Agriculture and Aquaculture Industry

[Fundador]

National sweet sorghum confab slated in Batac on March 12-14


BATAC CITY, Ilocos Norte — The first national conference on sweet sorghum research, development, extension (RDE) will be held here on March 12 to 14.

Conference venue is the Philippine Rice Research Intitute branch in Batac, within the complex of the Mariano Marcos State University (MMSU), a multi-campus tertiary institution whose seat of administration is the main campus in this new city.

Theme of the conference is "Synergizing linkages for a commercially viable bioethanal industry in the Philippines."

Sponsors are the Bureau of Agricultural Research of the Department of Agriculture, Commission on Higher Education (CHED), Philippine Council for Agriculture, Forestry and Natural Resources Research and Development (PCARRD) of the Department of Science and Technology, the India-based International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), and MMSU.

About 100 researchers, farmers, policymakers, private sector representatives, members of the academe and industry, and other stakeholders are expected to attend the meeting.

The activity aims to summarize current RDE on sweet sorghum in the country for better understanding of its needs and prospects as a crop for biofuels, food, feed, and forage.

It will identify research priorities in designing and evaluating integrated food and energy production systems. Moreover, it will organize the manpower requirements and infrastructure and laboratory needs of a biofuel RDE in support of the industry.

Aside from the plan to set up a sweet sorghum R&D center, the conference’s expected outputs are reviewed R&D projects on the crop; probable funding sources for its R&D and technology promotion; and linkages in the government and nongovernment sectors in the production of bioethanol using sweet sorghum as a feedstock.

It may be recalled that research in sweet sorghum was started a few years back, starting at the MMSU where Dr. Heraldo Layaoen was the head of the sweet sorghum research and devleopment program.

Several sweet sorghum varieties have been introduced from India and which have been observed to be highly adaptable not only in the Ilocos but also in other places such as Bicol, Mindanao and parts of the Visayas.

Sweet sorghum is a drought resistant crop that thrives well in Ilocos. It could as well become an alternative crop to tobacco which is an industry that is not being actively promoted because of the policy of discouraging cigarette smoking. www.mb.com.ph

[Fundador]

GMA: Sustain RP agri exports to Dubai
PRESIDENT Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has directed the Department of Agriculture to sustain the booming export of Philippine agriculture and fish products to Dubai and the revival of a cooperation pact on agriculture and fisheries between the two countries.

“The P12.3 billion worth of sales and supply contracts with Dubai for our agricultural and processed products recently sealed by our trade mission augurs well for a mutually beneficial economic partnership with Dubai particularly in the agriculture sector,” Arroyo said.

President Arroyo noted that in 2006, bilateral trade between the Philippines and the UAE stood at $520.27 million, an increase of 56% over the 2005 trade figure of $333.1 million. Philippine exports to the UAE increased by $46.25 million or 39.8% from $117.96 million in 2005 to $164.21 million in 2006.

The Philippines’ major exports to the UAE include garments, fresh bananas, processed foods, semiconductors, other industrial manufactures, cement/cement products, transport equipment, and cosmetics and personal care products.

Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap said the orders placed by firms like Fresh Fruits Company, Del Monte Foods Middle East, Samico and Abbar Zainy Trading would haul in P12.3 billion worth of sales for Filipino exporters of fresh and processed food products.

Fresh Fruits placed an order of 26 million cases for fresh bananas worth $117 million and 500,000 cases of fresh pineapples worth $3 million.

Del Monte Foods Middle East placed an order for 15 million cases of fresh Cavendish bananas worth $76.5 million, while its order for fresh pineapples was two million cases worth $12 million.

Five million cases of fresh bananas valued at $54 million and 500,000 cases of fresh pineapples worth $3 million were ordered by the Abbar Zainy Corp.

Another importer, Samico, ordered five million cases of fresh bananas worth $22.5 million while Unifrutti and Saad Tabra Trading placed respective orders for 1.15 million and 1.5 million cases of bananas with a combined value of $11.92 million.

During the trade mission from February 27 to 29 in Dubai, Yap witnessed the signing of an agreement between UAE-based Fresh Fruits Company, one of the top trading firms in the Middle East, and the DA, through the Philippine Agricultural Development and Commercial Corporation (PADCC). www.journal.com.ph

[Fundador]

’Pinas nauubusan na ng isda
NABABAHALA ang Bureau of Fisheries and Aqua-tic Resources (BFAR) na posibleng mapasama ang Pilipinas sa listahan ng mga nauubusan ng mga nahuhuling isda sa karagatan dahil sa patuloy na operasyon ng overfishing.

Ito ay matapos na matuklasan sa isinagawang pag-aaral ng BFAR na walang habas na paraan ng pangingisda sa mga karagatan kaya’t kadalasan maging ang mga maliliit na isda ay hinuhuli ng mga mangingisda.

Sinasabing isang malawakang problema sa daigdig ang overfishing kaya’t
dapat na itong aksyunan ng bansa bago pa mahuli ang lahat.

Ayon kay BFAR Dir. Malcolm Sarmiento, para maiwasan na huwag manghuli at kumain ng maliliit na isda na ngayon ay siyang kalimitang nabibili sa mga palengke ay ipinapayo ng INCOFISH project na na-kabase sa WorldFish Center, Los Baños, Laguna, ang paggamit ng “Panukat Isda” na pinondohan ng Europen Union.

Isa umano itong simpleng kasangkapan na maaaring gamitin ng mga mangingisda upang masukat kung ang kanilang huli ay naaayon sa laki ng isdang napapanahon nang hulihin.

Malaki umano ang maitutulong ng Panukat Isda sa pagsusulong ng pangangasiwa sa pangisdaan kung saan nasisiguro umanong mas marami at malalaking huli sa susu-nod na pamamalakaya, sa kadahilanan ding naiiwasan ang panghuhuli ng mga maliliit at batang isda http://www.journal.com.ph/index.php?...ec=4&aid=52484

[icarusrising]

Fishers to establish seafood restaurant,
turning area into ecotourism location

By Jonathan Mayuga
Correspondent

KABASALAN, Zamboanga Sibugay—A small group of municipal fishermen-turned-fish-cage operators in this town are going big time with their innovative livelihood projects, transforming their community into an ecotourism destination with the support of the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR).

Members of the Kalugpungan sa Gagmay Mangingisda sa Concepcion (KGMC) are planning to put up a seafood restaurant soon to promote their barangay as an eco-tourism destination. Besides creating additional employment, the initiative will also empower people in the community.

Roberto A. Ballon, KGMC chairman, said the restaurant will serve cultured grouper fish, oyster or talaba and freshwater crabs.

KGMC, or the Small Fisherfolks Association of Concepcion, is composed of 251 agrarian-reform beneficiaries belonging to the Greenfields agrarian reform community.

Through the help of the DAR-Western Mindanao Community Initiative Project (WMCIP), KGMC’s 251 members who used to be municipal fishermen made a complete turnaround, as they started to culture talaba, catch alimango, then later, invest in “high-end” fish-cage operation—culturing maya-maya and various species of grouper fish, legally.

“Before, we earned less than P100 a day. Our fishing methods were even illegal, considering we used nets that catch even the small fishes. We know it is illegal, but we have no choice. Through the DAR-WMCIP, we changed. Now, we are fish-cage operators,” he said.

The fishing method, locally called sudsod, is destructive since it kills seagrass and the fishes’ natural habitat in the coastal areas.

Now, Ballon, who owns 12 floating fish cages, with his P50,000 investment now earns P8,000 to P10,000 net, on top of other sources of income such as culturing talaba and catching alimango.

Ballon boasts of receiving two national awards, including a Presidential Award for sharing his talaba culture technology to others. While others who culture talaba use bamboo pole as tulos, or rope that they hang underneath to allow talaba to grow, Ballon simply scatters them in the mud.

The talaba grow bigger and even taste better and juicier.

“I just tried it. To my surprise, it worked. So why need to invest to put up structures to culture them when they grow in the mud?” he said.

KGMC members have rights to a 17-hectare land situated in the coasts in barangay Concepcion.

In 2001, DAR, through the WMCIP, a United Nations-funded project under its International Fund for Agricultural Development Program, convinced them to help manage the marine coastal resources and start their own livelihood project, encouraging them to try fish-cage operation.

The group has undergone various seminars to strengthen their capacities, until members are confident enough to start their own livelihood projects. Recognizing the big demand for grouper fish, they agreed to culture the fish variety.

Ballon also organized KGMC, which now has more than two hundred members.

“From 10 members, we now have 251 members. We are doing good business,” he said.

DAR-WMCIP provided KGMC financial support in the amount of P150,000 for the net and fingerlings, including payment for their training.

From six floating cages when they started in 2001, there are now a total of 42 fish cages in the area.

Fish-cage operations generate jobs, according to Ballon.

While some of their members operate fish cages, others catch fingerlings which they buy at P25 each. Within six months, the grouper fish can be sold from P75 to P250 each, depending on the size and variety of the fish.

Ordinary grouper fish, which weighs less than half a kilo each, costs P65 each. However, those that weigh up to a kilo cost P130 each.

A fish cage can accommodate 200 fishes, with a 90-percent survival rate, which is much higher than those that come from hatcheries, according to Ballon.

They also buy what he calls “scraps,” or caught fish that cannot be sold because they are either too small or damaged, at P15 a kilo.

Normally, he said, it will cost a fish-cage operator P3,000 for every 10 feet by 10 feet fish floating cage for the entire season.

To protect their livelihood, KGMC volunteered to help protect the marine coastal resources, including the all-important bakawan or mangrove which they planted. The bakawan serve as natural habitat and protection from predator for young and small fishes.

“People used to laugh at me, because they saw me planting mangroves. They even teased me, saying they will be the ones to cut them later when they mature,” he said.

Fortunately, the local government of Kabalasan passed a resolution that provides permanent protection to the mangrove forests in the coastal barangay, as well as the entire town.

“We have a tie-up with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, that’s why we can move freely. Otherwise, all our livelihood projects here will not be possible,” he said.

Mangrove trees now thrive, resulting in other benefits, including breeding freshwater crabs that could guarantee a P3,000 monthly income for every hard-working member.

“Lazy people don’t get anything. But those who work hard earn more than enough to feed themselves,” he said.

The freshwater crabs are caught using traps with dried fish as bait during high tide.

“It is easy to catch those crabs. You just put the trap, put some dried fish, and wait for the high tide. In the morning, when the water subsides, you’ll have your crabs,” he said.

Ballon said since they have their own source of fresh seafood, they conducted a study regarding the feasibility of establishing their own restaurant to sustain their livelihood.

So far, KGMC has constructed 15 cottages which have started to attract local tourists, who gave them the idea of serving those fresh maya-maya or lapu-lapu that they grow in fish cages, the talaba and those delicious freshwater crabs.

“If other seafood restaurants are making good business out of the fish we sell to them, why can’t we? This way, we can also help provide jobs not only to our families, but other people in our barangay,” he said.

Source: http://www.businessmirror.com.ph/031...economy05.html

[Fundador]

Firm promotes water impounding in areas without irrigation system


The country’s leading coffee brand Nescafé is actively promoting the building of water impounding areas to combat the dry season in farms with no irrigation systems.

Joel Lumagbas, head of Nestlé Philippines, Inc.’s Agricultural Services, reveals that his team at the Nestlé Experimental and Development Farm (NEDF) is educating farmers in building artificial ponds in low-lying areas of the farm lots where rainwater naturally collects.

It’s cheap, easy to build, and better than doing nothing," he says.

Water management is one of the major problems faced by farmers in areas mostly hit by dry weather conditions. In Mindanao, for example, the dry season starts as early as January and lasts until May. Luzon’s dry season, on the other hand, starts as early as December.

How it is done. Lumagbas says that the excavated areas to be turned into artificial ponds should be lined with polyethylene or hardened clay, whichever is most available, from the bottom up to two meters past the lip. This helps prevent water seeping out for easier collection.

"Polyethylene liners, the same materials used in plastic mulches, are the cheaper and sturdier choice. They are readily available in roll sheets in agricultural supply stores across the country," he adds.

The pond can start from as small as 5 by 12 meters at one meter deep per one hectare of farmland since Lumagbas says it takes at least 60 cubic meters of water per hectare of coffee to partially irrigate the crop.

Surviving the dry months. "The idea is to water your crop just enough to survive the dry months," says Lumagbas. He adds that they usually advise farmers to ask their local government units to provide bulldozers if there is a need for bigger projects.

"Otherwise, it’s good old bayanihan labor," Lumagbas says.

As a bonus, Lumagbas says farmers can choose to raise tilapia or catfish or freshwater eels in the pond for additional income.

Established in 1994, NEDF in Tagum, Davao del Norte, serves as the hub of Nescafé’s agricultural research and training activities. Through its expert agronomists, the NEDF continually conducts trials and experiments to discover and develop better techniques of growing coffee. Guided by the results of its research studies, the NEDF develops and propagates Robusta coffee planting materials such as coffee seeds, rooted cuttings, and ready-to-plant seedlings. These are all made available to interested farmers at cost. www.mb.com.ph

[Fundador]

The importance of demo farms


Zac B. Sarian

Demo farms are more effective than you think in transferring profitable and sustainable systems of farming.

Farmers are easier to convince to adopt certain technologies when they actually see examples of doable projects which could inspire them to get into action.

We are particularly glad to note that big corporations such as SM Malls, through its SM Foundation, is partnering with other private firms and government agencies in undertaking training in high-value vegetables and establishing demo farms for farmers to see. See story below.

Earthkeepers in Tiaong, Quezon, is another example of a private initiative which is a showcase of natural farming. Run by Armand and Tere Perez-Saniano, the 3.5-hectare natural farming project is a showcase of sustainable farming and gardening. You should see their gorgeous ornamental plants which are grown without chemical pesticides and chemical fertilizers. Their huge specimens have been displayed in garden shows and have won top prizes.

They are also showcasing how to raise pigs not on cement flooring but on coco coir dust which abounds in Quezon. The usual foul odor in a piggery is eliminated simply by inoculating the coir dust flooring with beneficial organisms and enzymes. The pigs are never bathed and the pigpen is not washed either. It is unlike the traditional piggery which has to be washed with water every day to remove the manure. In the case of the Sanianos’ no-wash pigs, they use the litter which has absorbed the urine and manure of the growing pigs as organic fertilizer for their plants. They also grow a lot of forage plants, like Madre de Agua, for feeding their animals.

The Sanianos also have a practical way of providing protein to their chickens. They feed them with termites which can be cultured by putting old wood in an inverted clay pot and placing the same on the ground where there are termite colonies.

Fortunately, concerned people are getting interested in sustainable farming. Congressman Proceso J. Alcala of the second district of Quezon, for one, has turned to the Sanianos for the training of school teachers and students in organic vegetable production right in their schools. Also, farmers and municipal officials in the towns of the second district of Quezon are now attending trainings on natural farming at Earthkeepers farm in Tiaong. www.mb.com.ph

[Fundador]

Iloilo farmers report record harvest of pest-resistant corn


Marvyn N. Benaning

Corn farmers in Iloilo, particularly in the town of Sara, are now planting genetically enhanced varieties to maximize their profits, with many of them swearing that they have been netting between P25,000 and P35,000 per hectare per cropping season.

Curiously, these farmers are not planting the crop in flatlands but in hostile territory, in the steep hillsides and slopes earlier believed to be hostile to any food crop.

Moreover, the new corn variety they are using, Roundup Ready, fits upland soil and uses practically no herbicides since the strain has been genetically enhanced by Monsanto Philippines to survive with least soil preparation and without the need to apply herbicides that target the dreaded Asian corn borer (ACB).

Rosallie Ellasus, president of PhilMaize Foundation (PhilMaize), who earlier led the holding of the National Corn Congress in Iloilo City, said Iloilo farmers are convinced about the many benefits of Roundup Ready and Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) corn, which have been genetically strengthened to battle practically all types of pests.

Bt corn was developed using the bacteria that naturally fights pests and the trait has been carried by seeds that are now being propagated nationwide, even in the 26,000 hectares of land in Sara, Iloilo that are devoted to corn cultivation.

Ellasus said the yield of Roundup Ready and Bt corn ranges from 4.5 tons to 5.5 tons per hectare, and this figure would not have been achieved with the farmers relying only on the traditional varieties. Monsanto has been very active in promoting the use of genetically enhanced corn varieties in Iloilo and other parts of Panay Island through the "Tipid Saka" program.

The genetically enhanced corn varieties require little tillage and do not even require the use of hand tractors and other equipment normally used in flatlands.

PhilMaize recently sponsored a demonstration of the latest upland farming technology in Iloilo and impressed municipal agriculturists from various parts of the country.

Alexander Bugaon, the municipal agriculturist of Lorto, Agusan del Sur said such farming technology could be applied in their town. Edgardo Escobanez, municipal agriculturist of Kulasi, Antique and Concepcion Cepe, assistant provincial agriculturist and provincial corn coordinator of Antique said they were impressed by the superiority of such corn variety, which can grow better and produce more yield in such highly elevated areas like in the corn plantations in Sara.

Ellasus said genetically engineered, herbicide-tolerant or pest-resistant crops like the controversial Bacillus thuringiensis or Bt corn, gives farmers an edge, as it cuts cost On the other hand, to minimize loss from massive infestation by dreaded pests in the case of corn, the Asian Corn Borer (ACB), farmers need to apply chemical pesticides.

The Bt corn is genetically engineered to resist the ACB. Ellasus said even some of the landless farmers in Iloilo, who see better economic opportunities in planting corn, are now "expanding" their plantation, thus triggering a massive conversion of idle land, including what used to be grasslands, into cornfields in upland areas.

A group of individuals in Iloilo that formed the Northern Iloilo Corn Producers Association, Inc. (NICPAI) also saw the opportunity. www.mb.com.ph

[Fundador]

P26M na ang pinsala ng black bug sa mga pananim sa South Cotabato


KORONADAL CITY - Umaabot na sa P26 million ang halaga ng pinsala dulot ng pesteng black bug sa mga pananim ng palay at mais sa lalawigan ng South Cotabato.

Iminungkahi ni Provincial Agriculturist Rey Legaste sa mga magsasaka na araruhin na lamang ang kanilang mga maisan at palayan sa sandaling hindi na makontrol ang mga black bug.

Napag-alaman na hindi na mapakinabangan pa ang mga pananim na dinapuan ng black bug na kasing laki lamang ng langaw dahil nasusunog ang mga ito dahil sa mabahong ihi at init na dulot ng naturang peste sa mga pananim. www.bomboradyo.com

[chocolato1000]

Maraming matutuwa dito. Kilala niyo na kung sino sino.

Arroyo OKs P1.5B to boost rice production

MANILA, Philippines -- President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has approved a P1.5-billion augmentation for the Department of Agriculture (DA) to increase rice production in the face of an "unprecedented" supply problem on the country's staple food, Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap said Wednesday.

The additional funds will be sourced from "realigning" the budget of select government agencies with “less absorptive capacity,” and Budget Secretary Rolando Andaya is working on it, Yap said in a phone patch interview with reporters at the Palace.

"The President has approved augmentation budget for [rice] production, so we are expanding our wet season target areas, so the President has given P1.5 billion additional for seed support," Yap said.

Arroyo said Tuesday that rice prices were expected to rise, but promised there would be no shortage.

Yap said certified seeds instead of good seeds would be planted in irrigated lands that were not reserved for hybrid rice.

Certified seeds can yield four and a half tons per hectare while good seeds yield three and a half tons per hectare. Hybrid rice seeds yield 6.5 tons per hectare, he said.

"This is very critical. The most important thing to do in the wet season is to distribute, as much as possible, certified seeds so that in the irrigated areas that will not be planted with hybrid rice, they can at least be migrated to certified seeds," he said.

Yap said the "thin" rice supply in the world market was putting pressure on local prices, unlike in 1995 when the country could import rice to address a "supply problem."

"What is happening right now is unprecedented," he said.

Yap refused to give an estimate on how much rice prices were expected to increase, saying he cannot "speculate" on market movements.

Yap said the plan called for the planting of an additional 600,000 hectares (1.5 million acres) of rice during the rainy season in the country's top 10 poorest provinces, and another 500,000 hectares (1.2 million acres) in other provinces. Harvests expected in the months ahead also will beef up supplies, he said.

Yap said the government's rice reserve would last 57 days and that the National Food Authority (NFA) was receiving additional supplies from the international market.

"We're going to get additional support," he said.

The NFA said it has secured 500,000 metric tons (551,155 tons) of rice from Vietnam and Thailand for delivery next month -- part of 2.1 metric million tons (2.31 million tons) to be imported this year.

Rising demand from the Middle East and Africa has hiked the price of rice in Vietnam and Thailand -- the world's top exporters -- to up to US$500 per metric ton, a 25 percent jump from a month ago, the Agriculture Department said.

But even those countries are struggling to keep pace with export demand and there are fears they may curb sales to damp domestic prices and protect their consumers.

The Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU, May First Movement) warned that any shortage or unchecked price of the grain, the nation's staple food, might lead to riots.

The Philippines consumes a total of 11.9 million metric tons of rice annually, most of which is grown domestically.
The market price has increased by an average of P3 (US$0.07) per kilogram from a year ago, Yap said.

He said the government would need to prudently manage its rice stocks, and production and conservation measures must be boosted.

The NFA has deployed "rice marshals" to catch unscrupulous traders who reportedly hoard government-subsidized rice, diverting them from state-run stores to sell them at a higher price elsewhere, said Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita.

NFA chief Jessup Navarro has blamed dwindling rice fields for recurring shortfalls, with many farms in the country's rice growing region of Central Luzon converted to residential subdivisions, golf courses and shopping malls.

Arroyo last week earmarked US$69 million in an effort to cushion the impact of the rising world prices of rice, other goods and crude oil.

She also ordered an expansion of government's hunger mitigation program, including expanding backyard vegetable farming and village food terminals, and intensifying swine restocking and livestock vaccination programs.

By Joel Guinto
INQUIRER.net, Associated Press

[Nabartek]

I don't think it will lead to riots as KMU claimed. Massive protests, siguro. Riots? Hindi naman tayo katulad ng mga Indonesians.

[Weina]

Alarm raised over shark slaughter in RP

The Philippines on Friday expressed alarm over the commercial hunting of the thresher shark, considered a vulnerable species worldwide.

They said there had been a wholesale slaughter of the 10-foot (three-metre) fish, considered a delicacy in Chinese restaurants here.

"We should stop this slaughter to preserve the ecological balance of our priceless natural heritage," said Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Joselito Atienza.

Local marine conservationist Gerry Reyes said many of the sharks were caught in the Verde Passage off the south coast of the main Philippine island of Luzon, which the government has designated a protected area.

Government patrols have recently seized thresher sharks caught by local fishermen living on the northern edge of the Verde Passage, Reyes told AFP.

The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), which put the thresher shark on its "vulnerable" list last year, says the Verde Passage has the highest concentration of marine life in the world.

Atienza said he had asked authorities to help prevent the hunting and slaughter of the sharks there.

Source: abs-cbnnews.com

[Fundador]

Arroyo to visit vegetable farms Saturday
03/21/2008 | 07:04 PM
MANILA, Philippines - President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo resumes her "working Holy Week" Saturday with visits to vegetable and strawberry farmers in the Betag district in La Trinidad town in Benguet province.

A Malacañang statement on Friday afternoon said Mrs Arroyo will motor to Betag for a firsthand look into the plight of upland farmers whose produce have been affected by blight due to temperature fluctuations.

Local government officials, farmers and researchers from the Benguet State University (BSU) will present the result of their studies on the processing of vegetables into veggie noodles, veggie meat, veggie sausage and dehydrated veggie noodles.

They believe processing vegetables instead of selling them to middlemen at low prices in case of natural calamities or a supply glut will help farmers earn higher income from their produce.

During Saturday's visit, Mrs Arroyo will also send off delivery trucks laden with processed vegetables from the country's vegetable bowl to Metro Manila markets.

Before going to Betag, she will distribute government assistance in nearby Puguis village, including rice and checks for farm-to-market road projects.

She will also distribute certificates to operate several Botika ng Barangay, about 3,000 Philhealth cards, certificates to operate Tindahan Natin in La Trinidad, self-employment assistance, scholarships, vegetable seeds, financial support for the vegetable industry, and English reading materials for teachers.

Accompanying her are Rep. Samuel Dangwa of the lone district of Benguet, and Gov. Nestor Fongwa. - GMANews.TV

[Nabartek]

^Hindi kaya makasama sa health ang processed veggies?

Di ko matanto ang processed veggies. Di ko maisip na kumakain ako ng processed lettuce.

[red_jasper]

Originally Posted by Fundador

Arroyo to visit vegetable farms Saturday
03/21/2008 | 07:04 PM
MANILA, Philippines - President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo resumes her "working Holy Week" Saturday with visits to vegetable and strawberry farmers in the Betag district in La Trinidad town in Benguet province.

for that... the President got a potato variety named after her


Saturday, March 22, 2008
New potato variety named after Arroyo (6:45 p.m.)

MANILA -- A new blight-resistant variety of potato has been named after President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo in Benguet University, Malacañang disclosed Saturday.

The variety, sourced from the Centro Internalionale de la Papa (International Potato Center) in Lima, Peru, was named "Gloria Kamaptengan," after "mapteng" meaning "good" in Ibaloi and Pangasinan dialects.

"'Kamaptengan' means 'the best of all,'" Rogelio Colting, president of the Benguet State University (BSU) after more than two years of research from
2005-2007, told Arroyo during her visit to a vegetable trading post in Betag district.

Arroyo was in Betag to see off trucks laden with local vegetable produce bound for the metropolis.

Colting showed her the first-generation tubers of the potato variety, initially codenamed 13.1.1, and said the BSU "would like to name it in your honor."


follow-up


Arroyo grants P10M for veggie noodles research (7:41 p.m.)

MANILA -- After having a new potato variety named after her, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo turned over P10 million to a state university to develop noodles made from Cordillera vegetables and tubers.

A Malacañang statement on Saturday night said Arroyo turned over a check worth P10 million to the president of the Benguet State University (BSU) to pilot the production of the veggie noodles.

BSU researchers earlier had presented Arroyo with prototypes of noodles made from gabi leaves, squash, turmeric, carrots and rhubarb at a vegetable trading post in La Trinidad.

She advised BSU president Rogelio Colting to "concentrate on veggie noodles research and development as your mandate."

"Upon being informed that the veggie noodles could be produced on a commercial scale, the President then released the check whose amount came as a welcome surprise to BSU officials who said they were going to request for only P2.5 million as the BSU's counterpart in their proposed P18.5-million Vegetable Noodles joint project with PGMA-Department of Agriculture (DA) and the local government of La Trinidad, Benguet," the Palace statement said.

Arroyo said the prototypes of the "more nutritious and delicious vegetable-fortified noodles" could later become a part of the "Tindahan Natin" project.

She added that vegetable noodles could solve storage and other problems "in this era of soaring wheat prices" and enthused about the "more and better nutritional choices" for Filipinos with the advent of the local vegetable noodles.

[Fundador]

Rice crisis imminent: farmers group

An activist peasant group suggested that the Arroyo administration may not be telling all that it knows of a "rice crisis" as it disclosed on Saturday the contents of two internal memoranda to President Arroyo which cited rising local and global demand for rice combined with tight grains supply, plus abnormal weather, as among the factors for higher rice prices this year.

The leftist farmers group, Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP), said the factors cited in the two documents, one from the Department of Agriculture (DA) and another from the National Food Authority (NFA), showed that a "rice crisis" is "imminent", particularly by the second half of 2008.

The KMP said Saturday a projected "rice crisis" this year can be gleaned from the two government memoranda it had obtained:

1) "Update on the Rice Situation and Outlook for 2008 and Request for Authority to Import Additional 500,000 MT of Rice and the Corresponding Budget Support for 2008", dated February 11, 2008, and signed by Jessup P. Navarro, National Food Authority (NFA) Administrator;

2) A February 27, 2008 DA memorandum of Secretary Arthur Yap to President Arroyo on the "World Rice Situation and Expectations for 2008"

Rafael Mariano, chairman of KMP and concurrent president of Anakpawis party-list, said "these memos outline the reasons for the impending rice crisis".

"As can be seen from the memos Gloria and her regime knows that a rice crisis is imminent but it is still fooling the people because she is afraid of her political future, but by doing so she is toying with the lives of at least 68 million Filipinos who earn less than $2 a day," said Mariano.

Production can't meet demand
While the Philippines registered a 6% growth in palay production in 2007 and will likely continue to see this repeated in the first half of 2008, these are insufficient to meet the increase in demand and the need to keep adequate supply during the lean months in the third quarter of 2008.

"The registered growth in palay production is not enough to meet the combined effect of an increase in demand and the need to maintain the required buffer stock by July 1, the start of the traditional lean supply months of July to September of each year," the NFA memo said.

The memo said palay production in 2007 was 16.237 thousand metric tons (TMT) or nearly 6% higher than the 15.327 TMT in 2006. The increase is due to a 2.7% increase in area planted to palay plus a 3.16% increase in yield.

The NFA said the Bureau of Agricultural Statistics has projected production in the first half of 2008 at 7.154 TMT or 6.33% higher than 2007.

These gains are not enough to meet the per capita consumption of rice in 2008, which is estimated to increase by 2 kilos from 118 to 120 kilos per capita, the NFA said.

"Rice supply-use estimates for crop year 2007-08 considering three (3) scenario (high, medium, low) showed that despite projected gains in productivity, the country will still require an import level of 1.6 to 2.2 MMT, to fully meet demand and buffer stock requirement good for 90-day by end of June 30, this year," the NFA memo said.

Tight global supply
The NFA said the "tight global rice situation" worsened with China’s reported purchase of 1 million metric tons (MMT) from Vietnam.

Vietnam has informed the Philippines of its supply limitations.

"Vietnam was reported to have already suspended its rice export activities for 2008 due to limited supply. Also Vietnam wrote DA they will only assure 1 MMT rice exports to the Philippines," it said.

The NFA memo also said "world market price of rice remains volatile, increasing at significant levels," which has thus affected NFA’s rice procurements.

From December 21, 2007 to end of January 2008, the NFA memo said it "has procured a total of only 1,658 MT palay (1,077 MT in rice equivalent) or 88% less than the volume procured same month last year."

The NFA memo said "prevailing ex-farm price of palay in major palay producing areas in Luzon (Region 2, 3, 4 & 5) ranged from a low of P11.00/kg (Isabela & Quirino) to a high of P14.50 in Nueva Ecija. In the Visayas, prices averaged at P11.50-P12.00/kg while in Mindanao, prices were higher at P11.00-P14.00/kg."

Abnormal weather
The NFA memo also cited Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration’s (PAGASA) forecast of "abnormal weather" conditions this year as a factor for the projected rice shortage.

"The abnormal weather condition will more likely result to stress the standing palay crop, more especially during its booting stage which would result to low yields," the NFA said.

Based on the other memo, from Secretary Arthur Yap to Pres. Arroyo, it noted the supply constraints of rice-exporting countries.

"In Thailand, palay harvest will be on March – April but the volume is only very limited estimated at 6 MMT (roughly 30% of their annual production) since their main harvest will still be on November where harvest is estimated at 20 MMT," the memo said. "Bulk of their palay inventory is still in the hands of the farmers as they are awaiting for higher prices."

"The Thai government is still holding around 1.5 MMT two-year old rice but the new government is still adamant to touch the volume," it added.

The DA memo also noted that Vietnam and China have "now imposed volume limitations on their rice exports."

It said world rice prices are expected to continue its upward trend especially since "some governments are rushing to build up their inventories."

Long-term measures
Mariano said the information from the two memoranda means that "rice is now a sellers market."

Mariano said rice importation is only a "band-aid" solution, which makes the Philippines "more dependent on other countries."

To help alleviate the rice shortage, the KMP proposed the following long-term measures:

- Increase rice production through "genuine agrarian reform";

- Break-up the local rice cartel;

- Stop conversion of rice/crop farms to non-agricultural uses;

- Scrap deals that give land rights to foreigners.

Arroyo administration: Supply sufficient
The Arroyo administration, in its recent public pronouncements, has tried to assure the public that the country’s rice supply for the year remains sufficient.

Malacañang said that NFA keeps sufficient supply of rice in its warehouses all over the country to last up to next harvest.

Malacañang said that as of March 10, 2008, the government has a total of 415.6 thousand metric tons (TMT) of rice good for 13 days supply.

Yap said 287.7 TMT are in NFA warehouses, while 54.7 TMT are being unloaded and 75.2 TMT are in transit to different destinations around the country.

Yap also said, the Department of Agriculture (DA) is expecting an additional 721.2 TMT of rice to arrive from contracted imports, starting April, which will be good for 22 more days.

The Palace pronouncement said that Yap also noted that a total of 180,800 metric tons (MT) of rice has already arrived in the country and another shipment is expected to arrive within this month. The rice supply is part of the 422,702 mt of rice bidded on Dec. 21, 2007.

It said that the DA is expecting the arrival anytime now of 454,000 MT of rice which was approved in the Jan. 29, 2008 bidding.

To ensure food security, the government has implemented the following measures: strict management of NFA’s procurement and distribution program, implementation of a cross commodity production program, and strengthening of food logistics and distribution projects in all Barangay Food Terminals (BFT) and Tindahan Natin outlets.

The government is also implementing a nationwide rice conservation program as part of the government’s hunger mitigation and food security program.

NFA said the average daily national consumption of rice has gone up from 26,000 metric tons in 2003 to 33,000 tons this year.

Price has doubled in recent purchase
The Philippines recently bought 335,500 tons of rice from Vietnam at an average price of $708.04 per ton cost and freight, for delivery between March and May, officials said on March 18. The price was reportedly double of what the country paid six months ago.

Manila was looking to source 550,000 tons of its national staple at the tender, which was held last week and only attracted bids for 335,500 tons.

The Philippines has failed in three straight auctions to secure the full rice volume that it sought. The average price at the last auction in January was $474.71 per ton.

Industry officials in Thailand, the world's top exporter, have warned that prices could soon rise to $1,000 a ton as even India, a key rice producer like Vietnam, has also curtailed exports.

Rice: Filipino staple – political commodity
"Rice is a political commodity here," said Earl Parreño, an analyst at the Institute for Political and Electoral Reform had told Reuters.

"If there's a shortage, it would really heighten the anger of the people against the government."

Already beset by an intense political crisis due to allegations of large-scale corruption by her administration and an unraveling controversy on allegations of surrendering the Philippines’ sovereign claim to the Kalayaan Group of Islands (known internationally as Spratlys Islands), Mrs. Arroyo may face a bigger one should this "rice crisis" of tight supply and high prices be felt by Filipino consumers. www.abs-cbnnews.com

I suggest somebody make noodles out of malunggay leaves ala spinach fettucine or other alternatives such as kamote leaves, gabi leaves as ingredients for noodles.

I don't understand why pinoys are so fixated with rice. Sobra kumain ng kanin, rice must be considered a side dish like potatoes, corn and yams. Filipinos should cut back on rice diet by adding more vegetables side dishes. A corn diet is said to be good for women as it sweetened the breath and makes the mammary glands bigger like that of the hispanic women.


http://www.gmanews.tv/story/85787/Ar...odles-research

Arroyo grants P10M for veggie noodles research

MANILA, Philippines - After having a new potato breed named after her there, President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo turned over P10 million to a state university to develop noodles made from Cordillera vegetables and tubers.

A Malacañang statement on Saturday night said Mrs Arroyo turned over a check worth P10 million to the president of the Benguet State University (BSU) to pilot the production of the veggie noodles.

BSU researchers earlier had presented her with prototypes of noodles made from gabi leaves, squash, turmeric, carrots and rhubarb at a vegetable trading post in La Trinidad.

She advised BSU president Rogelio Colting to "concentrate on veggie noodles research and development as your mandate."

"Upon being informed that the veggie noodles could be produced on a commercial scale, the President then released the check whose amount came as a welcome surprise to BSU officials who said they were going to request for only P2.5 million as the BSU's counterpart in their proposed P18.5-million Vegetable Noodles joint project with
PGMA-Department of Agriculture (DA) and the local government of La Trinidad, Benguet," the Palace statement said.

Mrs Arroyo said the prototypes of the "more nutritious and delicious vegetable-fortified noodles" could later become a part of the "Tindahan Natin" project.

She added that vegetable noodles could solve storage and other problems "in this era of soaring wheat prices" and enthused about the "more and better nutritional choices" for Filipinos with the advent of the local vegetable noodles.

On the other hand, she said the noodle prototypes could later be shared with noodles manufacturers, and even with the "Go Negosyo" entrepreneurship program.

She ordered the DA to provide technical assistance, the Presidential Management Staff (PMS) to ensure credit assistance and the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) to take care of marketing concerns.

The Palace statement said the BSU is also planning on developing noodles from fruits; cereals like wheat flour, rice, oatmeal, corn and sorghum; root crops like potato, yams, aroids and sweet potato; spices like garlic, onions, celery, black pepper and hot pepper; and herbs like comfrey, tarragon, lemon balm, pitcher plant and white oaks.

In developing noodles from highland vegetables, the BSU explained that processing is "the best way to transport vegetables and fruits from Benguet to other parts of the country with minimal post-harvest losses and lesser transport cost."

"Processing is the best way to utilize fully the vegetables and fruits that easily dry up or rot," aside from being "the best way to produce value-added products from fresh vegetables and fruits such as juice, fresh cuts, and flour, apart from the main product such as noodles," said the BSU brochure in its research findings.

The Vegetable Noodles project is also looking at producing veggie pastas, meats, sausages, nuggets, fresh juices, fresh cuts, grates and strips, soup base, flour and ketchup.

Also in attendance during Mrs Arroyo's visit here and her subsequent foray to the nearby lettuce and strawberry picking fields were Presidential Management Staff head Cerge Remonde and Benguet officials led by Rep. Samuel Dangwa. - GMANews.TV

[Fundador]

Eastern Visayas rice output this year to top 1 million tons

TACLOBAN CITY — The Department of Agriculture is optimistic that rice production in Eastern Visayas will breach the one-million-metric ton mark this year despite production losses to flooding last month.

The latest department report showed that around 70,000 hectares of rice fields, which would have produced rice worth P164 million, have been destroyed by incessant rains. Nearly 60% of these rice fields are in Eastern Samar, which was worst hit by flooding. Around 15,000 farmers, including some 8,000 in Eastern Samar, were displaced.

Eastern Samar, however, contributes only 5% of the total rice production in the region so damage could be considered minimal, said Leo Cañeda, Agriculture regional executive director.

"I remain positive that even with this extreme weather condition, Region 8 will be able to maintain its productivity, considering that the area affected is only minimal and we will be able to hit our production target," Mr. Cañeda said.

He added that the average rice yield per hectare in Eastern Visayas has been increasing. Last year, the average yield went up almost 7% to 3.71 MT per hectare from 3.51 MT/ha in the previous year.

"We remain bullish because the average yield in Region 8 has been increasing. We should maintain the growth momentum," Mr. Cañeda said.

Based on the data of the Bureau of Agriculture Statistics, the total rice output in Eastern Visayas grew 14.3% to 950,000 MT last year. It was the highest growth rate recorded in the country and exceeded even the 2010 production target of the region, he added.

"In 2007, we thought that we can achieve only around 7% growth rate but at the end of the year, we were able to mobilize 14.3% output growth. If this growth will be sustained this year, production output could reach 1.2 million MT by the end of 2008," Mr. Cañeda said.

He said the distribution of certified seeds would play an important role in sustaining the growth.

As of last week, some 7,500 bags of certified seeds were ready for distribution to the provincial and municipal agriculture offices.

Mr. Cañeda said local seed growers will be able to produce at least 37,000 bags of this high yielding variety this year to meet the demand of 30,000 bags for the May-to-October cropping season. www.bworldonline.com

[Fundador]

Landbank extends P125M-loan to agrarian reform projects

By MARIANNE V. GO
The Philippine Star

The Land Bank of the Philippines (Landbank) has extended a total of P125 million in loans to agrarian reform communities through its Agri-finance Solutions (Agrisol) program.

More than 12,000 households in agrarian reform communities (ARCs) nationwide have so far been reached through the Agrisol, a program jointly implemented by Landbank and the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) through the funding support of the World Bank.

Landbank president and chief executive officer Gilda E. Pico said loans were extended to ARCs through various program conduits such as cooperatives, the National Confederation of Cooperatives, countryside financial institutions and anchor firms.

The amount represents 40 percent of the P317 million which Landbank has committed for the program.

The number of borrowers, meanwhile, represents 42 percent of the 28,800 target borrowers of the program.

For its part, the World Bank has extended P25.7 million as grant to the program for capacity-building of cooperatives in the identified areas.

Agrisol aims to strengthen the institutional viability of ARCs through enterprise-based and market-led financing intervention.

Under this program, generation of savings and capital build-up of ARC coops are also being looked at for sustainability and enable them to qualify and have better access to the lending facilities of formal financial institutions.

"In this enterprise-based and market-led financing program, we see to it that the borrowers must have an identified market for their produce or have a marketing tie-up with a reliable market outlet or buyer before specific trainings and financing will be provided," Pico said.

Projects financed under the Agrisol include a variety of agri-related activities or commodities such as palay and corn in Ilocos Norte, Isabela and Occidental Mindoro, geotextile projects in Quezon and Misamis Occidental, rubber and palm oil production in Compostela Valley, sugarcane farming and organically grown bananas in Negros Oriental, and cavendish banana plantation in Davao Norte www.abs-cbnnews.com

[Weina]

Scientist finds lucrative use for Sago palm

A scientist from the University of the Philippines-Mindanao has found a lucrative use for Sago palm that could help uplift the livelihood of the indigenous Manobo tribe.

In her winning entry at the 7th Philippine Council for Industry and Energy Research and Development Fora and Competitions in Industry and Energy R&D, Dr. Dulce Flores, a researcher at the UP-Mindanao, cited that the gram positive bacterium "Enterococcus faecium" yields the most lactic acid from Sago starch through a process called direct fermentation. Lactic acid is natural by-product of fermented products.

Results confirmed that Enterococcus faecium possesses a unique capability of converting starch directly to lactic acid without the need for the costly pre-enzymatic treatment, Flores said.

In the wild, sago yields starch at an average of 25 tons per hectare, holding the record for being the highest starch-producing crop in the world. It is being harvested from the wild in Indonesia and Malaysia and exported as starch. It also grows in the wild in the Philippines but is not considered a crop.

Sago starch can be found in trunks of sago palm (scientific name: Metroxylon sagu) and must not be confused with the rounded tapioca balls, which is produced from cassava, she said.

Flores said it is a potential "green earner" as lactic acid is currently being produced by a number of companies around the world. Beyond its limited use in the food, cosmetic and leather processing industries, its main application is in the field of medical industry particularly in biodegradable sutures, among others.

She noted the need to produce a high volume of inexpensive lactic acid has led researchers around the world to find an alternative process of producing the chemical compound.

"As of this time, the race is about finding the low-cost fermentation process for an equally low cost abundant carbohydrate feed stock," she said.

In 2004, the economic potential of lactic acid in the world market as compared to simply importing it as plain sago starch recorded a staggering 300-fold increase. Sago starch sells at US$ 200 per ton while food-grade lactic acid is being bought at US$ 65,000 per ton, Flores noted. citing an industry report.

"Right now, sago wild stands are waiting to be harvested in several regions in Mindanao," she also said, mentioning sago-endemic areas as the marshes of Agusan and Surigao provinces, Davao Oriental, the Liguasan Marsh, and western Mindanao, particularly Basi-an and Jolo.

The Agusan Manobos, like other tribes in Southeast Asia, consider sago as their staple food.

Prized among ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) countries for its environment-saving properties, it greens large areas such as peat swamps and flooded areas where other trees cannot grow without pesticides and fertilizers. It also withstands forest fires. Despite its potential as a high-yielding crop, sago is known to only 10 percent of the Philippine population. http://news.balita.ph/

[red_jasper]

"... the Philippines is close to signing a deal with Vietnam this week for up to 1 million metric tons of rice that would boost Manila's local reserves, Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap said Tuesday.

A trade representative from Vietnam will arrive Wednesday to finalize a deal with the Philippines, Yap said in a radio interview."

Here