grains are usedfor ethanol, and the grains maybe used as livestock feed ma-

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The Philippines through theNational Rabies Committee(NRC) spearheaded by the De-partment of Agriculture’s Bureauof Animal Industry (DA-BAI), incooperation with other govern-ment agencies, the Animal Wel-fare Coalition, Merial, Novartis,Sanofi and Nestle Philippines,Inc. celebrated World Rabies Dayon September 29, 2011 at the SMMall of Asia (MOA) Music Hall inPasay City.

NRC is an inter-agency com-mittee composed of Departmentof Agriculture-Bureau of AnimalIndustry (DA-BAI), Department ofHealth (DOH), Department ofEducation (DepEd), Departmentof Interior and Local Government(DILG), private sector and non-government organizations.

World Health Organization(WHO) Representative in thePhilippines Dr. Soe Nyunt-U high-lighted in his message during theopening ceremony the impor-tance of cooperation and coordi-nated efforts among government,private sector, non-government (Pls turn to p8)

DA-BAI celebrates World Rabies Day at SM MOAorganizations and the public to-wards rabies prevention and con-trol.

DA-BAI Director Efren C.Nuestro said that the celebra-tion will serve as a wake-up callto the people especially the ani-mal owners to protect them-selves and the community andbe aware of rabies prevention.

World Rabies Day is cel-ebrated all over the world everySeptember 28 to increase pub-lic awareness on rabies preven-tion and control. This year’stheme is “Working Together fora Rabies-Free Philippines”.

DA-BAI assistant director andNRC chairman Dr. Victor Atienzasaid rabies is primarily a dis-ease with about 2.8 deaths permillion population, and of which40% are children below 15 yearsold. “Children are particularly atrisk from this terrible disease,due to their close contact withdogs, the major global source.They are more likely to suffermultiple bites and scratches to

6

Being born to a family offarmers, it was a no brainer thatBenjamin R. Lao of Davao delSur ended up tending a farm ofhis own. Even when his par-ents, who were both farmers,encouraged him to traverse afield different from land tillingand farm work, Mang Benpursued what he loves themost.

This is a story of a man whoused his coconut.

Surrounded by people whoplanted rice, corn and othercrops for a living, Mang Ben fellin love with farming at a youngage.

“My parents wanted for me tobecome a lawyer but I dreamtof doing nothing but toil theland to produce food to feed hisfamily and give them a sustain-able income regularly,” heexplained.

“Maswerte ako dahil nabigyanako ng lupa na matatamnan,”he narrates. (I was fortunatethat I was given a piece of landto manage.)

Thirteen years ago Mang Beninherited a five-hectare farmlandwhen his father died. It wasthen planted with 325 oldcoconut trees which produce800 nuts every three months or2-3 nuts per tree.

Mang Ben then sought theassistance from the PhilippineCoconut Authority of theDepartment of Agriculture (DA).

“I had to ask assistance fromDA experts because even if Iwas exposed to the intricaciesof agriculture for the longesttime, I knew I need help,” hesaid.

Aside from the technicalassistance from agriculturaltechnicians, he read variousmagazines and agri-books toeducate himself.

“I started to re-learn thebasics. I read a lot and at-tended seminars on effectivefarm management. Tapos lahatnung natutunan ko, sinunodko,” he said. (And all the thingsI learned I adopted.)

When he was ready to go onhis own, he developed the hillyportion of his farmland using theSloping Agricultural LandTechnology to prevent soilerosion.

“When I was just starting myproject, I decided to plant“Malabatong” (Flemingiamacrophylla) and other legumi-nous deep-rooting shrubsaround the farm as a soil

The man who used his coconutconservation technique,” hesaid with a smile.

Luckily, the bushes werealso good sources of nitrogenfor his trees and soon enoughthe whole area was plantedwith various shrubs serving twopurposes.

He made use of everythingthat was available to him.

Using natural ingredientssuch as goat’s manure,kakawate, makabuhay andhot pepper, he concocted aspecial blend of organicpesticide he named EMAN-which stands for Epektibo,Mura at Natural. Trueenough, this inexpensivemixture is effective in repellingplant pests and diseases.

Gusto ko ipaalam sa mgamagsasaka natin na maaringmagtanim at umani ng malakikahit walang kemikal naginagamit,” he explained. (Iwanted to teach the farmersthat they can plant and earnbig even without the use ofchemical.)

Today his farm, planted tococonuts and hundreds of highvalue crops, validate hisadvocacy.

Aside from the 15,000 nuts

he harvests four times a year,Mang Ben earns a sizableincome from his lanzones,durian, rambutan and mangos-teen trees.

He also maintains a goatraising project.

“I diversified to maximize theland area and ventured into foodprocessing to add value to myfarm products,” he added.

Under the name Donna BelleDelicacies, his product lineincludes coconut honey,coconut sugar, coconut syrupand coconut sap drink.

He also makes durian jam,candies and durian ice creamwith goat’s milk which is one ofDonna Belle’s best sellingproduct.

Through the years, MangBen’s little piece of heaven hereon earth expanded to tenhectares providing employmentto a number of residents of thebarangay.

Aside from sharing hissuccess, he also gives back tothe community by launchingwell-meaning programs includ-ing free lectures on organicfarming.

Adora Dolores Rodriguez

Amid fluctuating fuel prices,scientists at the PhilippineRice Research Institute(PhilRice) here have startedencouraging farmers to pro-cess used vegetable cookingoil for fuel to run their ma-chines.

“[Biofuel processed from veg-etable oil] is cheaper than thepumped diesel that farmersbuy to operate their farm ma-chines [such as tractors,threshers and hand pumps],”said Dr. Ricardo Jorge, super-vising scientist of PhilRice’srice engineering and mecha-nization division.

All farmers need to do is mixpotassium hydroxide, alcoholand used oil, allow the mixtureto settle for 18 hours, and feedthe liquid into the engine,based on a biofuel systemdeveloped by United States-based inventor, Rico Cruz, hesaid.

“We have tried it and itworked,” Jorge said.

He said Cruz gave localfarmers a three-hour lectureand demonstration on Aug. 12

This year, Mang Ben’sinnovations, determination andhardwork will be recognized ashe accepts the National Awardfor Outstanding CoconutFarmer via the 2011 GawadSaka.

Good thing he used hiscoconut and followed hisheart.

Use of vegetable oil for farm machines seenand was successful in fueling anold jeepney with his“Cruzesterification” process.

A Boholano, Cruz is an agri-cultural engineering graduate ofthe Visayas State College of Ag-riculture (now Visayas State Uni-versity).

He returned to the country lastmonth to conduct lecture-demon-strations in Metro Manila, theVisayas and Mindanao. Jorgequoted the inventor as sayingthat “producing biodiesel using‘Cruzesterification’ is as easy asmaking coffee [because] the cata-lyst is the coffee, alcohol is thesugar and oil is the hot water.”

“Blend the three ingredientsand you have ‘coffee’ or thebiodiesel in minutes,” Jorgequoted Cruz as saying in one ofhis lectures.

Farmers need to mix 100 litersof used oil, 1.1 kilograms of po-tassium hydroxide and 20 litersof methanol to produce 100 litersof biodiesel.

Potassium hydroxide costsP80 per kilogram while a liter ofmethanol costs no more thanP80.

Farmers can buy 17 kilo-grams of used vegetable oil forP400. A liter of biodiesel usingthese ingredients can be val-ued at P38, Jorge said.

He said Cruz spent 20 yearsto develop his biodiesel sys-tem and it is now being usedin Oregon. Jorge said PhilRiceis considering setting up ademonstration plant for“Cruzesterification,” althoughcooking oil is not in short sup-ply.

“We can already teach farm-ers how to do it in smaller vol-umes,” he said. “On our part,we will certainly use this [ver-sion of] biodiesel for the ma-chines that we use in our com-pound and demonstrationfarms.”

Ruben Miranda, PhilRicedeputy executive director fordevelopment, said the tech-nology creates opportunitiesfor farmers to boost their farmefficiency without increasingtheir expenses. (AnselmoRoque, Inquirer Central Luzon)

7September 2011

USDA Counselor Philip Shull together with local government offi-cials of the municipality of Malalag in Davao Del Sur inspects fishesfor sale at the town’s trading center. The facility was built thru theSupport to Emergency Livelihood Assistance Project (SELAP) fundedby the US PL 480 Title 1 Program. In photo are Counselor Shull,Malalag Mayor Roelo Paras, Regional Agricultural and FisheryCouncil Chair Rodolfo Lopez, and DA Regional Technical DirectorNorlito Agduyeng.(DA-NAFC)

Ranking officials of the UnitedStates Department of Agricul-ture (USDA) recently lauded theimplementation of livelihood en-hancement and emergency live-lihood assistance projects inMindanao.

USDA Agriculture CounselorPhilip Shull headed a contin-gent that visited four LivelihoodEnhancement for AgriculturalDevelopment (LEAD) projectsand one Support to EmergencyLivelihood Assistance Project(SELAP) funded by the US PL480 program in Misamis Orien-tal and Davao.

US Public Law 480, the origi-nal name of the Food for PeaceAct (FPA), has three titles, andeach title has a specific objec-tive and provides assistance tocountries at a particular level ofeconomic development. Title Iis administered by USDA, andTitles II and III are administeredby USAID.

The Philippines, which is a re-cipient under Title I or Trade andDevelopment Assistance, is en-titled to government-to-govern-ment sales of U.S. agriculturalcommodities to developingcountries on credit or grantterms.

Agreements under the Title Icredit program may provide forrepayment terms of up to 30years with a grace period of upto 5 years.

Depending on the agreement,commodities provided under theprogram may be sold in the re-cipient country and the pro-ceeds used to support agricul-tural, economic, or infrastruc-ture development projects.

USDA lauds Mindanao livelihood programsCounselor Shull’s team is com-

posed of Ms. Echo Domingues,Washington-based analyst of theUS Food for Progress Program;Bill Verzani, USDA Agri Attachéto the Philippines, and Mr. Per-fecto Corpuz and Ms. Pia Ang ofthe USDA office in Manila.

Verzani, Corpuz, and Ms.Domingues visited two goat-rais-ing projects of the Mauswagonand Sinai Rural ImprovementClubs in Laguindingan, MisamisOriental.

During the visit, Ms. Dominguesnoted the projects’ impact on thecommunity and wished that otherAmericans could see the fruits oftheir contribution to these far-flungareas and how these benefit andempower women in Mindanao.

At Malalag, Davao del SurCounselor Shull showed interestupon learning that there are some4,000 hectares presently plantedto mangoes in the area, sayingthe USDA is working with the DAhere on a project to export Philip-pine mangoes to their country.

Former Mayor Macario Humol,now executive assistant of Gov.Arturo Uy, thanked the US Gov-ernment for their assistance toPhilippine agriculture.

They added that the local gov-ernment was able to put up fournew classrooms in one of the pub-lic schools in their municipality us-ing assistance from the program.

The visits were coordinated bythe National Agricultural and Fish-ery Council (NAFC) under OIC Ex-ecutive Director Noel A. Juliano,the DA regional directors, and theregional, provincial and municipalfishery councils.

USDA delegate Ms. Echo Domingues, left, discusses with femalemembers of the Rural Improvement Club of Barangay Mauswagon,Laguindingan, Misamis Oriental, the goat project being undertakenin the community under the Livelihood Assistance for AgriculturalDevelopment (LEAD), funded by the US PL 480 Title 1 Program,implemented by the NAFC. (DA-NAFC)

An aflatoxin-resistant peanut isbeing developed to eliminate toxinin this multivitamin-rich crop, atrait which may even betransfered to feed crop corn in thelong term.

The development of an afla-toxin-resistant peanut will have asignificant impact in eliminatinga cancer-causing content in pea-nut which is considered to be animportant multivitamin, multi-nu-trient-rich crop.

Aflatoxin, caused by the fun-gus aspergillus flavus, a commonmold in the environment, is aneconomically important toxin asit hampers international trade anddepresses farmers’ income.

International Crops ResearchInstitute for the Semi-Arid Trop-ics (ICRISAT) Peanut BreedingChief SN Nigam said ICRISAT istaking both the conventional andadvanced technology approachthrough genetic modif ication(GM) in developing this peanut.

The GM path involves the useof antifungal genes chitinase andglucanase and another one,lypoxygenase, a family of iron-containing enzymes that helps indioxygenation of polyunsaturatedfatty acids.

“The toxin is produced by thefungus in the seed (peanut, but)lypoxygenate blocks the meta-bolic pathway, so the synthesisof the toxin is stopped,” Nigamsaid in an interview.

Aflatoxin-resistant peanut being developedThe improved peanut is eyed

as an alternative to staples suchas rice specially in light of itsclimate change-mitigating im-pact.

Being a legume, peanut hasthe symbiotic or friendly relation-ship with a bacterium calledrhizobium which enables it to fixnitrogen from the atmosphere.This eliminates the need formore nitrogen-based fertilizerwhich produces greenhouse gasnitrous oxide.

Given the GM technique,when the development of an afla-toxin-resistant peanut will havebeen developed, the trait mayeventually be transfered to cornwhose quality and price in themarket is also adversely af-fected by the presence of afla-toxin-forming molds.

One trait that ICRISA is de-veloping through GM is the mul-tivitamin-multinutrient-rich pea-nut that is also rich with pro-Vi-tamin A.

It is also trying to raise oilcontent in peanut f rom thepresent 48 to 50 percent.

However, ICRISAT is also de-veloping a peanut variety forcalorie-conscious peanut-eat-ers. This has reduced oil con-tent.

ICRISAT Director General Wil-liam D Dar said ICRISAT hasbeen relatively fast in releasing

(Pls turn to p10)

8

the face and head, both of whichcarry a higher risk of contractingrabies.

They are often unaware of thedanger that dogs transmit rabiesand may not tell their parentswhen a bite, lick, or scratch hasoccurred from an infected animal”he added.

Highlights of the celebration atSM MOA included 1) the award-ing of Rabies Free Zone Certifi-cates to the Municipalities ofDaanbantayan, Pilar, Poro, SanFrancisco and Tudela in Cebu;2) Launching of Rabies Free Phil-ippines Pin; and 3) The 1st “BestPractices in Rabies Control”Poster Contest.

Rabies Free Zones are jointlydeclared by the DA-BAI and DOHin areas that have satisfied vari-ous criteria including zero casesin humans and animals for thepast two years, and has a func-tional rabies control program inthe area.

The Rabies Free PhilippinesPin which symbolizes thepeople’s commitment to the pre-vention and control of rabiesbased on the winning logo in lastyear’s World Rabies Day Cel-ebration at Podium, Ortigas.

The “Best Practices in RabiesControl” Poster Contest winners

were: 1st place -Dr. Stella MarieLapiz, Bohol Provincial Veteri-nary Office; 2nd place- Dr. MaryRose Vincoy, Cebu ProvincialVeterinary Office; and 3rd place-Dr. Alan Lacuñas, Departmentof Health’s Center for Health De-velopment – Region V. The win-ners were chosen from amongtwelve poster entries nationwide.

Rabies is a viral disease thatcan be transmitted to animalsand humans.

The disease is transmittedmainly by bite, but exposuremay also occur through con-tamination of broken skin or mu-cous membranes with salivafrom an infected animal.

Rabies prevention starts withthe animal owner. Protect your-self, your pet and your commu-nity by taking animals to be vac-cinated. Avoid stray animals.

If you are bitten, wash bitewounds with soap and water andseek medical attention immedi-ately.

If your pet is bitten, consultyour veterinarian immediately.Prompt and appropriate treat-ment after being bitten and be-fore the disease develops canstop rabies infection and/or pre-vent the disease in humans andanimals.

DA-BAI celebrates ... (from p5)

Fish Kill No More. Agriculture Secretary Proceso J. Alcala dis-perses fingerlings during the ceremonial lake seeding cum finger-ling dispersal at the Taal Lake on September 9, 2011 in Laurel,Batangas. The activity was conducted by the DA through BFAR tooffset the losses incurred during the massive fishkill in June. A totalof 5, 000 maliputo fingerlings were released in the open waters ofTaal, while six million bangus and two million tilapia fingerlingswill soon be distributed to 96 small-scale fish cage owners affectedby the fishkill. Assisting Sec. Alcala are: BFAR Director Asis Perez(in green polo shirt) and Alson’s Group of Companies representa-tive Renato Ulit (in white polo shirt).

The Department of Agriculturewill fully support and promote theculture of bees (apiculture) forhoney and as an adjunct enter-prise to orchard fruit production.

Agriculture Secretary ProcesoJ. Alcala made the commitmentduring a meeting early Septem-ber with apiculture industry stake-holders at the National ApicultureResearch, Training and Develop-ment Institute (NARTDI), DonMariano Marcos Memorial StateUniversity (DMMMSU), inBacnotan, La Union.

Sec. Alcala also serves as theNARTDI board chairman.

He said aside from honey andother by-products, apiculture isalso important in fruit productionand organic agriculture since itis an effective method of enhanc-ing flower and fruit production thenatural way.

The Philippines imports natu-ral and artificial honey, at about400 metric tons (MT) annually, toaugment local production ofroughly 150 MT to satisfy the re-quirements of households, ho-tels, restaurants and other insti-tutional buyers.

DA-Bureau Animal Industry api-culturist Elmer Esplana said api-

DA to promote bee culture for honey,fruit prod’n

Chinese to help Filipino farmersThe People’s Republic of China

will help increase the productivityof Filipino farmers for the next fiveyears as the second phase of itstechnical cooperation project be-gins.

To be implemented until 2016,the Philippine-Sino Center forAgricultural Technology(PhilSCAT) project, aims to breednew hybrids using the Philippine’slocal and China’s rice germplasmand introduce China’s hybrid ricevarieties in the country.

PhilSCAT, located at the Sci-ence City of Muñoz, Nueva Ecija,will also introduce farm machin-eries to the Filipino rice farmers.

In the signed Minutes of Dis-cussion and ImplementationPlan, represented by YuanxingFang of China’s Yuan LongpingHigh Tech Agriculture Co., Ltd andDante de Lima of the Philippine’sDepartment of Agriculture, thePhilippine Rice Research Institute(PhiRice) will help in testing thefield performance of the intro-duced China’s hybrids.

The hybrid rice varieties to beintroduced and the hybrid riceproject’s first phase will be testedin six locations in Luzon.

culture has a huge potential inthe country, with a conservativeper capita consumption of 1spoon (about 20 to 25 grams ofhoney) a day, the country wouldrequire at least 728,175 metrictons annually.

DA-BAI Dir. Efren Nuestrosaid bee culture can be done inany part of the country, but thetop five apiculture sites are theCordillera region, Ilocos,Cagayan, Central Visayas, andSouthern Tagalog.

During the NARTDI meeting,a memorandum of agreementwas forged among ProvincialGovernor Manuel C. Ortega,DMMMSU, Rep. Victor Ortega,and the La Union BeekeepersDevelopment Cooperative(LUBDCO) for the operation andcomposition of the managementcommittee that will run the newlyinaugurated P10.5-million LaUnion Honeybee Center atRaois, Bacnotan.

The center has designed ahoney production module whichmay be replicated in variousparts of the country to producethe needs for each family,Nuestro said.

PhilSCAT in collaboration withPhilRice bred seven promisinghybrid rice lines in the project’sfirst implementation in 2003-2008.

The second phase, which aimsto “sustain and continue the sig-nificant achievement in the firstphase,” will also include the har-nessing of biogas using China-developed techniques. Dr. JoseFalla, head of the projects’Knowledge Management Divi-sion, said the research and de-velopment on biogas will be pri-oritized for farmers to adopt thetechnology in their households.

China, a rice self-sufficientcountry supporting its 1.3 billionpopulation, recently sets its thirdworld record in rice productionwhen Yuan Longping, the fatherof hybrid rice, and his team an-nounced the 13.9 t/ha-harvest ofa new “super hybrid rice” inLonghui County in Hunan Prov-ince.

Longping's research team firstmade their record in 2000 whentheir variety reached 10.5 t/haand in 2004, when the new hy-brid rice registered 12 t/ha.

9September 2011

Seated (L-R): CHED Commissioner William Medrano; DA-RFU 2 Regional Executive Director, Dr Lucrecio R Alviar, Jr.; ICRISATDirector General Dr William D Dar; Rep. Ana Cristina Go, 2nd District of Isabela; Vice-Mayor Roberto M. Agcaoili, San Mateo, Isabela.Standing (L-R): Dr Samuel O Benigno, QSC; Dr Serafin L Ngohayon, IfSU; Dr Maria Luisa R Soliven, CMU; Dr Romeo R Quilang, ISU; DrElpidio T Magante, BISU; Dr Jesus Antonio G. Derije, USM; Atty. Benjamin P Sapitula, DMMMSU; and Dr Roger P Perez, CSU.

Revitalizing rainfed agricul-ture research, development andextension (RD&E) is now on topof the agenda of Philippine stateuniversities and colleges(SUCs) in their efforts to con-tribute to national food securityand improved livelihoods ofsmallholder farmers in the coun-try.

Seven Philippine SUCs re-cently signed Memorandum ofAgreements (MOAs) with theIndia-based International CropsResearch Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) for theimplementation of collaborativerainfed agriculture RD&Eprojects.

The MOA signing was donein conjunction with the visit toICRISAT of a top-level delega-tion from the Philippines on 30August – 02 September 2011.

The agreements were signedbetween ICRISAT representedby Director General William D.Dar, and Philippine SUCs rep-resented by their respectivePresidents, namely: Dr. RogerP. Perez, Cagayan State Uni-versity (CSU); Dr. Jesus Anto-nio G. Derije, University ofSouthern Mindanao (USM); Dr.Maria Luisa R. Soliven, CentralMindanao University (CMU);Atty. Benjamin P. Sapitula, DonMariano Marcos Memorial StateUniversity (DMMMSU); Dr.Elpidio T. Magante, Bohol Is-land State University (BISU); Dr.Samuel O. Benigno, QuirinoState College (QSC); and Dr.Serafin L. Ngohayon, Ifugao

ICRISAT and Philippine SUCs sign agreement to revitalize rainfed agricultureState University (IfSU).

Another MOA was signed be-tween ICRISAT and the Depart-ment of Agriculture - RegionalField Office No. 02 (DA-RFO 2)represented by its Regional Ex-ecutive Director, Dr Lucrecio RAlviar, Jr., to boost CagayanValley’s food security and agricul-tural growth and developmentthrough improved rainfed agricul-ture.

Under the MOAs, ICRISAT willprovide Philippine partners accessto the Institute’s cutting edge tech-nologies related to rainfed/drylandagriculture for adaptation and com-mercialization in the Philippines.

It will also work with PhilippineSUCs and DA-RO in pursuing anintegrated and unified RD&E ap-proach to strengthen, invigorateand hasten the development ofexisting rainfed farming systemsin the country.

This approach is envisioned toserve as the country’s defense tomitigate drought, land degradationand other risks arising from climatechange.

Funded by the Commission onHigher Education (CHED), thedelegation’s visit to ICRISAT is inline with a new initiative of the DABureau of Agricultural Research(DA-BAR) – the Philippine RainfedAgriculture Research, Develop-ment and Extension Program(PHIRARDEP).

The team was led by CHEDCommissioner William Medranowith Rep. Ana Cristina Go of thesecond district of Isabela.

In a meeting with the team, Dr.

Dar stressed the need for SUCsto generate climate change ad-aptation and mitigation strategiesand technologies to minimize riskand protect the livelihoods ofsmallholder farmers as well as toempower communities in rainfed

Agriculture Secretary ProcesoJ. Alcala has approved the cre-ation of a Philippine team respon-sible for the country’s strategicpositioning, bargaining, and ne-gotiations with the Western andCentral Pacific Fisheries Com-mission (WCPFC).

In a memorandum to SecretaryAlcala, Director Asis G. Perez ofthe DA’s Bureau of Fisheries andAquatic Resources (BFAR) saidthe team is composed of repre-sentatives from the departmentsof agriculture (DA), foreign affairs(DFA), and trade and industry(DTI), the Mindanao DevelopmentAuthority (MinDA), and other fish-ing industry leaders.

The team will attend the 8 th

WCPFC regular session on De-cember 5-9, 2011, atNgarachamayong Cultural Cen-tre, Madalii in Koror, Palau.Among the matters to be dis-cussed is the stock status of keytuna species and evaluation ofthe WCPFC Conservation andManagement Measure (CMM)2008-01.

Under the CMM, the WCPFCimplemented on January 1, 2008the closure of high sea pocketsin the Pacific Ocean to address

DA creates RP team to attend Pacific Fisheries Commissionoverfishing of various types oftuna like big-eye, yellowfin, skip

jack, and South Pacific alba-core.

The closure has since thenadversely affected Philippinetuna production.

Secretary Alcala approved thecreation of the WCPFC Philip-pine team at the recently con-cluded 13th National Tuna Con-gress, in General Santos City.He also approved several reso-lutions forwarded by theSOCSKSARGEN Federation ofFishing and Allied Industries,Inc. (SFFAII), and recommenda-tions by the DA-BFAR to shoreup the ailing tuna industry.

The SFFAII, in a resolution,said the Philippines submitteda position to the WCPFC meet-ing in Hawaii last December2010 calling for the establish-ment of a Special ManagementArea in High Seas Pocket 1,where Filipino fresh and ice-chilled fishing vessels may beallowed.

But the federation noted thatclosure of portions of the highseas may be extended beyond

areas.In response, Dr. Medrano ex-

pressed CHED’s commitmentto pursue the incorporation of cli-mate change in the country’shigher education curriculum.

(Pls turn to p12)

10

By Angelito E. Arceo II Public Information Office NIA-ARIIP, Rosales, Pangasinan

DA to pursue ... (from p1)

DA Counterparts P40-M for Pampanga Agri Projects. Sec.Alcala (inset, right) answers a query from farmer Moises Tiglao,during a forum in Barangay San Patricio, Mexico, Pampanga onSeptember 19, 2011 where he committed an initial P40 million ascounterpart fund with San Fernando City and other adjoining townsfor the implementation of several agriculture and fishery projectssuch as flatbed dryers, a rice mill, shallow tube wells with enginepump sets, and hand tractors, among others. The DA will also vali-date a proposed farm-to-market road and rehabilitation of severalirrigation projects for funding in 2012, said DA-Central Luzon re-gional director Andrew Villacorta.

nism where various forms of as-sistance are extended to farm-ers, fisherfolk, cooperatives, andagribusiness entrepreneurs.

The fund is supposed to pro-vide safety nets to the agricul-tural sectors affected by trade lib-eralization when the Philippinesjoined the World Trade Organi-zation.

ACEF was suspended by DAearly this year to make way forreview, validation, and audit pro-cedures as this was surroundedby questionable circumstances,low collection rate, or had default-ing borrowers.

Agriculture Undersecretary forFinance Antonio Fleta, in a pressbriefing revealed that contrary tonewspaper reports, ACEF still hasabout P2 billion (B) available forloans and grants, awaiting fundrelease by the Department ofBudget and Management.

He added that out of P10-Bfund in 2010, P8-B had been re-leased comprising of loans andgrants. A total of 110 accountshave been listed with arrears, and18 for restructuring.

“We have to sort this out. Wedo not want the farmers to losetheir trust in government. Some-body has to be made respon-sible,” Alcala said.

Under the new rules outlinedin a 44-page Administrative Or-der No. 18 signed by Sec.Alcala, eligible proponents andbeneficiaries include coopera-tives and associations of Filipinofarmers and fisherfolk; micro,small and medium scale enter-prises (MSMSEs) in agriculture,aquaculture, and fisheries sec-tors; state universities and col-leges (SUCs) and private aca-demic institutions with tie-upswith farmers’ or fisherfolk’s coop-eratives, or private entities prima-rily engaged in agriculture or fish-eries in the locality where theSUC is situated.

ACEF shall require equity fromevery loan offered to qualified or-ganizations, depending on theproponent’s set-up.

Minimum assistance thatACEF shall provide is pegged atP15,000, while the maximumloanable amount is P15 million(M) for each project.

However, ACEF may allow ahigher amount of loan for projectsthat are viable and important toagricultural development, particu-larly those which will utilize in-digenous raw materials and gen

Phl, China ... (from p4)technical exchanges in rice andcorn production,” he said.

He cited the introduction ofChinese hybrid rice varieties inthe Philippines, including agricul-ture technologies and equipmentbeing used to boost agriculturalproductivity, particularly throughthe Philippines-China Center forAgricultural Technology(Philscat) in Muñoz City, NuevaEcija.

Sec. Alcala also promoted Phil-ippine coco coir products as floodcontrol and soil erosion agents.

Meanwhile, Sec. Alcala up-dated Mr. Sun on a 2007 Memo-randum of Understanding forgedamong several Philippine govern-ment agencies (DA included) withJilin province, China DevelopmentBank, and Jilin Fuhua AgriculturalScience and Technology Devel-opment Co. Ltd., involving thelease of one million hectares forgrains and bio-fuel crops.

The agreement was suspendedwhen a cause-oriented groupquestioned its legality before theSupreme Court.

“I hope that the relevant gov-ernment agencies will resolve thematter soon. The current admin-istration is committed at makinga transparent, predictable, reli-able and profitable business des-tination for all our partners,”Alcala said.

superior varieties of its drought-prone mandate crops amongwhich is peanut.

“We have good scientists, andwe have the support of the gov-ernment of India which you can’tjust find elsewhere,” he said ina separate interview.

The Philippines can benefitfrom using these aflatoxin-resis-tant or nutrient-enriched variet-ies given their regulatory ap-proval. And it may even be ableto collaborate in their researchif only the technologies are un-der public domain or withoutpatent or plant exchange restric-tions.

The development of the pro-Vitamin A-enhanced multivita-min-rich peanut may need atleast another three years of fieldtrials. After this, it has yet to gothrough government regulatoryapproval.

With it, a person may be ableto take in a substantial amountof his recommended Vitamin Aintake from a handful of peanut.However, bioavailability studieswhich determine the amount ofeffective Vitamin A absorbed intothe body has yet to beconducted.(Manila Bulletin)

Aflatoxin-resistant ... (from p7)

erate local employment.Alcala revealed that for

loans and grants amounting toP15-M, approval shall be donejointly by the Agriculture Secre-tary and the chairpersons of theSenate and House Committeeson agriculture.

Loan releases shall be madeat the DA Central Office and re-cipients will be required to per-sonally claim the check.

Loan disbursement and re-payments shall be covered byexisting guidelines, procedures,rules and regulations on the re-lease of funds and loan collec-tion.

Proponents shall also be re-quired to submit post-dated-checks to the DA-Central Officeupon claiming their loan pro-ceeds, and on the schedule ofpayment.

Failure to comply with theACEF’s provisions, particularlyon the loan amortization sched-ule shall compel the DA to takelegal or remedial measures tosecure the loan by registeringthe unregistered mortgage orchattel mortgage.

Phl mango ... (from p3)tons, respectively.

The combined exports offresh, dried, and processedmangoes last year earned a to-tal of more than US$50-M, ac-cording to the Secretary.

Despite these figures, Alcalastill noted a shortage in supplyand urged growers and produc-ers to plant more.

He challenged them to sur-pass last year’s produce con-sidering that the DA is workingwith the sector “in improving,handling and transport sys-tems.”

Alcala f inds this year’stheme, “Positioning the Philip-pine Mango Strongly in theWorld Market,” very timely withthe huge demand for Philippinemango.

“I-ayos lamang po natin namatugunan po ang mgakailangan gawin ng industryupang patuloy na tangkilikin ngibang bansa ang ating mangga.Ito po ay para sa inihahangadng industry ng mangga sapandaigdigang pamilihan atmaging sa Pilipinas,” Alcalasaid.

Major mango producers in thecountry are Ilocos Region,Zamboanga Peninsula, CentralVisayas, Central Luzon, andSOCSKSARGEN (SouthCotabato, Sultan Kudarat,Sarangani, and General Santos)area.

11September 2011

terial. It is used to produce syrup

for sweetening, vinegar, wine,and other food products.

The Philippines just imple-mented on August 6 a 10 per-cent mandated mix ofbioethanol with gasoline for se-lected octane levels.

This sends the country's to-tal ethanol requirement to ap-proximately 400 million (M) li-ters per year.

The ethanol demand in thecountry is estimated to be 645M liters in 2015 if a 15 percentethanol-gas mix will be man-dated as per a study of JapanInternational CooperationAgency.

This will displace the pro-jected 645 M liters of petro-leum-based fuel by 2015.

Foreign exchange savingswas placed at $218.203 M in2010. This is predicted to riseto $789.3 M in 2015 and $1.274billlion in in 2020.

Given this demand,

Phl may ... (from p5)bioethanol has the potential togenerate jobs totalling to 179,386by 2015 and 289,611 by 2020.

Aside from PNOC-AFC poten-tial entry into sweet sorghum pro-duction , two other companieshave been engaged in a compre-hensive research on sweet sor-ghum for ethanol.

Fuel Inc., an affiliate of gasdistributor Seaoil, has engagedin a 16,000 square meter fieldtrial area in Negros Occidental.Its sweet sorghum yield has hita high range of 46 to 84 MT perhectare.

The company earlier acquireda 36-hectare area in Negros toestablish an ethanol plant.

Moreover, Lucio Tan's NegrosBiochem Corp (NBC) has a 848square meter field trial area thathas observed a yield of 49 MTper hectare.

At present negotiation is be-ing made for a Negros Occiden-tal LGU and cooperative to con-duct collaborative commercialplantation of a 50-hectare sweet

Tuna, fish export fees ... (from p1)Administrative Order (FAO) 233issued in 2010, stipulating feesfor the issuance of export/re-export permits equivalent to 3%of export value.

BFAR national director Asis G.Perez said the reduced fee isequivalent to P1,650 or 0.2% offish raw material value computedfrom the previous year’s averagewholesale price, whichever ishigher.

The price should be based onsurveys done by the DA’s Bureauof Agricultural Statistics (BAS).

The SOCSKSARGEN Fed’n. ofFishing and Allied Industries, Inc.(SFFAII) said the previous 3% feewas an additional burden and a

DA-BFAR to put up crab hatcheries. The Department of Agri-culture through the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources(DA-BFAR) will establish crab hatcheries in selected coastal com-munities nationwide — in partnership with fishfarmers’ groups, lo-cal government units and Southeast Asian Fisheries DevelopmentCenter-Aquaculture Department (SEAFDEC-AQD) — that will pro-vide crablets to fisherfolk and their families for fattening as sourceof additional income and livelihood, while the excess crablet pro-duction will be dispersed in coastal areas to benefit municipal fish-ermen. Secretary Proceso J. Alcala (left), during a recent visit toSEAFDEC-AQD in Tigbauan, Iloilo, said that the DA-BFAR willinitially put up 60 crab hatcheries this year, and 60 more in 2012.The breeder crabs will be sourced from the DA-BFAR regional re-search centers and SEAFDEC-AQD. Shown with him inspecting abreeder crab (inset) are SEAFDEC-AQD chief Dr. Joebert Toledo(middle) and DA-Western Visayas regional director LarryNacionales.

sorghum planting for both pro-duction and processing tech-nology demonstration pur-poses.

Massive propagation ofsweet sorghum and other etha-nol feedstock crops aligns withgovernment's aim to help re-verse the predicted adverse ef-fect of climate change.

Sweet sorghum is estimatedto reduce carbon emission re-duction by 2,906 MT in 2015which will further rise to 4,692MT by 2020.

Even if all immediate pro-grammed ethanol plant con-struction in the country willhave been realized, this will stillbe less than 50 percent of theestimated total annual require-ment of 400 million liters.

Other alternative materialsbeing considered feedstock forethanol are cassava and corn;cellulosic materials, grasses,agricultural waste material, for-est waste, and residues; andmacro algae. (BAR)

The NFARMC is a multi-sectoral, advisory group under thesupervision of the DA-BFAR.

It conducts national

The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas(BSP) has retained the 25 per-cent mandatory credit allocationto the agricultural sector throughagrarian reform and agri-agra ac-tivities despite complaints frommajor players in the banking in-dustry.

BSP Governor Amando M.Tetangco, Jr. has issued Circular736 containing the revised rulesand regulations governing themandatory credit allocation foragriculture and agrarian reformcredit under Republic Act 10000also known as “The Agri-AgraReform Credit Act of 2009.”

The Agri- Agra Reform Credit

BSP retains 25% agri-agra allocation rule

consultations to craft neededpolicies for the protection,conservation, sustainabledevelopment and managementof the country’s fisheries andaquatic resources.

The recommended policiesare then sent to the DA Secretaryfor consideration and approval.

During its July 22, 2011meeting, the NFARMC uponconsultations with tuna industrystakeholders approved therecommendation to reduce the3% export fee for capturedaquatic wildlife like tuna.

Sixty percent of the country’stuna catch is unloaded atGeneral Santos City, making itthe “tuna capital” of thePhilippines.

The tuna industry is presentlyfacing hard times as a result ofa ban on fishing in the high seasimposed by the Western andCentral Pacif ic FisheriesCommission (WCPFC) sinceJanuary 1, 2010.

Last year, the country’s tunaproduction totaled 387,101metric tons (MT), which was 9%less than in 2008.

Of the total, commercial fishcatch accounted for 70% or271,625 MT, 14% less than in2008, the SFFAII said.

disincentive, unduly increasingthe export prices of tunaproducts, thus making themless competitive in the worldmarket.

“It was counterproductive andinconsistent with the thrust ofthe government to promoteexports,” said Marfenio Y. Tan,outgoing SFFAII chairman.

The National Fisheries andAquatic ResourcesManagement Council(NFARMC) initially promulgatedFAO 233, in keeping with theintent of Republic Act 9147 orthe Wildlife ResourcesConservation and Protection Actof 2001.

Act of 2009 was signed byformer President Arroyo amend-ing Presidential Decree 717 tofacilitate increased credit tofarmers and spur productivity.

Groups led by the BankersAssociation of the Philippines(BAP) have been calling for therelaxation of the provision thatrequires the banking sector toallocate at least 25 percent ofits loanable funds for agriculturalcredit.

Of the figure, about 15 percentmust be lent to agriculturestakeholders through agri-agraloans while the balance of 10percent must be lent to benefi-ciaries of agrarian reform.

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

The Department of Agriculture(DA) is constructing a P3.75-mil-lion asparagus packing facility atBarangay San Jose, in GeneralSantos City (GenSan), to trans-

DA sets up asparagus facility in GenSan, commits P10-M for FMRs

P3.75-M Asparagus Facility to Rise in GenSan. Agriculture Secretary Proceso J. Alcala andGen. Santos City Mayor Darlene Antonino-Custodio lead the ceremonial groundbreaking of a P3.75-million asparagus packing facility at Barangay San Jose, General Santos City, funded by the Depart-ment of Agriculture through its High Value Crops Development Program (HVCDP) and NationalAgribusiness Corporation (NABCOR). When completed by end of October, the facility will replace anearby makeshift hut (at right), where the GAPMC has been sorting and packing asparagus shoots forthe last three years. Also shown at right are GenSan City councilor and GAPMC farmer-member Rich-ard Atendido, GAPMC chairman Roger Pascual, a lady farmer-sorter, and DA Region 12 directorAmalia Datukan (partly hidden).

M a r s m a n - D r y s d a l eAgriventures, Inc.

With the new packing facility,which will be completed by endof October, Pascual said the

GAPMC would be able to doubletheir capacity of up to 800 kilosper day. Currently they supplymajor supermarkets, restau-rants and hotels in Metro Ma-nila.

“I would therefore like to seefarmers here in General SantosCity to improve their quality oflife in the next one and a halfyears,” Sec. Alcala said duringthe simple groundbreaking cer-emony.

He thus encouraged theGAPMC farmer-members to ex-pand their respective areaplanted to asparagus.

He also urged them to con-sider planting other suitablecrops like onions and garlic, asGenSan and other areas inSOCSKSARGEN or Region 12have fertilize soil and favorableweather condition year-round.

Sec. Alcala instructed DA-Region 12 director AmeliaDatukan to look at an initial areaof at least 100 hectares thatcould be planted to onions andgarlic next year.

Pascual said in GenSanalone there are about 5,000hectares that could be plantedto high value crops.

Sec. Alcala also instructedregional officials of the National

Irrigation Administration to under-take appropriate irrigationprojects to support the year-roundproduction of high value crops.

He also instructed the DA-

form the area and theSOCSKSARGEN region into amajor high value crop producer,on top of its distinction as the‘tuna capital’ of the Philippines.

Agriculture Secretary ProcesoJ. Alcala and GenSan MayorDarlene Antonino-Custodio led onSeptember 1, 2011 the ceremo-nial groundbreaking of the facil-ity that will benefit 60 farmer-mem-bers of the Greenland AsparagusProducers Multipurpose Coop-erative (GAPMC), funded by theDA’s High Value Crops Develop-ment Program (HVCDP) and theNational Agribusiness Corpora-tion (NABCOR).

Sec. Alcala also committed toallot P10-M for the constructionof farm-to-market roads (FMRs)next year, among other interven-tions to transform GenSan into amajor producer of high valuecrops, including onions and gar-lic.

The GAPMC farmer-members,led by their chairman RogerPascual, currently maintain a to-tal of 15 hectares asparagus plan-tation, where they harvest an av-erage of 300 to 400 kilos aspara-gus shoots daily, which aresorted and packed in a makeshifthut. Pascual said most of themwere former contract growers of

Bureau of Agricultural Researchto assess the potential of pro-cessing and canning asparagusfor domestic and export mar-kets.

For its part, the DA-NABCORwill help the GAPMC to link di-rectly with institutional buyersand assist the group in their mar-keting activities.

DA creates ... (from p9)

2011, and skipjack tuna may beamong the species to be man-aged by the Commission, war-ranting the organization of aPhilippine team “that will drawstrong and strategic positioningand negotiating tools onWCPFC matters.”

Meanwhile, director Perezsaid they recently sent twoBFAR scientists to attend the7th Regular Session of theWCPFC Scientific Committee(SC) in August 9-17, in Pohnpei,Federated States of Micronesia.

Accordingly, the WCPFC SCconcluded that tuna, specificallythe yellow fin species, is not ex-periencing overfishing.

However, the SC recom-mended that there should be noincrease in fishing efforts in thewestern equatorial region.

It was also learned during thesame conference that bigeyetuna was nearing the overfish-ing level, prompting the WCPFCSC to recommend a 32 percentreduction in fishing effort to ad-dress the diminishing stock,Perez said.

He added that it was still earlyto determine the effects of thehigh seas closure in 2009 interms of other tuna varieties.

As this developed, Perez rec-ommended to Secretary Alcalato adopt a comprehensive ap-proach towards building betterrelations with Indonesia andother Pacific Island countries bystrengthening the National TunaIndustry Council (NTIC).

DA to help ... (from p2)import additional rice for 2011.

He said the DA has created aninter-agency task force to assessand validate the actual damage,particularly on palay, corn andhigh value crops.

He said this effort will comple-ment the ongoing October 2011palay production survey, which isconducted every quarter by theDA’s Bureau of Agricultural Sta-tistics (BAS).

The survey results will includethe final estimate of the 3rd quar-ter palay production, the pro-jected 4th quarter palay produc-tion based on standing crop, andprojected 2012 1stquarter produc-tion based on farmers’ plantingintentions.