BARBUREAU OF AGRICULTURAL RESEARCHDepartment of Agriculture Visit the official website at http:,/r/www.bar.gov.ph

House Bill 48'29 extendsAFlutA for s years rnore

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Department ofAgriculture key fficials discuss during the second hearing of HB 4g29.

he House Committee onAgriculture has recentlyr approved House BilI4g2g

extendins the AEriculture and Fisng the Agriculture and Fisheries

Iwslog-^-V',KARI Asst Dir and group briefed...page 3

Two new regions created.,,page 3

ICTD jolns IRRI digitat extension...page 4

Gearing up at GIEPD...page s

Rice straw maintains soil fertility...page 6Grcwing the fruit of life...page 7

DA enforces new agr'l eng,g...page I

assistant secretaries.AFMA or Republic Act No.

8435 was enacted in 1997 to empowerthe agriculture and fisheries sectbrstowards sustainable development. Asstated in Section 112 ofAFMA, a totalof Php 20 billion was appropriated asinitial funding for the first year of the

WW8ummit2!!2

implementation of the agriculture andfi sheries modemization program.Moreover, an additional amount of notless than Php 17 billion should beappropriated for AFMA every yearthereafter. However, there has beennon-compliance as to the budgetaryrequirements of AFMA since 1998 asUndersecretary for Administration andFinance Jocelyn Bolante emphasizedbefore the Committee. According tohim, although huge amounts have beenappropriated for AFMA, actual releasesofbudget fell short.

AFMA was not implementedon the first year of its effectivitybecause the budget provided foi in thelaw was not included in the 1998General Appropriations Act. He thenpresented the amount that wasappropriated and the actual releases forAFMA since its implementation in1999.

I "re

House Bill 4829, page 6

ModernizationAct (AFMA) for fivemore years. This is the result of the twohouse hearings held on 30 July and 6August 2002, atthe Mitra Building,House of Representatives, euezonCity.

The hearings were headed byHouse Committee ChairAlfredo G.Marafion and attended by Departmentof Agriculture key oflicials headed bySecretary Leonardo Q. Montemayoralong with the undersecretaries and

(UNCED) held in Rio deJaneiro where a number ofimportant conclusionsrelating to sustainabledevelopment werereached. In this event, twomajor conventions weresigned - the Conventio'n

on Climate Change and Conventionof Biological Diversity. It is alsowhere the so-calledAgenda 21 wasagreed upon by the participatinggovemments. The Agenda 21 is a

\ see Sustainable development on, page 4

Sustainable development on center stagen 26August- 04September 2002,leaders of more than100 countries,

journalists, industry andNGO representatives, andsome tens of thousands ofdelegates convened for theWorld Summit on SustainableDevelopment (WSSD) inJohannesburg, South Africa.The WSSD is the offshoot of thehistoric 1992 tIN Conference onEnvironment and Development

Knowing more ubout CGIARlf|piiy appreciate

I something, one mustt- have a profound

knovtledge of that thing.It is not a thing actually that Iam referring to but aninternational event that willplace the country in the worldmap. We will be hosting theConsultative Group ofI nt er n ati o na I A gr i c u I tur a IRes earch (CGIAR) AnnualGeneral Meeting (AGM), 28October to November I thisyear. So, I took the liberty tosearchfor information to shareso that before this eventhappens we have a workingknowledge of what thisinternational group is allabout.

For a bit of history, therapid population growth twodecades after World War IIwould eventually lead to worldfood shortage. Theresponsibility to tackle thisproblem fell on the UnitedNations Food and AgricultureOrganization (UN FAO) andthe solution tried was tointroduce productiontechnologies used by ccuntriesthat hqd high levels ofproductivity to countries thathad low productivity.Somehow this did not work.Theodore W. Schultz, who laterwon the Nobel Prize onagricultural development,

postulated that the peasant farmerscan make an fficient use ofavailqble resources within theirenvironment {they were givenproductivity enhancing high pay-off inputs. The emergingperspective was for agriculturaltechnologt to be location specificand a more effective use of theresources available to the smallfarmer. This insight shaped the

response of the internationalcommunity to food crises in the 60sto 70s.

In 1969, the RockefellerFoundation, Ford Foundation, WorldBank, MO and the United NationsDevelopment Programme and anumber of economic assistanceagencies in developing countries heldconsultations that led to the creationof CGIAR in 1971. At this time,there were already four internationalagricultural res earch centersestablished by Rockefeller and FordFoundations, namely, theInternational Rice Research Institute(IRN) in the Philippines, CentroInternacionale de Mejoramiento deMaiz y Trigo (CIMIWT) in Peru,Centro Internacional de AgriculturaTropical (CIAD in Colombia, andInternational Ins titute of TropicalAgriculture (IITA) in Nigeria. These

four research centers constituted the

first members of this newint ernati o nal a gricu lture re s earchsystem. CGIAR was formally formedin 1971.

Today, this global netyvorkhas I6 members mostly located indeveloping countries. In addition tothose already mentioned are the

following: Center for InternationalForestry Research (CIFOR,Indonesia); Centro Internacional dela Papa (CIP, Peru); InternationalCenter for Agricultural Research inthe Dry Area (ICARDA, Syrian ArabRepublic) ; Internqtional Center forLiving Aquatic ResourcesManagement (ICLAfuM, Malaysia) ;International Center for Research inAgroforestry (ICRAE Kenya) ;International Crops Res earchInstitute for Semi-Arid Tropics(ICNSAT India) ; International FoodPolicy Research Institute (IFPN,U. S.A.) ; International LivestockResearch Institute (ILN, Kenya);International P lant G eneticResources Institute QPGN, Italy);

I nt ernatio n al Servi c e .for N atio nalA gri cultura I Res earc h (I SNAR,Netherlands) ; International WaterManagement Institute (WMI, SriLanka); and West Africa RiceD ev elopment As s o ciation (\4/ARDA,

Cole'd'Ivoire).So faa the largest global

scientific network and the leadinginternqtional organization for publics ecto r agri cultura I res e arc h fo r foo dcrops of the worldk poor; CGIAR has58 partner-members with thePhilippines as one. Its mission is tocontribute to food security andpoverty eradication in developingcountries through research,partnership, capacity building andpolicy support promoting sustainableagricultural development based onenvironmentally sound manqgementof natural resource. In keeping withchange, CGIAR\ objectives varied atdffirent periods. In 1971 to 1980, itsmain research objective was to growmore food especially cereals to feedthe world's burgeoning population. InI98l to 1990, conservationwas themain thrust and the kEryvord wass us tain abl e dev elopm ent wi th fo cuson poverty eradication, protectingdiversity, including our land andwater resources.

Poverty is aformidableenemy to fight. CGIAR was not able

\ see Sciencescoping, page j

edrh*tskltEdilol

ManaElng Editor/Layout

Writers

Print Manager

Clrculatlon

Advisel

VIRGINIAA. DULDULAO, Ph.D.

RITAT. DELACRUZ

MA. BOWENAS.A. BRIONESLIKHA C. CUEVASJUNELYN S. DE LA ROSARITAT. DELA CRUZMARY CHARLOTTE O. FRESCOTHEA KRISTINA M. PABUAYON

RICARDO G. BERNARDO

JULIAA. LAPITANVICTORIA G. RAMOS

ELISEO R. PONCE, Ph.D.

! eanCuronicle

KARI Asst Dir and group briefed at BA

(From left n righ) Mr. Isaya sijali, BAR Dir. Eliseo ponce, Mr patrick Gicheru, Dr. GeorgeAyaga, and Dr. Jane Wamuongo

r. Jane W. Wamuongo, assistantdirector for soils and watermanagement of the Kenya

Agricultural Research Institute (KAzu)and her group visited the Bureau ofAgricultural Research (BAR) recentlyas part oftheir four-day "Study Tour onAgricultural Research System: A Focuson Soil and Water Management". Thestudy tour was funded by the SEAMEORegional Center for Graduate Studyand Research in Agriculture

(SEARCA).Kenya became a member

the Consultative Group onIntemational Agricultural Research(CGIAR) in 1995, and hosts twoCGIAR centers, namely, theInternational Centre for Research inAgroforestry GCRAF) and theInternational Livestock ResearchInstitute (ILzu), which are both basedin Nairobi. KAzu is the institutionalpartner of CGIAR in Kenya.

of

i Two new regions created;i country's total regions now 17

fTtt" country's regions are nowI up by one from 16 with the

I splitting of Region IV. Byvirtue of Executive Order No. 103,Region IV-A and Region IV-B havereplaced Region IV, while theprovince of Aurora is now part ofRegion III.

Known asCALABARZON, Region IV-A nowincludes Batangas, Cavite, Laguna,Quezon and Rizal. Region IV-Bknown as MIMAROPA includesMindoro Occidental, Marinduque,Mindoro Oriental, Palawan, andRomblon.

The creation of the twonew regions brings the total numberof Luzon's regions to eight, Visayasthree, and Mindanao six. Luzonnow has 38 provinces, 55 cities,7 1 6 municipalities, and 20,47 6barangays. Meanwhile Visayas has16 provinces ,32 cities,376municipalities and 71,443barangays, while Minadanaoremains with 25 provinces, 27cities, 404 rnunicipalities and10,026 barangays. (Thea KristinaM. Pabuayon)

Source: ICTD-GIS

Dr. Wamuongo was escorted byher team composed of: Dr. George O.Ayaga, head of the Soil Fertility PlantNutrition Research Programme, Mr.Patrick T. Gicheru, head of the KenyaSoil Survey, and Mr. Isaya V. Sijali,head of the Irrigation and DrainageResearch Programme.

Along with BAR DirectorEliseo Ponce, Regional ProgramsDivision (RPD) Head Rustico Davidwelcomed the KARI delegation. Theywere briefed on how the Bureauoperates. A short forum was conducted.Among questions asked by the groupwere on: 1) how the Bureau generatesfunds,2) how the mandate of BARdiffers from that of the PhilippineCouncil for Agriculture, Forestry andNatural Resources Research andDevelopment (PCARRD), 3) theorganizational structure of BAR,4) roleof the private sector in R&D, and 5)how the Bureau operates andimplements its programs.

After the short presentation anddiscussion, the team toured the Bureau'sdifferent offices to be briefed them onhow the divisions operate. (Rita T. delaCruz)

Sciencescoping...

to do it, not yet, thus its objective of thelast decade had to be curried over to thenext one. In addition, tts research agendafocused on soil and water management,fores try/agrofores try dev elopment,reduced use of chemicals in agriculture,biodivers ity protection and biotechnologltmobilization. It holds in trust one of theworld's largest collection of plant geneticresource with duplicates of the materialsfreely available to researchers worldwidefor new genetic combinations.

CGIARb mission is timeless andwithout boundary. Everybody stands tobenefitfrom this unique globalpartnership. IsnI it a privilege that at onetime in its history, a small but beautifulcountry as the Philippines played host asit again tackles the unending problems ofpoverty and food insecurity?YAD

ICTD joins lRRldigital extensionworkshop

r. Winston Tabada,Information andCommunication

Technology Divison (ICTD)offrcer-in-charge, participated in theworkshop on, "Digital ExtensionFeaturing the Rice KnowledgeBank," at the International RiceResearch Institute (IRRI), LosBaflos, Laguna.

The Rice Knowledge Bank(RKB), an Internet-based riceknowledge repository is establishedat IRRI to be the "world's riceinformation and trainingrepository." This will be officiallylaunched in September at theInternational Rice Congress inBeijing, China.

RKB was established to fillthe gap between the newtechnologies and the transfer ofthese to famrers' field since theend-users fail to access these newtechnologies due to inadequate andunderdeveloped extension services.It is the world's first digitalextension service for those whoprovide information and support tofarmers (e. g. non-governmentorganizations). It contains a wealthof information on training and riceproduction. The RKB is acomprehensive digital riceproduction library in abreakthrough format that sets a newstandard in accessing knowledgeand information on rice production.

Dr. Albert Atkinson, IRRITraining and Courseware specialist,led a two-hour session on the RKBoverview, contents, how to navigatethe RKB, communicating with theRKB through discussion channels,using reference materials,

\ see ICTD joins IRN, page 5

Sustain uble developmenl..

global plan that contains over 2,500wide-ranging recommendations anddetailed proposals on how to reducewasteful consumption pattems,combat poverty, protect atmosphere,oceans and biodiversity, andpromote sustainable agriculture.

TheAgenda 21 served asbackdrop for political andgovernment leaders during the 2002Johannesburg Summit informulating policies and actions tomake sustainable development aglobal reality.

According to UN SecretaryGeneral KofiAnnan, whospearheaded the Summit, themission of WSSD encompassesmany challenges; but its goal boilsdown to saving the planet fromecological devastation andalleviating the lives of billions ofpeople mired in poverty,

The World Commission onEnvironment and Developmentdefines sustainable development asthe development that meets theneeds of the present withoutcompromising the ability of futtregenerations to meet their own needs.While sustainable developmentrequires different actions fromdifferent regions all over the world,the Summit worked on participatoryprocess, wherein the issues weredebated and agreed upon during aseries ofnational, regional, andglobal consultations withgovernment and other institutions.

The Summitintergovernmental agenda wereanchored on the following keyaction areas:

Water- provide access to atleast one billion people who lackclean drinking water by providinggreater financial investment andinnovative solutions from the publicand private sectors.

Energy- provide access tomore than two billion people wholack modem energy services andfacilities; reduce over-consumption;promote the use of renewableenergy; and ratifu the Kyoto

Protocol to address climate change.Agricultural productivity-

promote the sustainable use of landand development and generation ofenvironment-friendly technologies.

Ilealth- provide grcateraccessto safe drinking water;expanding basic sanitation and wastedisposal technologies, and reduce airpollution especially in urban areas.

Biodiversity and ecosystemmanagement- protect and preservethe remaining tropical foreit andmangroves in the world and reversethe threat to 70 percent of the world'scoral reefs and fisheries reserves.

The WSSD 2002 participantsfocused on turning these plans iritoaction and fostering a high degree ofcooperation among major groups byincluding the voices, experiences, andperspectives of a wide range ofstakeholders.

Among the politicaldeclaration and implementation plansachieved in the Johannesburg Summitinclude:o Recognition of ethics as being

central to sustainable developmento Interpretation of bioculture

diversity as embracing all livingbeings, including people and theway they live

o Reaffirmation of the right ofpeople to information and tomeaningful participation indecision-making.

Meanwhile, EnvironmentSecretary Heherson Alvarez, whorepresented the Philippines in theSummit, called for bold and concreteaction among nations that willadvance the cause of sustainabledevelopment and achieve "fullness ofhumanity."

Moreover, he stressed that,what we have been experiencing nowall over the world in terms ofdisasters are all manmade, it is abouttime to save and conserve theremaining resources for futuregeneration. (Mary Charlotte O.Fresco)

Reference:ht tp : / /www j o h ann * burgs um mit. o rg /

{ alnCnronicre

Geari ng up at GIEPDby Ma. Rowena S.A. Briones

A lot ofchanges have been

A brewing at the Bureau ofJ- IAgricultural Research (BAR)these days. The Impact Evaluation andPolicy Division of the Bureau now has"Governance" as one of its functions.This change highlights the importanceofgovernance. in research anddevelopment.

Dr. Eliseo R. Ponce, Directorof the Bureau ofAgriculturalResearch, agreed that this moveaffirms the catalytic role of BAR inensuring that "we are improving thequality of govemance among thevarious agriculture R&D institutions(under the Department ofAgriculture)."

Govemance of research anddevelopment means setting standards,defining mechanisms to be able tomeet these standards and establishinga system for monitoring and assessingprojects and programs. Thesemeasures ensure that goals are realizedand resources are properlyappropriated and utilized.

Dr. Teodoro Solsoloy, thedivision head of the Governance,Impact, and Evaluation PolicyDivision (GIEPD), explained that "therole of the division is to establish andmaintain a monitoring and evaluationsystem for agriculture and fisheriesresearch and development activities incoordination with DA agencies."

Thus, GIEPD will beinstrumental in the monitoring andanalysis offinancial grants attended byBAR to R&D institutions. Accordingto Solsoloy, this function is crucial"(Because) we have not evaluated ifgrant funds were used properly andwhether the impacts of R&D projectswere as potent as we hoped it wouldbe."

Along with this, TheresaMedialdia, the section head for Impact

GIEPD staff planning their divisional activities.

Evaluation, added that they arereviewing the methodologies used forR&D impact assessment studies to beable to "come up with our ownframework on the evaluation ofimpacts of our R&D investments."

GIEPD is also preparing theguidelines for the conduct of ExternalProject Monitoring Review (EPMR).Through EPMR, the Bureau hopes tofacilitate an independent and rigorousassessment of research capabilitiesand outputs of the member institutionsof the National Research andDevelopment System for Agricultureand Fisheries.

The key result areas ofGIEPD work according to theprinciple of interrelatedness.Improving the govemance of researchprograms, evaluating the results ofresearch projects and ensuring thatresearches are utilized by its targetusers put meaning into the researchand development process.

These days, the limited fundsfor agricultural research makeresearches with very little impact tothe farmers and fisherfolk animprudent undertaking. Thus, "Wehave to look at governance as animportant factor in achieving higherefficiency and effectiveness of the

R&D system," Ponce reiterated."I am challenged about what

GIEPD can do. If we perform well, wecan help a lot in showing to the worldthe extent of what is being done in ouragriculture R&D system," Solsoloyexpressed.

Ponce expects no less. Says he,"We expect that GIEPD will nowexpand its functions and will havemore focus. They will now be moreefficient and effective in performingtheir functions and achieving theirtargets." r

ICTD joins 1RrRL..

performing searches using the naturallanguage versus the Boolean, andsingle source publishing.

The participants were alsotreated to a demonstration, talk, and aguided hands-on practice on the use ofe-Learning in Agricultural Extension.Shawn Golinowski, a distancelearning specialist, led the e-Learninghands-on activity. After some partingwords from IRRI Director GeneralRon Cantrell, certificates ofparticipation and the Rice KnowledgeBank on CD-ROM were distributed.(Likha C. Cuevas).

.'X*-*

Rice straw maintains soil fertilityby Junelyn S. de la Rosa

University of Englandused straw ofthree ricevarieties, namely: SocNau,IR 67962 and IR 30and incorporated them inAlfisol sandy loam soil ata rate of five tons perhectare. They examinedthe nutrients released bythese varieties underflooded and non-floodedconditions and noted their

effects on the growth of rice.Rice plants grown under

flooded conditions after adding thestraw showed higher yields comparedto those that were not flooded. This isbecause water helps the plants makefull use of nitrogen. Flooding the soilcan also control weeds, rice waterweevil and the stem rot disease.Among the three rice varieties, SocNau straw had the highest nitrogen,phosphorus and sulfur- nutrients thatare needed by the rice plants forgrowth and development. It had also

y adding rice straw to the soilbefore planting the next crop,you can retum nuhients to the

soil, make the soil fertile and in thelong run, cut down on fertilizers andimprove the yield of your rice farm.

It is estimated that five yearsof adding rice straw to the soil, 25pounds ofnitrogen can be reducedfrom the rate of nitrogen fertilizerapplied per hectare.

Researchers- Gina Panggafrom the Soil Resources Institute,University of the Philippines, College,Laguna and Graeme Blair from the

the highest straw quality index (SeD.Straw can improve soil texture

and tilth, aeration and water-holdingcapacity, fertility and soil pH. Becauserice straw is composted and not burnt,less carbon dioxide is released into theatmosphere. In the long term, addingstraw reduces the need for chemicalfertilizers that can damage theenvironment. This technology turns aproblem into a solution by usingformerly wasted rice straw to benefitthe soil. The process fits into farmers'busy planting schedules and can helpmake them more independent ofchemical inputs purchased externally.Instead of being unwanted and difficultto dispose of, rice straw could berecycled on the farm.

Source: Nutrient Releasefrom Straw ofThreeRice Varieties and the Impact on the Growth ofRice by Gina Wllegas Panggafrom the SoilResources Institute, University of thePhilippines, College, Laguna and Graeme Blairof the Division of Agronomy and Soil Science,School of Rural Science, University of NewEn gl and, Armida le, Aus tralia

House 8i114829...

According to him, duringthe first year of implementation ofAFMA a total amount of Php 14.9billion was appropriated but theactual release amounted to Php 11.6billion only.

For years 2000 and 200i,the amounts appropriated were Php20.8 billion and Php 16.1 billion,respectively. Unfortunately, themoney that was released amountedto Php 16.6 billion and Php 11.4billion only. For 2002,theappropriated budget amounted toPhp 20 billion but so far the moneyreleased amounted only to Php 14.4billion.

Undersecretary Bolante statedthat the release of budget is better thisyear since DA has received adequatesupport from the Department ofBudget and Management (DBM). Themoney released represents 70o/o of thetotal appropriation for the year.

When asked how the shortfallin the releases affected theimplementation of AFMA,Undersecretary Bolante explained thatthere has been negative impact asthere would have been more AFMA-related projects if the full amount wasreleased annually.

Other attendees during thehearings were focal persons whorepresent the specific programs ofAFMA, namely, QuedanCor President

Nelson Buenaflor (credit andfi nancing), NIA Administrator JesusParas (irrigation), BPRE DirectorRicardo Cachuela (postharvestfacilities), BFAR Director MalcolmSarmiento (infrastructure), BARDirector Eliseo Ponce (R&D), DA-AMAS Director Salvador Salacup(marketing), AII Director AsterioSaliot (capability building), DA-ITCAF Director Roberto Villa (NIN),BSWM OlC-Director Rodolfo Lucas(SAFDZ), and BAFPS DirectorGilberto Layese (product standards). Itwas also attended by programdirectors for rice, com, livestock,fisheries, and high value commercialcrops (HVCC). (Rita T. dela Cruz)

$ eanCnronicre

Growing the fruit of lifejackfruit or langka and belongs tomulberry family, Moraceae.

Not too many Filipinos knowrimas, except in some provinces likeLaguna, Cavite, Leyte, and Bicolwhere rimas is cooked as vegetables(with coconut milk) and sometimesprocessed as candy.

In foreign countries,breadfruit is often baked or roastedwhole and eaten ripe as fruit.Malayans peel the ripe fruits, slicethe pulp and fry it in syrup or palmsugar until it tums criSp and brown.

In Brazil and Barbados,breadfruit is more popular forindustrial use. The dried fruit isprocessed into flour and found asgood substitute for wheat flour inmaking bread. Breads made frombreadfruit flour are found morenuhitious because breadfruit flour ismuch richer in lysine, carbohydrates,and other essential amino acids thanwheat flour.

Nothing is wasted inbreadfruit; even the seeds are cooked(boiled and roasted) and eaten withsalt. In West Africa, seeds aresometimes made into puree sincethey are rich in starch.

The young or underripe fruitsare boiled as feed supplements inlivestock. Experiments conducted bytechnologists at the United StatesDepartment of Agriculture (USDA)have demonstrated that dehydratedbreadfruits can constitute a highlydigestible stock feed.

Propagation and cultureBreadfruits are of two types;

the seedless and the seeded (the lateris often referred as breadnut).

Breadfruits are bestpropagated through root cuttings,since tropical seeds like that ofbreadfruits tend to lose their viabilityin a few weeks and are very hard tostore.

One practical and easymethod of inducing suckers or shootsis by uncovering or deliberately

by Mary Charlotte O. Fresco

readfruit is not a popular treebut history owes somethingfrom it. The tree is first known

in Jamaica in 1793, when it savedmany people from starvation due tofive hurricanes and severe drought thatalmost ruined that country. Planters ofthe West Indies heard of this"wonderful" tree growing in the PacificIslands that provides "bread" all yearround. Explorers were persuaded tomount expeditions to collect thespecies. Since then, the breadfruit'scommon name became universal; allcountries associate the fruit to "bread"or "fruit of life".

Breadfruit is not ornamentalBreadfruit (Artocapus altttts\ is

often mistaken as an omamental treefor its beauty that stands out in anygarden, grove, or yard. It grows 40-60feet tall, with broad palmated leavesdecorated with sensual, dark-greenlobes (fruits), weighing up to 10pounds each.

It is widely distributed in NewGuinea, Indo-Malayan archipelago,Philippines, Hawaii and CentralAmerica.

In our country it is known asrimas.It is a close relative of the

injuring the root of matured breadfruittree. Pruning the parent tree increasesthe number of suckers. For rapidmultiplication, it is better to adopt rootcutting of about 1 to 2 ll2 inches thickand 9 inches (22 cm)long.

In removing the sap or latex,the ends of the cuttings may be dippedinto a solution of potassiumpermanganate- an odorless crystallinecompound used as bleach. Once thelatex has been removed, the cuttingsare planted close together in sand toinduce root growth. They should beshaded and watered daily.

Callus (plant tissues that giverise to new plantlets) start to form in 6weeks and rooting may vary from 2 to5 months. During this time, they can betransplanted into plastic bagscontaining mixture of soil and sand andare kept under mist for a week with65% shade. The rootings should begiven liquid fertilizer (NPK) andregular waterings. When the primaryroot system is well developed, they cannow be transplanted in open field.

Young breadfruit trees shouldbe planted in well-enriched holes of 15in (40 cm) deep and three feet wide.The recommended distance betweentrees is 25 to 45 ft. Breedfruit startsbearing fruits in five years and will beproductive for 50 years. Some growersfind pruning convenient for stimulatingnew shoots and keeping the tree frombeing tall for ease in harvesting.

On hawestingBreadfruits are considered

matured enough for harvesting if smalldrops oflatex start to ooze on thefruit's surface. Matured fruits arepicked using a fruit stalk with a forkedstick. One should take an extra care inpicking the fruits to avoid bruising orsplitting that could affect the fruits'market quality and value.

Harvested fruits are packed incartons in which they are separatedindividually by dividers.

\ see Growing thefruit, page 8

Artocapus altitis

BARChronicte J

WeWEssential food resource to bereconstructed from internationalgenebanksh t tp.- //ww w fu t ur e h a N e s t. o rg

Pineapple production grows l.6gpercent, export reaches $64.g M infirst quarterhttp://www.da.gov,ph

Australia approves in principleentry of RP pineapples, Rp expectsa $50 million forex earninghttp://www.da.gov.ph

Revival of biogas spells more gainshttp : //www pcarrd. dos t. gov.ph -

Tissue-cultured mums available tofarmers all year roundhttp : //www. pcand. d o s t. g ov. p h

South Africa food crisis affectsmore than predictedhttp://www.wfp.org

Ethical considerations in food andag-biotechhttp : //www. agriculture.purdue. edu/agbiotech

Growing thefruit.,

The Philippines and the breadfruitIt is a little disappointing ro

know that no studies had-been "conducted yet to fully tap thepotential of this indigenous plantspecies. Breadfruit is just one ofthose "neglected" and underutilizedspecies that need to be given specialattention and scientific iuppori tythe govemment.

Hopefully, researchinitiatives undertaken by concemedagencies such as the IntemationalPlant Genetic Resources Institute(IPGzu) will give proper recognitionto those species that are ,,also'i

crucial for the attainment of foodsecurity and promoting economicdevelopment.

- Wh9 knows, the philippinesmay be the first to place breadfruitinto the mainstream of global trade.

Source:h t tp : //www. ho r t. p urdue. edu/n ew cro p/ m o r to n/b re adfru i t. h tm t# D es c r ip t i on

DA enforces new agr'l eng'ng standards-F

!_. Deparrment of AgriculrureI 5?,f]JTff Liffli,t* 3;,1,1lewfV drafted philippine AgriculturalEngineering Standards (pAES) by allDA oflices, centers and institulions.There are three volumes of the PAES,with the first consisting of 35 standardsfor agricultural production machinerypostharvest machinery engineeringmaterials, and agricultural structures.

The pAES was developed bythe Philippine Society of AgriculturalEngineers (PSAE), DA, and Up LosBafros through the AgriculturalMachinery Testing Evaluation Center.The Standards are based on the Bureauof Agricultural Research (BAR)-fundedproject "Enhancing the Implementationof AFMA through ImprovedAgricultural Engineering Standards',and the Bureau of Postharvest Researchand Extension-funded project"Standardization of PostharvestMachinery Testing and Evaluation. Thetwo projects started in 2000 and 1999,respectively.

As directed by DA, the pAESshall be adopted in all DA offrces,including its regional field units, serviceunits, bureaus, attached agencies andcorporations. The pAES is part of thePhilippine Standards for Agri-ulture andFisheries Machinery developed by thePSAE, AMTEC and other DA agencies,which was developed by virtue of Oe

.

A.O. No. l1 Series of 2001.A.O. 11 or the Implementation

of the National Agriculture andFisheries Mechanization programdirects the development of ,ttandardspecifications and test procedures ofagricultural and fi sheries machinery."According to the PAES authors andproponents, the creation ofthe

BARA bi-montly publication of theBureau of Agricultural Research3/FATI 8ldg., Eltipticat RoadDillman, Quezon City 1i04

Entered as a second class mail at the Quezon ciry cenlral post office under permit no. 753-ol NCR

Standards are much needed since theexisting agricultural engineeringstandards are already outdated, havingbeen created l0 to Z0 years ago.

Rigorous approval processAccording to project Leader

Arsenio Resurreccion, the drafting ofthe PAES was a rigorous pro"".s lhutglglved the "updating of existingPhilippine National Standards,pursuance of pending draft standards,adoption of international and relatedstandards from other engineering fields,and formulation of new standards.',

The PAES were draftedaccording to the Rules for the Structureand Drafting of Philippine NationalStandards. Prior to approval, thedrafted standards were circulated to notless than 50 private and governmentinstitutions for comments andsuggestions, and reviewed by technicalcommittees composed of members ofboth private and governmentinstitutions and offrces. The draftstandards were then given to the pSAEand put through a public hearingorganized by the National Agricultureand Fisheries Council. All commentsand suggestions from these institutionswere then consolidated and consideredin finalizing the standards. (TheaKristina M. Pabuayon)