Vol. XXIV No. III A Monthly Publication of the Department of Agriculture March 2009

Hunger dips to 15.5%Hunger dips to 15.5%Hunger dips to 15.5%Hunger dips to 15.5%Hunger dips to 15.5%

(Pls turn to p2)

Massive agri infra projects underwayThe Arroyo administration start-

ing April through June will mas-sively implement irrigation andpostharvest projects nationwide, aspart of its P330-billion program tosustain economic growth, create1.5 million new jobs, and cushionoff the brunt of the global economiccrisis.

Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yapsaid the projects will directly benefitfarming communities under theComprehensive Livelihood andEmergency Employment Program(CLEEP). He is designated as theCLEEP Cabinet CoordinatorCagayan Valley (Region 2) andBohol .

 The task involves rehabilitationand restoration of irrigation facili-ties, covering 48,000 hectares and100,000 hectares, respectively.

Rehabilitation involves minor re-pairs of irrigation canals and em-bankments, while restoration en-tails reviving non-functional sys-

the irrigation component also in-cludes the construction of smallwater impounding projects (SWIPs)and locally-funded  communal irri-gation projects.

 The DA’s National Irrigation Ad-ministration (DA-NIA) saidMindanao and the North LuzonAgribusiness Quadrangle will ben-efit most in terms of total area.

 In Mindanao, rehabilitation willcover 15,993 hectares; and resto-

ration, 31,781 hectares.  In NLAQ, where Secretary Yap

is the regional development czar, irrigation systems for rehabilitation 

will serve 17,865 hectares, and forrestoration, 42,971 hectares.

 For Metro Luzon Urban Beltway,excluding National Capital Region,

irrigation systems for rehabilitation cover  8,634 hectares, and for res-

toration, 10,846 hectares. For Cen-tral Philippines, 5,508 hectares are

for rehabilitation and 14,405 hect-ares for restoration.

 For the postharvest component,the DA has allotted P600 million toset up of flatbed dryers and agri-cultural tramline systems.

 This year, the DA is also con-structing various farm-to-marketroads (FMRs), spanning over 2,000kilometers, which will create53,000 jobs.

 

Hunger incidence among Filipinofamilies has eased down to 15.5percent (%) from 23.7%, during thelast three months from December2008 to Feberuary 2009, accord-ing to the recent survey of the So-cial Weather Stations (SWS).

“This is proof that the Arroyoadministration’s efforts to attainfood security and make basicstaples available at affordableprices to low-income consumersare yielding tangible results,“ saidAgriculture Secretary Arthur C. Yap.

He added that the positive resultsof the SWS 2009 1st quarter surveywill serve as a strong impetus forthe DA and its attached agenciesto further step up theimplementation of their foodsecurity and sufficiency programsthat are meant to increase theincomes of farmers and fisherfolk,and ensure the adequate supply ofbasic foodstuff at affordable prices,primarily for the benefit of ordinaryconsumers.

 The hefty 8.2% drop, equivalent

to 1.43 million families, could betraced to the combined efforts ofthe national government,particularly President Arroyo’shunger mitigation initiatives,Secretary Yap said.

These include the Food forSchool Program (FSP), whichinvolves the daily distribution,through the DA-National FoodAuthority (DA-NFA), of one kilo ricefor free to over three millionschoolchildren and their families.

 Another is Programang GulayanPara sa Masa (PGMA),spearheaded by the DA-Bureau ofPlant Industry (DA-BPI), which hadbenefited close to 2 million families,and the establishment of about240 Bagsakan Centers or foodterminals in Metro Manila and otherregions, which had become asource of affordable rice,vegetables, fruits, meat and fish forpoor families.

The DA chief said such positiveSWS survey results couldn’t have

As part of its continuing effortsto ensure that its funds are well-spent, the Department of Agricul-ture has created national and re-gional monitoring teams that willconduct periodic field validation andappraisal of infrastructure projects.

The move dovetails a previouspolicy imposing rigid guidelines onthe release of project funds to part-ners that include local governmentunits, or farmers and fishersgroups, NGOs and people’s orga-nizations (POs).

Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yaphas designated in a concurrentcapacity DA Region 2 ExecutiveDirector Gumersindo Lasam as thenational monitoring team leader.

The teams have already begunvalidating completed and ongoinginfrastructure projects, particularlyfarm-to-market roads (FMRs), irri-gation systems, and postharvestfacilities.

In their initial report to SecretaryYap, Lasam said they have so farinspected 375 FMRs and 97 irriga-

DA forms inframonitoring teams

Korea donates4 rice centers

Korea is providing a $13-million

grant to build four rice processing

centers (RPCs) in the provinces of

Pangasinan, Iloilo, Bohol and

Davao del Sur.

It forms part of Korea’s continu-

ing development assistance,

through the Korea International Co-

operation Agency (KOICA), to the

Philippinines particularly to promote

farm mechanization and efficient

post harvest operations.Agriculture Secretary Arthur C.

Yap and KOICA managing direc-tor Choi Sungho signed on March27 the records of discussion, alongwith the respective governors of thefour provinces: Amado Espino(Pangasinan), Neil Tupas, Sr.(Iloilo), Enrico Aumentado (Bohol)and Douglas Cagas (Davao del

(Pls turn to p15)

(Pls turn to p15)

tems and thus involves major civilworks such as  excavation, con-struction of diversion dams and ca-nals.

Costing a total of P10.163 billion,

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo (right) and Agriculture

Secretary Arthur Yap (2nd from right) listen appreciatively

as farmer-leaders thank them for the repair of an irrigation

system in Barangay Concepcion, Lubao, Pampanga,

enabling them to plant a third palay crop.

Writers: Adora D. Rodriguez, Arlhene S. Carro, Mc. Bien Saint Garcia

Contributors: Info Officers of DA-RFUs, Bureaus, Attached Agencies &

Corporations, Foreign Assisted Projects

Photograhers: Jose Lucas, Alan Jay Jacalan & Alarico Nuestro

Lay-out Artists: Almie Erlano, Alan Jay Jacalan & Bethzaida Bustamante

Circulation: Teresita Abejar & PCES Staff

Printing: Oscar Barlaan & Romulo Joseco

2

Editorial

is published monthly by the Department of Agriculture

Information Service, Elliptical Road, Diliman, Quezon City. Tel. nos.9288741 loc 2148, 2150, 2155, 2156 or 2184; 9204080 or tel/fax 9280588.This issue is now available in PDF file. For copies, please send requests

Editor-In-Chief : Noel O. Reyes

Associate Editors: Karenina Salazar, Joan Grace Pera, Cheryl C. Suarez

Hunger ... (from p1)

Moving on to further relieve hungerLast year’s global food

problem has regrettably pushedclose to a billion people downthe ranks of the hungry andtens of millions back intopoverty, according to the Foodand Agriculture Organization ofthe United Nations (UN-FAO).

The Philippines was well-heeled to have weathered thecrisis, as President GloriaMacapagal Arroyo and Agricul-ture Secretary Arthur Yap havedecisively confronted thechallenge head-on.

They took a rapid, holistic andfocused strategy to cushion theimpact of the unprecedentedrise in food prices, particularlyon the Filipino poor.

Foremost, she launched theFIELDS program, which is one-year old on April 4, 2009.

For his part, Secretary Yaphas ably marshalled the DAfamily and partners to ensurethat rice, vegetables, meat andother basic food commoditieswere made accessible andaffordable particularly to thosewho needed them most.

These include food productionand distribution initiatives suchas the Gulayan ng Masa,Tindahan Natin, BagsakanCenters, and Food for SchoolProgram.

The President’s efforts andthose of Secretary Yap and therest of the DA family areauspiciously paying off.

Hunger incidence has dippedto 15.5% in February 2009 fromthe previous 23.7% in Decem-ber 2008, according to anationwide Social WeatherStations (SWS) survey.

The numbers are encouragingand heartwarming — confirmingthat President Arroyo’s foodsecurity and hunger reduction

programs are making a bigdifference, when and wherethey matter most.

The SWS asked 1,200respondents (particularlyhousehold heads) if they“experienced hunger and did

not have anything to eat onlyonce or a few times (classi-fied as moderate hunger), or

often or always (severehunger) in the last three

months.”

The results showed thatmoderate hunger went down to11.1% (2 million families) from18.5% (3.3 M families), whilesevere hunger dipped to 4.4%(810,000 families) from 5.2%(940,000 families).

In all, the eight percentagepoint reduction is equivalent to1.43 million families.

While the survey is favorable,there is much to be done — asabout 2.81 million families arestill hungry.

This remains one of the

major hurdles that Secretary

Yap and the entire DA family

have yet to surmount.

While the task is doubly

challenging — as manyFilipinos, here and abroad,may be eased out of their jobsdue to the economic slowdown

— there is an air of confidence

that we could once againsurvive and pass the test.

We hope the results of theSWS survey will further boost

the resolve of the DA family to

accomplish more, given wider

latitude and resources this

year, in continued partnerships

with farmers’ and fishers’groups, LGUs, the privatesector — to lift more Filipinofamilies from the pangs ofhunger and bondage of poverty.

As part of the  Accelerated Hun-ger Mitigation Program (AHMP) ofPresident Gloria Macapagal Ar-royo, the Department of Agriculturethrough the National Food Author-ity (DA-NFA) has supplied a totalof 5.1 million bags of rice, benefit-ting three million elementaryschoolchildren, since 2004 underfor the Food for School Program(FSP).

Aimed at mitigating malnutritionamong schoolchildren and minimiz-ing hunger among their families, theFSP is jointly implemented by DA-NFA and the Departments of Edu-cation (DepEd) and Social Welfareand Development (DSWD).

NFA administrator Jessup P.Navarro said under the program,each pupil is given a kilogram ofiron-fortified rice everyday, wheneverhe or she attends class.

The total number of rice distribu-tion days varies depending on thescheme determined by the DepEdand the DSWD. The two agenciesbuy the iron-fortified rice from NFA

3M school kids benefit from NFA riceat P20 per kilogram, or P1,000 per50-kg bag, which are then repackedand delivered to target schools.    

Navarro proudly reported the FSPhas achieved its twinobjectives, saying: “The most vis-ible benefit of the program is theimproved health and nutritional sta-tus of the beneficiaries, which ledto improved school attendance andenhanced academic performance.”

The FSP creates a ripple effect,as the children share the rice withother family members, thus satis-fying in part their daily food neeeds.

The NFA is currently completingrice deliveries of 480,100 bags of50 kg each, under the FSP phase2 “Thirteen Days School Program”for school year (SY) 2008-09.

 In all, as SY 2008-09 ends,Navarro said the FSP has benefiteda total of 1,846,564 pupils, 64% ofwhom are in 20 food-poor provinces,18% each in the National CapitalRegion, and in the top 100 poorestmunicipalities. (NFA Public Affairs

Dep’t.)

come at a more appropriate timeas the nation observed the firstanniversary of the National FoodSummit—held in Pampanga lastApril 4, 2008—in which PresidentArroyo rolled her administration’sfood security and sufficiencyprogram dubbed as FIELDS(Fertilizer, Irrigation, Extension andtraining of farmers and fisherfolk,Loans, Dryers and otherpostharvest facilities, and Seedsand genetic materials).

The SWS reported that thenumber of Filipinos whoexperienced severe hunger(respondents experienced it veryoften) decreased from 5.2 % (about940,000 families) to 4.4 %  (downto 810,000 families) while moderatehunger (those that experienced itnot that often) declined from 18.5

% (3.3 million) to 11.1 % (2 million

families).

 The latest survey showed thatOverall Hunger is now lowest in

Mindanao as it declined by 22

points from a record-high 33.7 % (1.4 million families) in December

to 11.7 % (490,000 families) in Feb-

ruary.

Hunger incidence declined by six

percentage points in Metro Manila,

from a record-high of 23.3 % (esti-mated 570,000 families) to 17.3 %

(estimated 430,000 families).

For the rest of Luzon, hunger in-cidence went down by five points,from 20%  (1.6 million families) to15%  (1.2 million families); and byone percentage point in theVisayas, from 20.7% (750,000 fami-lies) to 19.7%  (730,000 families).  

 

Secretary Yap shares light moments with school children in

San Miguel, Bulacan.

3March 2009

The Philippines and Papua NewGuinea (PNG) signed a Memoran-dum of Understanding (MOU) onfisheries -- one of major highlightsof the recent visit of PNG PrimeMinister Michael Somare to thecountry.

President Gloria Macapagal Ar-royo and Prime Minsiter Somarewitnessed the MOU signing be-tween Agriculture Secretary ArthurYap and PNG National FisheriesAuthority Minister Ben Semri, atShangri-La Resort in Boracay.

President Arroyo said the MOUis a concrete manifestation of thetwo countries’ commitment to sus-tainable fishery develoment.

In broadstrokes, theagreement in-volves en-hanced tech-nology trans-fer betweenthe two coun-tries on aquac-ulture and ma-rine fishery re-search anddevelopmentand training,promotion ofjoint fishing

RP, PNG forge fisheries pact

Fishers surrender tuna tags,receive cash rewards

Three fishermen from this Albaycoastal city were the first in Bicolto get cash incentives from theOceanic Fisheries Programme(OFP) for returning five tags foundon yellow fin tuna they recentlycaught at the Pacific Ocean.

Department of Agriculture-Bureauof Fisheries and Aquatic Re-sources (DA-BFAR) region 5 direc-tor Dennis del Socorro identifiedthem as Domingo Bansagales,Rogelio Biron and FernandoEsplan, all from Tabaco City, at thenortheastern coast of Albay.

Bansagales turned over threeyellow plastic tags, Biron andEsplana one each.They said theycaught the yellow-fin tuna in the Pa-cific Ocean, about two miles off theeastern coast of Tabaco.

After validating the tags, delSocorro handed the fishermencash rewards.

The five tagged tunas weigh about5 kilos each, and were part of aschool of about 50 yellow fins,Barsagales said.

Del Socorro explained that thetuna tag retrieval project is aimed

at sustainably conserving and man-aging the tuna stock in the West-ern and Central Pacific. The projectis under the New Caledonia-basedSecretariat of the Pacific Commu-nity (SPC), and funded by theWestern and Central Pacific Fish-eries Commission.

The DA-BFAR and the NationalFisheries Research and Develop-ment Institute at the University ofthe Philippines oversees its imple-mentation in the Philippines.

Other countries involved in theproject are Brunei, Cambodia, In-donesia, Malaysia, Myanmar,  Thai-land  and Vietnam.

Del Socorro said placing tags ontuna would give better informationon fishery-exploitation rates andpopulation sizes, and improve as-sessment of r big eye, skipjack andyellow fin tuna species in the West-ern and Central Pacific Ocean.Tuna is highly migratory, spanningacross entire Pacific Ocean.

All tagged tuna have one or twoplastic dart tags inserted below thesecond dorsal fin and an identify-ing number printed twice on its tag

with the words, SPC NOUMEA-REWARD—www.spc.int/tagging.

Most of the tags are yellow. If thetag is green or orange, the tuna willalso have an electronic tag insideits body cavity, the SPC said.

Tuna with green-dart tags have avaluable acoustic tag that is not vis-ible, while those with orange havean archival tag that can be seenbecause it has a clear antennacoming out of the body cavity.

SPC gives cash incentives of $10for yellow tags, $50 for green and$250 for orange.   

It added that 2,400 pieces of thesaid fish species were tagged bycountry-participants and releasedat a predetermined area and date.

Del Socorro said, the successof this project would depend on thecooperation of stakeholders espe-cially those involved in tuna fisher-ies because the more tags re-turned, the more accurate informa-tion would be obtained, thereby pro-viding the best scientific advice forfuture tuna fisheries and manage-ment. (Business Mirror)

ventures, and infusion ofinvestments, and strate-gic complementation ofeach country’s plans andprograms in response tothe challenges andopportuinities presentedby the Coral Triangle Ini-tiative (CTI).

The Philippines andPapua New Guinea aremembers of the CTI,spearheaded by theWorld Wide Fund for Na-ture (WWF).

The ‘coral triangle’spans 6.5 million squarekilometers, encompass-

Bicol deBicol deBicol deBicol deBicol devvvvvelops 4 innoelops 4 innoelops 4 innoelops 4 innoelops 4 innovvvvvaaaaatititititivvvvveeeee

seaweed food productsseaweed food productsseaweed food productsseaweed food productsseaweed food productsThere are now four viable and prof-

itable uses of seaweeds, accord-ing to the Department ofAgriculture’s Regional IntegratedFisheries Research Center (DA-RIFRC) in Bicol.

Center chief Aida S. Andayogsaid they have developed four new

President Arroyo (right) and Papua New Guinea (PNG) Prime Minis-

ter MIchael Somare (2nd from left, standing) witness the forging of a

fishery agreement between the Philippines and PNG, signed by Secre-

tary Arthur Yap (right) and PNG Fisheries Minister Ben Semri.

innovative products from seaweeds,namely: jam, pickles, tart, and in-fant food.

She said these have bigagribusiness potentials, and giveBicolano fishermen and entrepre-neurs.

The four seaweed products wererecently showcased during a projectvisit at the RIFRC Research Out-reach Station (ROS) in Cabid-an,Sorsogon by a group from the De-partment of Agriculture’s Bureau ofAgricultural Research (DA-BAR).

The group, led by Joell H. Lalesand Ferdinand Dax S. Lorena of thePlanning Unit, conducted the visitto foster RDE collaboration and tointensify ties with the region.

Andayog said the four newseweed food products enjoy com-petitive advantage, because they

are unique and indeed nutritious.

They can also add to the list of

Bicol’s One-Town-One Product

(OTOP), along with pili and abaca.The Technology Commercializa-

tion Unit (TCU) of the DA-BAR has

assessed the products for possible

support in terms of product devel-

opment through packaging, pro-

cessing, and nutritional tests.The TCU monitors viable tech-

nologies on agriculture and fisher-ies from the different DA R&D insti-tutions, and recommends additionalfunding. (Ferdinand Dax C. Lorena,

DA-BAR)

ing Indonesia, East Timor, Malay-sia, the Solomon Islands, PNG andthe Philippines.

It provides direct livelihood andincomes to about 130 million fish-

ermen and their families in said 6countries, as it is one of the world’smajor spawning and nurserygrounds of important marine fishspecies such as tuna.

4

The Government of Japan for-mally turned-over to the Philippinesthrough the Deaprtment ofAgricultre some 34,905 metric tonsof ammonium sulphate fertilizersprocured from the Y600 Milliongrant agreement under the 7th Non-Project Grant Assistance (NPGA)of Japan, in ceremonies held at thePort of Subic on March 4, 2009.

The  Honorable Minister andHead of Chancery Jiro Okuyama,Economic Section Second Secre-tary Shimpei Ishido of the Em-bassy of Japan, representing theGovernment of Japan; Departmentof Agriculture Undersecretary andExecutive Director of the NationalAgricultural and Fishery CouncilBernie Fondevilla representing theGovernment of the Philippines; andMr. Daniel Oñate, Vice-Presidentfor Marketing and National SalesManager, Agrotech AgriculturalProducts, Inc., representing theconsignee of the third and lastshipment of fertilizers, graced theoccasion. 

 The first two tranches of the fer-tilizer shipments which arrived lastFebruary 1 at the Iloilo Port    andFebruary 12, 2009 at the BatangasPort were consigned to La FilipinaUygongco Corp., and Danat Fertil-izer Corporation, respectively.

 The ceremony was also wit-nessed by Mr. Rommel Herrera,Officer in charge of the BilateralAssistance Division, InternationalFinance Group of the Departmentof Finance, DA Region III RegionalExecutive Director Redentor Gatus,Mr. Kevin Fitzgerald of the CrownAgents and Mr. Oftociano Manalo,President of Region I Federation ofIrrigators Associations, Mr. Fideldela Cruz, Terminal Manager, Sea-port Department, SBMA, as wellas members of the NAFC Bids andAwards Committee.

Japan turns over fertilizer grant

The Philippines is helping BruneiDarussalam boost its rice produc-tion.

As part of this initiative, 19 riceresearchers, extension workers,and producers from Brunei were inthe country this month for neededtraining and capacity enhancementat the Department of Agriculture’sPhilippine Rice Research Institute(DA-PhilRice).

Brunei hopes to increase its3.15% rice self-sufficiency level in2007 to 20% by 2010, and 60% by2015 to reduce its reliance on riceimportation.

It imported 29,252 tons of rice in2007, which was almost 100% ofits domestic requirement and bufferstock.

Brunei seeks RP’s help to increase rice production

 In his speech, MinisterOkuyama hopes that those do-nated fertilizers can help farmersimprove their productivity for thenext planting season in May. 

He also announced that the Gov-ernment of Japan has again ex-tended the 8th NPGA amountingto Y700 Million through an Ex-change of Notes signed betweenthe two governments on February16, 2009.  He remarked that itshows well his government’s deter-mination to cooperate with the Gov-ernment of the Philippines as muchas possible in assisting thecountry’s socio-economic develop-ment efforts.

 He added that the proceeds gen-erated from the sale of the dona-tion are used to support variouskinds of socio-economic develop-ment projects.  In closing, Minis-ter Okuyama hopes that this willserve as another bridge that willfurther strengthen and deepen thefriendship and cooperation betweenJapan and the Philippines .

 Undersecretary Fondevilla in hisacceptance speech thanked theGovernment of Japan for its untir-ing support to the development ofagriculture in the country as wellas its contribution to the smallfarmers who are the direct benefi-ciaries of the donated fertilizers. He hopes as well, that this friend-ship and cooperation strengthenfurther the ties between the two gov-ernments.

 As representatives of the con-signee and the farmer-beneficiaries,Oñate and  Manalo, respectively, expressed their gratitude to theGovernment of Japan for this grantand hope that the agriculture sec-tor in the country attains self-suffi-ciency in rice in the near future.

(DA-NAFC Planning Monitoring &

Communication Group)

In spite of the 18-month un-expected gap, the Departmentof Agriculture’s Mindanao RuralDevelopment Program (MRDP)is picking up steam, so tospeak.

Funded by the World Bank,the MRDP is five-year povertyreduction initiative implementedby the DA, with counterpartsfrom concerned local govern-ment units.

To date, the program has pre-pared about P1.77-billion worthof subprojects, across variouscomponents in different stagesof implementation.

The bulk of which is under theRural Infrastructure component,with 234 subprojects in 125LGUs amounting to P1.61B.

Construction of sevenprojects worth P52.8M are on-going, while 29 projects worth160M are either waiting for thenational government’s Certifi-cate of Availability of Funds(CAF) release/notice to pro-ceed. 

At least 198 more projects,amounting to P1.4B, are at vari-ous stages of implementation. 

These include construction offarm-to-market roads of over 302kilometers, 37 meters of singlelane bridges, 150 hectares ser-viceable area of irrigation, and8 units of potable water sys-tems.

In terms of livelihood andagribusiness opportunities, 64livelihood projects amounting toover P15M have benefitted11.082 households acrossMindanao, 36% of which ac-

P1.8-B MRDP projects underwaycounts for indigenous peoplesand almost half of the benefi-ciaries are women who arecovered under the CommunityFund for Agricultural Develop-ment (CFAD) component. 

CFAD has also prepared 548livelihood projects, worthP128M. Majority of which, or526, is ready for implementa-tion.

Meanwhile, the Investmentfor Governance Reform com-ponent has completed close to90% of its training targets tostrengthen LGU partnershipand capacity. 

The WB noted the effectiveMonitoring and InformationSystem established by theprogram as being simple,user-friendly and contains themost essential date required. It was even recommended foradoption both within the projectand within the DA.

Reports cited region 9 as thetop performing region, havingP37.57 M worth of projects,wherein four are on-going.

CARAGA is second, withP68.58-million worth of sub-projects.

In terms of number and costof project proposals on a perLGU basis, Tagum City, Davaodel Norte, leads with 6 projects,worth P58M; followed by NewCorella, Davao del Norte, with7 projects at P37M. 

The town of Alicia,Zamboanga Sibugay has 3projects, worth P23.6M, andInitao, Misamis Oriental has 5projects worth P20M. (MRDP)

In his recent state visit to the Phil-ippines, His Majesty, Sultan HajiHassanal Bolkiah said the rice pricecrisis in early 2008 and the loom-ing threat of food insecurity world-wide prompted him to strengthen hiskingdom’s domestic agricultural production, especially rice, and tomake food security a long-termpolicy priority of his government.

On February 23-26, the DA-PhilRice dispatched a five-man teamto Brunei to assess the country’spotential for rice self-sufficiency.

Thereafter, Agriculture SecretaryArthur C. Yap visited Brunei onMarch 3-4 to firm up the Philippinegovernment’s technical assistance.

The recommended areas of as-sistance to Brunei include varietal

Irrigation Administration is also part

of the technical team of experts.

The multidisciplinary team is alsotraining Brunei’s Ministry of Indus-

try and Primary Resources-Depart-

ment of Agriculture personnel onland preparation, cropestablishment,water management,and use of rice machinery.

DA-PhilRice will also showcasea rice farm with at least 4 ton perhecatre yield.

More rice technical experts,skilled workers, and farmers are tobe dispatched to Brunei.

(PhilRice Web Team)

improvement, demonstration andpromotion of rice production tech-nologies, capacity building, dis-

patch of rice technical experts and

skilled workers, and promotion of

rice machinery.

The first batch of DA-PhilRice

skilled workers and technical ex-

perts is currently in Brunei until April

18.They will establish a 10-hectare

rice technology cum seed produc-

tion demonstration farm and set up

screenhouse trials of 220 breedinglines.

An engineer from the DA-National

5March 2009

Two projects on high-value cropspromotion and commercializationwere recently completed througha counterpart funding of the localgovernments of Ormoc City, BiliranProvince and the Department ofAgriculture’s Bureau of AgriculturalResearch (DA-BAR).

The first involves the establish-ment of a bagsakan or tradingcenter, initiated by the Ormoc Fed-eration of Vegetable Growers, andsupervised by city agriculturistImelda T. Remollo.

The second involves respectiveagricultural development projectsin four municipalities in Biliran.

Through the bagsakan center,the Ormoc vegetable growers nowsupply the needs of the city, aswell as Tacloban City, and otherparts of Leyte, and Cebu.

The project also entails provisionof needed farm inputs to sustainproduction of pest-resistant andhigh-yielding vegetable varieities.

The group is composed of 76farmer-cooperators from 21barangays, who completed a four-month technology demonstrationin Brgys. Dolores, RM Tan, andSan Jose.

They growers tapped East West

Go home and plant veg-etables.

This advice directed atFilipino balikbayans andretirees comes from a Japa-nese retiree, Hiroyoshi Ono,who has been doing businessand living in the Philippinessince 1959.

Better still, he added,emulate US First LadyMichelle Obama, who hasdeveloped a vegetable patch

at the White House toproduce organic vegetables forPresident Barack Obama andtheir children.

Ono is spreading the gospelof organic farming in thecountry and asking anyonewho listens to join the band-wagon since the trade oforganic products is worth $90billion annually.

“There is a big potentialmarket for vegetables not onlyin the Philippines but also allover the world. Unfortunately,Filipinos could not takeadvantage of the situation,” helamented.

Only a paltry three percentof all agricultural land in the

Pamplona, Camarines Sur —Harnessing the rich soil, a farm-ers’ cooperative here converted anidle, seven-hectare land into a veg-etable farm.

That was last year.The group now expects to earn

about P2 million from the sale ofampalaya grown at the vegetablefarm.

“And to think that the ampalayaplantation is only 1.5 hectares, therest of the land planted to eggplant,okra, string beans and cassava in-tercropped with corn is expectedto yield bigger returns, perhapsmore millions of pesos,” accord-ing to Diego Tud, the Pamplonamunicipal agriculturist.

Indeed, there is money in veg-etable farming and the experienceof the Pamplona Farmers’ Coop-erative (PAMFACO) in BarangayTambo would attest to that, Tudsaid.

The cooperative got the landthrough a P10,000-a year lease

Bicol farmers’ coop expects millions

from veggie farmagreement with a private owner andinvested P120,000 for land prepa-ration, production inputs, labor andplanting materials.

They first focused on ampalaya.Six months later, the first har-

vest yielded about 8,000 kilos ofthe vegetable sold at the wholesaleprice of P13 per kilo in some“bagsakan centers” in Metro Ma-nila, Tud said.  

“That would be the case eachmonth this year, as they are stillcurrently harvesting the fruits of thefirst crop.

“And considering the fact that theeconomic life of ampalaya palntslasts for 20 harvest-months. AtP104,000 per harvest-month, thecooperative stands to realize totalsales of some P2 million from thisvegetable alone,” he said. 

The other crops would soon startto be harvested, giving the coop-erative more income, Tud added.

He said the economic benefitsfor members of the cooperative

Pinoy retirees, expats urged

to go home, plant veggiescountry is planted to veg-etables, Ono said. In the entireCordillera, only 40,000 hect-ares are devoted exclusively tovegetable culture.

“The Philippines actually hasthe lowest volume of veg-etables produced compared toother countries,” Ono noted,saying that the culprit for thislow interest in vegetablefarming is poor soil fertility dueto the excessive use ofpesticides and fungicides byfarmers.

Ono explained that the useof these chemicals has killedmicroorganisms that serve asnutrients for plants.

These microorganisms, hesaid, inhabit only the topsoiland 80 percent of their activityis concentrated there.

To revitalize the soil andmake it appropriate for veg-etable farming, Ono turned tothe use of microorganisms,particularly the effectivemicroorganisms (EM) technol-ogy developed by Dr. TeruoHiga of the University of theRyukyus in Okinawa.(Manila

Bulletin)

BAR supports two LGU-led

projects on vegetables, nurserySeeds Company to provide techni-cal support and seeds in the pro-duction of vegetables such asampalaya, tomato, eggplant, andsweet pepper.

On the other hand, the Biliranproject involves three components,namely: establishment of a nurs-ery and scion grove; production ofhigh-value vegetables; andcutflower production.

Of the three, the nursery andscion grove has the biggest impact,according to Corsino Jadulco, atechnical evaluator commissionedby DA-BAR.

The project now provides farm-ers with quality grafted plantingmaterials, and no longer from otherprovinces.

The proponents of the other twoprojects (on production of veg-etables and cutflowers) will pack-age production managementguides and other informative mate-rials for dissemination to farmer-beneficiaries in their respective lo-calities.

The two projects aree fundedthrough the coordination of DA-BAR’s Technology Commercializa-tion Unit (TCU).

(Miko Jazmine J. Mojica, DA-BAR)

would spread to other residents ofbarangay Tambo as PAMFACOemploys over a dozen people fromthe community. They do variousfarm activities like weeding, plant-ing, spraying, hauling, fertilizer, har-vesting and packing.

Apart from the seven-hectare veg-etable farm, PAMFACO also main-

tains a 38-hectare cassava planta-tion. The land is owned by mem-bers of the cooperative.

PAMFACO has a marketing dealwith San Miguel Corp.’s B-MegFeed Mills, in Pili, Camarines Sur,which uses the yield from the plan-tation for its livestock feeds factory,Tud added. (Business Mirror)

ampalaya before they are delivered to the market.

A member of the Pamplona Farmers Cooperative sorts

6

CHARM 2 project kicks off

The Department of Agriculturethrough the Bureau of Fisheriesand Aquatic Resources (DA-BFAR)-- in tandem with the Local govern-ment units, fishers’ groups and theprivate sector -- has recently es-tablished two additional maricultureparks (MPs) in Bacon andMagallanes, Sorsogon, bringingthe total to 40 such large scalemarine fish production ventures inthe country.

In a report to Agriculture Secre-tary Arthur Yap, BFAR DirectorMalcolm Sarmiento, Jr. said of the40 MPs, 16 are in Visayas, 13 inMindanao, and the rest in Luzon.

“Mariculture parks operate muchlike industrial estates on land, withinvestors setting up or renting fishcages to grow high-value marinespecies such as bangus, lapu-lapu, siganids, seaweeds and otherhigh-value aquatic organisms,” saidSarmiento.

Along with the LGUs and otherstakeholders, a managementcouncil is organized by the DA-BFAR and a development plan iscrafted to ensure thesustainability of each MP venture.

 “Mariculture parks are not onlypractical and economical but arealso ecology-friendly,” Sarmientosaid. 

To illustrate, you don’t have tocut a single mangrove tree in rais-ing bangus, in a sea cage,Sarmiento said.

It is also more economical be-cause it would cost only aboutP150,000 to put up a sea cage,while development cost for a hect-are of fishpond would reach aboutP1 million, he added

 Moreover, yields could reach asmuch as five tons in a 10 x10 x 5meter-sea cage in a mariculturepark, which is the same as in aone-hectare fishpond.

 With production cost of P70 toP75 per kilo, he said a fish farmercould easily earn some P90,000.00 per cropping per cageor a total of P 180,000.00 for twocropping periods per year.

“To further increase his earnings,a fish farmer can also growdanggit or samaral in cages in tan-dem with bangus,” he said.

After one cropping with 1,680 fin-gerlings, the danggit catch couldreach an estimated 100 kilos,which could easily fetch an addi-tional cash of P 8,800.”

“This is a far cry from the usualtwo to three kilos of fish caught on

DDDDDA-BFA-BFA-BFA-BFA-BFAR sets upAR sets upAR sets upAR sets upAR sets up

40 maricultur40 maricultur40 maricultur40 maricultur40 mariculture pare pare pare pare parksksksksksordinary days by a marginal fisher-man using traditional fishing meth-ods,” Sarmiento said.

 Fish farming in mariculture parksdoes not only mean assured profitsfor small fisherfolk, but also reducedworking hours, more savings on fuelcosts, and fewer hazards to life andlimb as well, he added.

To encourage small fisherfolk toventure in mariculture parks, hesaid the BFAR helps fishermen or-ganize themselves into coopera-tives and enroll in its “Rent-a-Cage”Program.

Under this scheme, the fishermencould start raising fish and pay thecage rent, including the cost of pro-duction after selling their produce,he said.

A bamboo fish cage costsP350,000 and a GI pipe cage,P576,000. This amount covers thecost of the cage, fingerlings, feedsand labor, among others during thegrow-out period, he said.

Within a period of two years oran average of four harvests, he said

a fishermen’s cooperative could beable to pay in full the cost of thecage and acquire additional cagesfor their business venture.

Sarmiento said five fisherfolk-families are currently enrolled in the“Rent-a-Cage” program.

Besides empowering smallfisherfolk, Sarmiento said the es-tablishment of mariculture parkswill also help mitigate the ill effectsof climate change on the fisheriessector.

 “Coral bleaching, changes in themigratory patterns of fishes, occur-rence of dreadful diseases and

even mutation are among the ad-verse effects of climate change onthe marine environment,” he said.

 Sarmiento said maricultureparks provide a respite for marinelife to flourish and increase in popu-lation without any adverse effectson the environment.

  For instance, the combinationof fish cage and seaweed farmingwould ensure natural nutrient cy-cling as the seaweeds would needthe carbon dioxide given off by thefish,  which in turn would benefitfrom the oxygen produced by theformer, he explained. 

The Second Cordillera HighlandAgricultural Resource ManagementProject (CHARMP 2) was officiallylaunched March 13, 2009, inQuezon City, by the Department ofAgriculture and the InternationalFund for Agricultural Development(IFAD) of the United Nations (UN).

CHARMP-2 will operate in 37 mu-nicipalities in all six provinces of CAR--Abra, Apayao, Benguet, Ifugao,Kalinga and Mountain Province--where poverty incidence is high.

Directly benefting 12,530 house-

holds, the project builds on the firstCordillera Highland Agricultural Re-source Management Project to fur-ther reduce poverty and improvethe livelihoods of indigenouspeoples.

CHARMP 2 will implemented un-til 2015, with total project cost of$66.4 million.

IFAD has extended a soft loanof $26.6M and a technical grant of$561,000.

The Asian Development Bankand OPEC Fund for International

Sana Foday Kebba Jatta (center), Philippine country program

manager of the International Fund for Agricultural Develop-

ment (IFAD), and DA-Cordillera Regional Director Cesar

Rodriguez lead the ceremonial toast at the launch of the 2nd

Cordillera Highland Agricultural Resource Management

Project, with officials of co-impelementing agencies and guests.

Development have likewise ex-tended a loan of $10M each.

In line with IFAD’s strategy ofsupporting sustainable natural re-source management, the projectfocuses on the value of indigenousfarming systems, which are envi-ronmentally sustainable.

The aim is to increase the addedvalue of products from farming sys-tems that are both organic and en-vironmentally sustainable.

The project supports thegovernment’s decentralizationpolicy by promoting the participa-tion of local communities in plan-ning activities, and by supportinglocal government units providingservices to the communities.

It also supports implementationof the Indigenous Peoples RightsAct, landmark legislation that rec-ognizes the values and institutionsof indigenous people and their rightto manage the natural resourcesin their domains.

The project introduces new in-novations, such as commercializa-tion of indigenous peoples’ prod-ucts through value chain develop-ment and market linkages.

It also aims to strengthen partici-patory systems of monitoring andevaluation of project activities, andthe capacity of indigenous peoplesand their councils of elders to as-sume responsibility for forest man-agement.

7March 2009

The Department of Agricultureconstructed 1,682 kilometers (kms)of farm-to-market roads (FMRs) in2008, involving 1,334 projects andgenerating 25,359 jobs.

 Said accomplishment wasrecently reported to AgricultureSecretary Arthur Yap byUndersecretary Jesus EmmanuelParas.

On per super region basis, Parassaid majority of the FMRs was builtin Mindanao, spanning 606 kms,involving 259 projects.

It was followed by CentralPhilippines, with 496 kms; NorthLuzon Agribusiness Quadrangle,425 kms; and Metro Luzon UrbanBeltway, excluding Metro Manila,

From the RegionsSelected news and developments on agriculture, fisheries, agribusiness and relatedsectors, as reported by the DA-Regional Field Units, and those published in nationaland provincial publications.

Agriculture Secretary Arthur C. Yap (right) issues instructions

to DA Region 9 Director Oscar Parawan (left) and NIA Region

9 Director Alberto Lacuaren, during inspection of FMR and

irrigation projects in San Pablo, Zamboaga del Sur.

SACY allots P20Mto finish Zambo Sur FMR

Negrense corn farmers, consum-ers and feed millers are happythese days with the recent estab-lishment of a corn post harvest fa-cility and trading center in SagayCity, Negros Occidental.

Worth P37 millon, the corn hubwas funded by the Department ofAgriculture through the NationalAgribusiness Corporation (DA-NABCOR).

DA Region 6 Executive DirectorLarry P. Nacionales said the facil-ity will further boost the growth ofthe corn,feedmilling, livestock andmeat industries in Negros andWestern Visayas.

For his part, Negros OccidentalGovernor Isidro Zayco thanked theDA and NABCOR for choosingSagay among several towns in theregion. He assured that the centerwill be maximized, and properlymaintained and managed.

He thus urged the farmers toplant more corn, as trading andpost harvest processing will beeasier, and thus they will earn moreincome.

Of the total project cost, P20 Mwas spent for post harvest facili-ties such as cob dryer, sheller andgrain dryer. The local governmentof Sagay shared P12 M as coun-terpart in the form of the building,land, and setting up of a three-phase electric power to run theplant. The remaining P5 M is allotedfor operating capital to buy corn in

P37-M corP37-M corP37-M corP37-M corP37-M corn centern centern centern centern centerup in Saup in Saup in Saup in Saup in Sagggggaaaaay Cityy Cityy Cityy Cityy City

DA built 1,682 kms of FMRs in 2008182 kms.

The DA will speed up theimplementation of FMR and otherinfrastructure projects in the firstsemester of 2009 to create neededjobs and stimulate economicactivity in the countryside.

Further, the DA will closelymonitor the implementation of allprojects to ensure that funds arejudiciously used by partners likeLGUs, NGOs and farmers’ groups.   The task will be done by newly-created national and regionalmonitoring teams that will conductperiodic field validation and rapidappraisals, and thereafter submittheir findings and recommendationsto Secretary Yap. 

cobs from farmers. The first five years, the center

will be managed by the DA-NABCOR. Therafter, the center willbe turned-over to the local govern-ment of Sagay.

 Last year, Western Visayas pro-duced 349,300 tons of corn, withNegros Occidental contributing81,475 tons (yellow - 44,020 tons;white - 37,455 tons). (Theresa A.

Gerafil, DA-RFU 6)      

To complete a major farm-to-mar-ket road in San Pablo, Zamboangadel Sur, the Department of Agricul-ture is alloting P20 million as coun-terpart.

Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yapmade the commitment upon the in-struction of President GloriaMacapagal-Arroyo, when she vis-ited San Pablo March 17.

The amount will be spent to com-plete a 21-kilometer road networkconnecting two barangays in thetown of Guipos with nine barangaysin San Pablo.

Ot the total length, only one-fifthor 4.28 km is concreted, while theremaining 16.72 km is in bad shape,reported Zamboanga del Sur Gov-ernor Aurora Cerilles.

In reply, President Arroyo said:“Kinahanglan unta mahuman

ang tibuok karsada, makahatagkita ug mga materyales aron maimprove ang karsada ugmatabangan labi na ang mgamag-uuma.” (We need to finishthe road. We can give materials toimprove the road, and help espe-cially the farmers.)  

Immediately, Secretary Yapcommitted P20 million as the  DA’scounterpart to the project, saying:“Kailangan magtulungan angLGU at ang DA sa paggawa ngkalsada.” (There is a need for theLGU and DA to help each other in building roads.)

For his part, DA Region 9 Direc-tor Oscar Parawan explained theP20 million is the DA’s initial coun-terpart to purchase  constructionmaterials. A memorandum will besigned to effect the counterparting

agreement between the DA and theProvincial Government ofZamboanga del Sur.

Further, Dir. Parawan reportedseveral agricultural infrastructureprojects in Zamboanga Peninsula,namely:

•Completed a diversion dam inCulasian, San Pablo, worth P2million, constructed under the Sup-port to Emergency LivelihoodProject (SELAP);

•Construction of a Small WaterImpounding project (SWIP) inBarangay Payag , worth P730,000.The San Pablo LGU shared a coun-terpart of P146,000;

•Ongoing improvement of the6.33-km Sagasan-Sacbulan  FMR,worth P1M, with San Pablo LGUcounterparting P200,000, under theDA’s Zamboanga Peninsula Agri-cultural Development Program(ZIADP). (Melba B.Wee, DA-RFU9)

Negros Occidental Governor Isidro Zayco (right) shakes hands

with DA-NABCOR President Allan Javellana, as they unveil

the marker of the P37-million Sagay corn postharvest center.

Looking on are Congressman Alfredo Marañon (2nd Dist.,

Negros Occidental) and DA Region 6 Dir. Larry Nacionales.

8

Meet the ‘seedling queen’ of San Ildefonso

Who could have thought that afishball vendor would later turninto a millionaire?

By following her gut-feel,Desiree “Daisy” Duran, hasbecome one of the most suc-cessful vegetable growers ofBasuit, San Ildefonso, Bulacantoday.From seeds . . .

While she only finished el-ementary, it never hindered herdetermination to learn, to be anentrepreneur, and to succeed.She has proven time and timeagain that she is no ordinarywoman for she knows what shewants and goes out of her way toget it.

Before she discovered thebenefits of growing vegetables,Daisy sold fishballs and isaw aswell as other grocery items toBasuit locals to augment theincome of their household.

Eight years ago, Daisy firstventured into planting off-seasonvegetables after attending afarmers’ training under the “Unlad

Buhay sa Nayon Program” of theBulacan Agricultural StateCollege, the Provincial Govern-ment of Bulacan and the Munici-pal Government of San Ildefonso.

But what pushed her to greaterheights, along with her fellowvegetable farmers in SanIldefonso, was the sustained andvigorous support extended tothem by the Department ofAgriculture through SecretaryArthur Yap.

“Kami’y nagpapasalamat kaySecretary Yap at sa kanyangpamunuan sa DA.

“Siya ang kauna-unahangKalihim ng Pagsasaka nabumisita sa San Ildefonso, atlumusong sa bukid.

“Siya ang nagpadaloy muling patubig sa aming bayan, nakung saan nakinabang ang 11barangay, na ngayon aynakakatanim na ng

By Adora Dolores Rodriguez

tatlong beses kada taon.“Suli na sulit ang biyaya ang

ibinigay sa amin ng DA at niSecretary Yap.”

Thus said Daisy of her benefac-tor.

When she started in 2001 shefirst planted grafted tomato to a

1,000-square meter plot, whereshe earned a cool P70,000.00,not bad for a newbie in theindustry. Later, she converted aone-hectare family-owned rainfedriceland into an oasis of pinakbetveggies, which include eggplant,ampalaya, upo, and patola. Shehas also planted hot and sweetpepper, cucumber, and tomato.All of which she intercrop withSinta papaya.…to seedlings…

In 2003, Daisy yet againventured into another income-generating project. With theassistance of the Department ofAgriculture, the East-WestSeed Company, and the localagri offices, she developedseedlings to sell to othervegetable growers in theirarea who do not have thetime or expertise to do so.

In three years time,Daisy--now dubbed asthe seedling lady ofthe province--expanded her

single

greenhouse project into 6 unitscapable of producing less than200,000 assorted vegetableseedlings on a monthly basis.These seedlings are sold atP2.00....to fruits…

What was once a quiet and

quaint community in the outskirtsof San Ildefonso, Basuit is nowknown as the Vegetable Basketof the municipality thanks toDaisy all the other vegetablegrowers in the area.

The group, thru her leadership,has formed the Basuit FarmersMulti-Purpose Cooperative. It laterbecame part of the bigger SanIldefonso Vegetable GrowersMPC, also formed in 2001, withDaisy as its founding chairpersonand currently its manager. Fromthe original 50 members, the SanIldefonso MPC has grown 10-foldto 500.

Thecooperativewas arecipient of aSmall WaterImpoundingProject,open dug

wells,

and shallow tubewells, organicfertilizers and seeds – through a50:50 counterparting scheme withthe DA. It also received a deliveryvan and plastic crates from theDA’s Bureau of PostharvestResearch and Extension.

On her own, she applied for aloan with the DA-NationalAgribusiness Corporation(Nabcor) that enabled her to buyan elf truck, which she uses todeliver vegetables to variousmarket outlets.

And through the DA’s directmarket linkage program, Daisyand the San Ildelfonso vegetablegrowers MPC got even bigger asthey were able to sell their off-season vegetables wholesale tosuch major markets as Mega QMart and Balintawak.

To date, Daisy and her fellowvegetable farmers in SanIldelfonso continue to sell directlytheir produce at bagsakancenters and food terminals minusthe middlemen thus giving thembigger profits.…to profits.

Indeed, small seeds whenproperly nurtured turn into bigfruits, and in Daisy’s case, bigbig profits. With her earnings, shewas able to acquire half a hectareland, a truck, an owner-type jeep,a motorcycle, and a 4x4 pick-uptruck. She is also able to providequality education to her threeteenage children, as well asemployment to the dozens ofwomen in her community.

Nowadays, Daisy not onlyextends her seedling stocks toother vegetable growers but giveslectures and teaches her testedtechnology on its production andmarketing strategy. She evengets to travel to share her knowl-edge and success. (DA Info

Service)

Daisy in a sea

of tomato seedlings.

‘Kami’y nagpapasalamat kay

Secretary Yap... Siya ang kauna-

unahang Kalihim ng Pagsasaka

na bumisita sa San Ildefonso,

at lumusong sa bukid.’

9March 2009

The Department of Agricultureis revitalizing the pili nut industryin Bicol through a P150-millionprogram aimed at commercializ-ing crop production and trans-forming it into one of the Philip-pines’ export winners.

In a report to Secretary ArthurYap, DA Region 5 ExecutiveDirector Jose Dayao said the PiliDevelopment Program (PDP)involves massive replanting ofseven pili varieties in the five Bicolprovinces of Albay, CamarinesNorte, Camarines Sur,Catanduanes and Sorsogon.These areas account for 82% ofthe country’s total pili nutproduction.

“Pili has high potentials forbeing a top export commodity, asit can very well compete withmacadamia, cashew, almond andwalnut in terms of quality,” Dayaosaid.

The PDP will kick off with theproduction and distribution of

The Cavite State University(CvSU), through the NationalCoffee Research Developmentand Extension Center (NCRDEC),has successfully developed twonew coffee varieties.

These are recently registeredwith the National Seed IndustryCouncil (NSIC) of the Departmentof Agriculture’s Bureau of PlantIndustry (DA-BPI).

The two varieties are: coffee

liberica L., commonly called“Cavite Barako or kapeng

makapal; and coffee Robusta(coffea canephora L.) also knownas “kapeng manipis.” 

NCRDEC Director Alejandro C.Mojica and Engr. Rene Marasiganassisted CvSU with the registra-tion process with NSIC.

The Liberica variety was

Cavite develops two new

coffee varieties

CvSU Barako (left) is easily recognized by its large berries,

flowers and leaves. CvSU Robusta (right) is characterized by

umbrella-shaped growth.

P150-M pili nP150-M pili nP150-M pili nP150-M pili nP150-M pili nut prut prut prut prut prooooogggggrrrrram in theam in theam in theam in theam in the ofofofofoffffffingingingingingquality plantingmaterials throughthe existingnurseries of theDA, privatesector, localgovernment units(LGUs) andresearch outreachstations.

Through theLGUs, the DA willalso establishtechno-demofarms and pili orchards; distributeorganic fertilizers and provide soilanalysis services; conducttraining and provide extensionsupport to farmers; undertakeresearch and development work,marketing activities and monitor-ing and evaluation of the Pro-gram.

Dayao said the target areasunder the PDP will cover a total of5,000 hectares, of which 75% or3,750 hectares are located in the

municipalities of Bacacay,Malilipot, Malinao, Sto. Domingo,Tiwi and Tabaco City; Rapu-rapu,Camalig, Daraga, Manito andLegazpi City; Guinobatan, Libon,Ligao, Pio Duran, Oas, Polanguiand Jovellar in Albay.

The other PDP areas are: 150hectares, in Camarines Norte;

600 hectares in CamarinesSur; t150 hectares inCatanduanes; and 350hectares in Sorsogon.

Under the Program, theDA will showcase produc-tion and processing tech-nology through model farmsto be put up at the locallevel, particularly within theregion’s Strategic Agricul-tural and Fisheries Develop-ment Zone (SAFDZ).

Dayao said the research,promotion and developmentefforts under the PDP involve theproduction of quality productswith vast market potentials;establishment of strong market-ing linkages between users andproducers; and improvement ofthe packaging of pili products andby-products.

formally registered “CvSU Barako”(NSIC 2007 CF– L01), while theRobusta variety as “CvSU Ro-bust” (NSIC 2007 CF–R07).

The CvSU Barako has a strongpharmacological taste and flavor.It ‘s distinguishing physicalcharacteristics are its berries,flowers and leaves which arelarger than other varieties.

On the other hand, CvSURobusta is a high-yielding varietyand characterized by large,umbrella-shaped growth whenpruned. It has thin leaves, andyields heavy clusters of berries.This variety is more resistant topests and diseases.

CvSU coffee varieties plantingmaterials are being grown andavailable at the NCRDEC coffeenurseries.(PCARRD )

The Department of Agriculturethrough the Bureau of AgriculturalResearch (DA-BAR) will under-take 102 new and continuingCommunity-based ParticipatoryAction Research (CPAR)projects, where farmer-coopera-tors earn additional incomes asthey directly undertake on-farmresearch activities.

 Since its inception in 1999,CPAR has benefited more than7,000 farmer-cooperators all overthe country, reported BARDirector Nicomedes Eleazar toAgriculture Secretary Arthur Yap.

One of them is Carlos Gamiao— a farmer-adopter of a CPARvegetable research and livelihoodproject in Brgy. Cabisera 10,Ilagan, Isabela — who said:

“Talagang malaki angnaitutulong sa aming pamilyang kita sa mga gulay mula saCPAR project. Ginagamitnamin itong pambili ng karne,at allowance para sa amingmga anak na nag-aaral.Talagang napakaganda ngCPAR.” (The income fromvegetables as a result of a CPARproject has indeed helped ourfamily a lot. From it, we buy meatfor food, and school allowance forour children. Indeed, CPAR is avery good project).

Funded by the DA-BAR, CPARis implemented at the baranggaylevel through the 16 DA RegionalIntegrated Agricultural ResearchCenters and Bureau of Fisheries

DA-BAR approves

102 CPAR projects

and Aquatic Resources-ResearchOutreach Stations nationwide. Itis undertaken in coordination withthe local government units(LGUs), national and regionalresearch implementing units, theacademe, and small farmers andfisherfolk as cooperators oradopters.

 Of this year’s 102 projects, 40are in Luzon, 24 in Visayas, and38 in Mindanao .

 Dir. Eleazar said that asfarmers participate in a particularresearch activity, they areprovided with farm inputs andtechnical assistance. In theprocess, they learn modernfarming technologies that pavethe way to increasing their farmproductivity and incomes.

The CPAR project is sustainedthrough re-dispersal and rolloverof benefits to succeeding or next-in-line community adopters,Eleazar added.

 Among the CPAR technologyinterventions are crop diversifica-tion, poultry and livestockproduction, use of improved cropvarieties and organic fertilizers,integrated nutrient management,integrated pest management, andother cultural managementpractices.

 With such technologies,farmer-cooperators learn tomaximize the use of their farm-land and available resources,employ sustainable and inte-grated farming systems ap-proach, and in the processproduce more food and earnadditional income for their family.(Rita T. dela Cruz, DA-BAR)

10

Thus was the advice of Agricul-ture Secretary Arthur C. Yap tothe more than 220 graduates of theCamarines Sur State AgriculturalCollege (CSSAC).

“Keep your entrepreneurial spiritalive. Do not be contented whenhired for a job, but instead aspireto be job generators,” SecretaryYap said during commencementceremonies held March 27 at theCSSAC Calabanga campus.

He also urged the graduates to“never stop learning. Find your ownniche. Be always cheerful. Findtime to laugh. And always keepfaith in God.”

Despite his hectic schedule, theDA chief attended the affair uponthe invitation of CSSAC PresidentAtty. Marito T. Bernales and Dr.Alden S. Bonot, Dean of theCSSAC Institute of Industrial Tech-nology and head of the Calabangacampus.

Secretary Yap also met brieflywith the officers and members ofthe Hinagyanan Integrated Farm-ers Association (Hi-Farm), andFederation of Irrigators’ Associa-tions (FIAs) of three other adjoin-ing municipalities (Bombon,Magarao and Canaman), both led

by Ernesto de los Reyes.They personally thanked and

handed him their respective BoardResolutions, for all the assistancethe DA has extended to them.

Among the package of assis-tance they have received are: 1unit flatbed dryer, 2 units of recir-culating dryers, 1 unit rice drumseeder, 120 bags of certifiedseeds,1 water pump, and fertiliz-ers discount coupons.

In addition, Hi-Farm was chosenas site for the 50-hectare technodemo on modified rapidcomposting (MRC), while the FIAsreceived 7 units of flatbed dryers.

Thereafter, Secretary Yap led theceremonial turnover of a P3.87-million check to CSSAC presidentMarito Bernales. The amount rep-resents the DA’s counterpart to theP5.4-million goat meat and milkproduction project in Camarines Surunder the Bicol Calamity Assis-tance Rehabilitation Efforts(BCARE).

Before he went to back to Ma-nila, the DA chief met briefly withlocal mediapersons, and sharedwith them the DA’s major initiativesin 2009.

Also present at commencement

rites was Camarines Sur Con-gressman Luis R. Villafuerte, whocame to personally hand over toSecretary Yap his recently pub-lished book on malunggay. He alsoasked the DA chief to support hiscampaign for a massive plantingof malunggay not only in his dis-trict but in the entire province, andto assist CSSAC.

In response, Sec. Yapcommitted to provide CSSAC with

P5 M for post-harvest facilities.Other top officials at the CSSAC

commencement were: CalabangaMayor Evelyn S. Yu, DA-BFAROIC-Regional Director Denis delSocorro, DA-RFU 5 asst regionalfor research Edgar Madrid, nationalfisherfolk leader Charlie Capricho,and senior officials and faculty ofCSSAC main campus. (Editor’s

note: Ms.Bordado is Regional Infor-

mation Officer of DA-RFU 5.)

Be entrepreneurs!By Emily B. Bordado

Agriculture Secretary Arthur C. Yap (left) delivers his

message to the graduates of the Camarines Sur State Agri-

cultural College (CSSAC), in Calabanga. Looking on are

(from left) CSSAC President Marito Bernales, Rep. Luis R.

Villafuerte and Calabanga campus Dean Alden S. Bonot.

More than 100 organic fertilizerproduction facilities will be put inEastern Visayes to raise rice pro-duction in low-yielding farms.

Arman Arcamo, regional coordi-nator of the Department of Agricul-ture-Bureau of Soils and WaterManagement (DA-BSWM), said129 organic fertilizer centers will beset up in the next two years. Some12,900 hectares of low-yielding ricefarms are expected to benefit.

Each facility will provide institu-tional support to farmers’ groupsand local governments to producetheir own organic fertilizers,Arcamo said.

Of the 129 units, 18 will be inEastern Samar, 14 in NorthernSamar, 30 in Samar, 41 in Leyte,18 in Southern Leyte, and eight inBiliran. The first set will be put upwithin the first semester.

Priority areas are those wherepalay yields are less than the na-tional average of 3.8 tons per hect-are, as well as to 4th, 5th and 6thclass municipalities.

Each facility is capable of pro-viding the fertilizer requirements of100 hectares, Arcamo said.

Organic fertilizer hubsto rise up in E. Visayas

Agriculture Secretary Arthur C.Yap recently swore into office twotop DA officials in NorthernMindanao, namely: Constancio C.Maghanoy, Jr. as Regional Techni-cal Director (RTD) for Extensionand LGU Support, and Engr.Roxan Hojas as RTD for Adminis-tration, Finance, Information, Plan-ning, Regulatory and Research.

Before his appointment, RTDMaghanoy served as manager ofthe DA-Northern Mindanao Inte-grated Agricultural Research Cen-ter (NOMIARC). He has a MastersDegree in Public Administration atMedina Colleges in Ozamis City,and a BS in Agriculture at the Cen-

The project is envisioned to re-duce the use of imported chemicalfertilizers for rice by at least twobags per hectare. Farmers couldsave as much as P2,200 to P4,130per hectare.

This will also reduce pollution ofsoils in agricultural areas withchemical residues, and improveecological balance through the con-version of farm waste into compostfertilizer, Arcamo said.

For his part, Leo Cañeda, DARegion 8 executive director, saidthey’ve been promoting balancedfertilizer strategy, which advocatesthe judicious use of organic-inor-ganic fertilizer combinations, with-out sacrificing the yield targets.

Eastern Visayas has 57,000hectares devoted to rice production,with most of the areas applied withinorganic fertilizers.

Organic fertilizers address ma-cronutrient deficiency of the soil innitrogen, phosphorus, and potas-sium. It also improves soil’s waterholding capacity. Thus, it facilitateseasy absorption of the needed nu-trients by the crop’sroots.(Business World)

DA-10 has new RTDs

Agriculture Secretary Arthur

C. Yap administers the oath

of office to DA 10 Regional

Technical Directors

Constancio C. Maghanoy, Jr.

and Engr. Roxan Hojas.

tral Mindanao University.RTD Hojasis is an agricultural en-

gineering from Xavier University,where she also earned a Master’sdegree in Public Administration andManagement. She has attendedseveral foreign and local trainings,and clinched scholarships from theUSAID, JICA and AusAid. Sheserved as OIC-Chief of the PlanningDivision before her appointment.

11March 2009

National Food Authority Admin-istrator Jessup P. Navarro said theNFA is already operating an initialeleven units of mechanical dryersusing biomass furnace to boost itsdrive to reduce grains post-harvestlosses and cut the cost of palaydrying.

  The eleven units now in opera-tion are part of the 91 units of graindryers complete with biomass fur-nace the agency bought to be usedduring the first half of this year aspart of the FIELDS (Fertilizer, Irri-gation, Extension,Loans, Dryersand Seeds) program of the govern-ment to increase the country’spalay production.

Navarro said post harvest lossesparticularly in palay increases dur-ing the main harvest which coin-cides with the rainy months whenfarmers’ income is low.

“Grains losses during this perioddue to improper grains drying alsosets back our efforts towards ricesufficiency,” said Navarro.

The NFA addresses this problemby continuously upgrading its dry-ing facilities to cater to the farmersneed. Based on the agency’srecord, however, the utilization ofmechanical dryers remain low pri-marily due to the high cost of fuelfor mechanical dryers, according to

NFNFNFNFNFA noA noA noA noA now using biomass-w using biomass-w using biomass-w using biomass-w using biomass-fffffed meced meced meced meced mechanical drierhanical drierhanical drierhanical drierhanical driersssss      Navarro.

“Through the extensive use ofmechanical dryers among farmers,we expect to reduce the estimated14 percent losses in the country’spalay production,” he added.

“At 65 percent milling recovery,this volume is equivalent to 1.48million metric tons or close to 30million bags of rice. This could con-tribute a lot in attaining the country’sgoal towards rice self-sufficiencyand in reducing the incidence ofhunger and poverty, “ he empha-sized.

An NFA study conducted on theperformance of batch-recirculatingmechanical dryer retrofitted to a pro-totype biomass furnace proved tobe adaptable and cost viable in theagency’s dryer installation.

The use of biomass fuel signifi-cantly reduced the cost of dryingby around 36 percent. “Lower costcould eventually attract more farm-ers to avail of NFA’s grains’ dryingservices and give them the oppor-tunity to produce quality grains thatcould demand a better price in themarket,” said Navarro.

For more information on the story,the public may send their inquiriesvia Text NFA program through mo-bile number 0917-6210927.(NFA

Public Affairs Department)

ATI trains more agri techs

on ‘PalayCheck’The Department of Agriculture

through the Agricultural TrainingInstitute (DA-ATI) as of March2009 has trained more than49,700 Agricultural ExtensionWorkers (AEWs) on PalayCheckin 14 regions of the country. It willtrain about 152,900 more start-ing May.

The trained AEWs will subse-

quently train farmers by estab-

lishing PalayCheck Field Schools

(PFS) in their respective regions.

To date, the DA-ATI has put up

1,452 Farmers’ Field Schools

(FFS) nationwide.

PalayCheck was initiated in

2004 by the DA-Philippine RiceResearch Institute (PhilRice) in

Quick Turn Around (QTA) for Lubao Farmers. With the

timely repair of the Porac-Gumain River Irrigation System,

thus expanding the service area to about 3,130 hectares,

farmers in Lubao, Pampanga, are now enjoying a third palay

cropping or aptly a ‘Quick Turn Around.’ Above, Secretary

Arthur Yap joins them in a recent transplanting ceremony.

The Deparment of Agriculture’s Na-tional Dairy Authority (DA-NDA) hasa new administrator, in Atty. OrkhanUsman.

A former Deputy Administrator ofthe DA’s National Tobacco Admin-istration, from 2006 to 2008, Usmansaid he would focus on how to in-crease the country’s dairy produc-

NDA has new chief

collaboration with the Food andAgriculture Organization (FAO) ofthe United Nations.

It is a dynamic rice crop man-agement system (RICM) that in-cludes processes such as pack-aging technologies as “keychecks,” checking managementpractices of farmers against thebest practices exhibited in thedemonstration farms, comparingresults, and learning throughfarmers’ group discussion.

The key checks serve as stan-dards on which existing farmingpractices are compared, and thebest practices are decided andagreed upon, which are thenadopted and employed. (Vic Thor

A. Palarca, DA-ATI)

tion which, right now, accounts for amere two percent of the national re-quirement.

He also plans to increase the num-ber of dairy zones and push dairyfarming and livelihood projects tobenefit farmers and their families,especially children, especially in de-pressed communities, and upgradelocal cattle stock by means of artifi-cial insemination.

He thanked President Arroyo andAgriculture Secretary Arthur Yap forgiving him the chance to lead NDA.  

He is married to Merenisa Moti-Usman, a medical doctor, with whomhe has a son, Orkhan Jr.

Minimizing or controlling the foulodor from pigpens has been a chal-lenge tomany swine raisers.

Unknown to many, Felimon ‘Boy’Santander, a swine raiser inMandug, Davao City, has adopteda modified biogas digester, whichhe built 14 years ago.

For his feat, he was chosen asPCARRD’s Magsasaka-Siyentista

It effectively eliminated the un-pleasant odor from his pigpen, atthe same time providing his house-hold free cooking gas.

Since then he has promoted thetechnology to fellow swine raisersin Davao, and providing assistancein constructing their biogas digest-ers.

His modified digester is simple,with sizes ranging from two to 20cubic meters. It uses concretematerials.

A political science graduate,Santander has been a SangguniangBayan technical staff, when swineraising was just a hobby and sourceof additional income.

It never occurred to him that such

Davao swine raiseris also biogas advocate

would redeem him after he ran andlost the race for an elected position.

Needing to have ends meet, heraised swine in his backyard.

He self-trained; did lots of researchon animal diseases, breeding, andproduction; and made the hobby afull time source of income in 1997.

It’s not unlikely for him to pursueswine raising full-time.

His parents raised all of his eightsiblings through income derived fromswine raising.

His skills in constructing modifiedbiogas digester gained popularity notonly in Davao City, but also in Davaodel Sur, Compostela Valley Province,Davao del Norte, Bukidnon, Capiz,and in other parts of the country.

He did this by conducting technol-ogy clinics and fora through the helpof Southern Mindanao Agricultureand Resources Research and Devel-opment Consortium (SMARRDEC).Further, he advocated for agri-wastemanagement and sludge utilizationfrom biogas as organic fertilizer withSMARRDEC and B-Meg Philippines.

Santander also founded the

Mandug Peoples’ Cooperative withhis neighbors, who established theirown pigpens and went into biogastechnology.(PCARRD S&T MediaService)

12

A digest of selected news, developments and breakthrough agriculture, fisheries,agribusiness and related fields culled from websites and publications of

international institutions and organizations.

Rice bran oil to cut

cholesterol

A form of vitaminE found naturally inrice bran oil lowerscholesterol in rats.

The researchshows that total cho-lesterol levels in ani- m a l sdropped by 42 per cent, and LDLor ‘bad cholesterol’ levels droppedup to 62 per cent after the rats’ di-ets were supplemented withtocotrienol rich fraction (TRF) iso-lated from rice bran oil.

The findings support increasingevidence of the benefits oftocotrienols, a form of the vitaminthat has been less widely re-searched than the more well-knowntocopherol form.

While corn, wheat and soybeansare rich in tocopherols, tocotrienolsare found in greater quantities inbarley, oats, palm and rice bran.

Rice bran oil lowered LDL levelsin humans by 7 per cent, althoughthey did not identify the compoundspresent in the oil that were respon-sible for this effect.

TRF inhibits the activity of HMG-

CoA reductase, an enzyme in-volved in cholesterol biosynthe-

sis.The most effective dose in rats

was 8 IU kg per day. Extrapolatedto humans, a person with an aver-age body weight of 154 poundswould get around 560 IU, which isclose to the 400 IU of vitamin E nor-mally taken.

Rice bran oil, or other sources oftocotrienols, could be of interest tofood makers looking to enter thegrowing category of cholesterol-lowering foods, currently dominatedby products containing plant ste-rols.

Cholesterol is a major risk factorfor heart disease, the disease thatkills more people than any otheraround the world.

So far, there is no adverse effectsof tocotrienols.

TRF reduces cholesterol in hu-mans as well as in animals.

Five healthy volunteers with totalcholesterol levels in the ‘normal’range of 170-230 mg/dL, who in-gested TRF in capsule form at adose of 8 IU kg/day for four weeks,saw their cholesterol levels drop by10 per cent with a 26-per cent de-cline in LDL-cholesterol levels.(www.asiarice.org)

In an effort to make irrigationmore efficient — to obtain more“crop per drop” — farmers haveadopted alternatives to flooding andother conventional methods.Among these is drip irrigation inwhich water flows only to the roots.Drip systems are costly, but theysave much water.

A hydrologic and economicanalysis suggests that subsidiesand other policies that encourageconservation methods like drip irri-gation can actually increase waterconsumption.

With flood irrigation, much of thewater is not used by the plants andseeps back to the source, an aqui-fer or a river. Drip irrigation drawsless water, but almost all of it is

Drip irrigation is notsustainable, depletes aquifers

taken up by the plants, so very littleis returned. Those aquifers are notgoing to get recharged.

Drip irrigation also generally in-creases crop yields, which encour-ages farmers to expand acreageand request the right to take evenmore water, thus depleting evenmore of it. The indirect effect isvery possibly to undermine policyattempts to reduce water consump-tion.

Policymakers must balance theneed for more food and for farmersto make a living with water needs.Subsidies are very good for food se-curity and very good for farmer in-come but they may be taking wa-ter away from other people.(www.nytimes.com)

“There’s a simple solution toemerging from the current crisisand coming up with an answer tothe global food emergency sparkedby the rising price of rawmaterials: farm produce needs tobe put back in the front seat in theeconomy.”

Thus said Minister Luca Zaia, ofItaly’s Ministry of Farm, Food andForestry Policies, during a briefingof Italian and international journal-ists on the issues that farm minis-ters will be addressing at the first-ever G8 Summit to be devoted toagriculture. The Summit is sched-uled to be held at Cison diValmarino, in Treviso, Italy, April 18-20, 2009.

“If we want our ‘house’ to comethrough this crisis undamaged,then we need to strengthen it fromthe foundations up, and its founda-tions are our farmers,” said Minis-ter Zaia, who will chair the Sum-mit.

He said “we need to draft ashared road map designed to getus out of the crisis and provide ananswer to the global foodemergency. We need to restore toagricultural output and farmers thecentral role in the economy that istheirs byright. We need tocut the waste thatcomes at a socialand economicprice we can nolonger afford to-day.”

Expected toattend are repre-sentatives ofsuch international organizations asthe Food and Agriculture Organi-zation, World Food Programme, In-ternational Fund for Agricultural De-velopment, World Bank, and theUN’s High Level Task Force on theGlobal Food Security Crisis, whichUN Secretary General Bank Ki-

moon set up last year.“We will be redesigning the fu-

ture of farming with them,” MinisterZaia stressed, adding: “This indus-try is currently enjoying a renais-sance after years of political short-s i g h t e d n e s s , when govern-

ments in theindustrially-a d v a n c e dc o u n t r i e sthought theycould justcut back onf a r m i n g .We’re pay-ing a highprice for

those decisions today. “For every calorie we eat, we need

to use up seven just to transportthe food.  We need to make up forlost time, not just by placing farm-ing back in the center of theeconomy, but also by working toboost farm output in developing

countries.”“We have to narrow the gap be-

tween demand and supply, amongother things by coordinating theway we manage internationalstocks, so that we can put themajor producer countries’ reserveson the market. 

“I am convinced that when theglobal economic cycle picks upagain, demand in the major emerg-ing economies starts to grow, andthe cost of energy inevitably startsto rise again with it. We will startto see farm prices rocketing, too.

“This is a structural problem, andit’s our job to thrash out a strategyon which we all agree at the globallevel.  And we need to do so now,”Minister Zaia concluded.

At the end of the G8 Summit, thefarm ministers are expected to is-sue a joint declaration, which it willsubmit to the G8 Leaders Summitin July, in La Maddalena, Italy.(www.g8italia2009.it)

International News Round-upG8 Summit on G8 Summit on G8 Summit on G8 Summit on G8 Summit on AgAgAgAgAgririririri

set in Italset in Italset in Italset in Italset in Italyyyyy

‘We need to place farm-ers back in the center ofthe economy, and work toboost farm output in devel-oping countrties.’

--  Luca Zaia, Italian Minister of Farm, Food and Forestry

13March 2009

Nigerian farmers who tested newcorn varieties resistant to the wide-spread Striga plant parasite are soenthusiastic about their increasedcrop yields that they areselling more seeds than the officialdistribution channels.

The crops were developed in theNigerian laboratories ofthe International Institute for Agri-cultural Research (IITA). They dra-matically cut maize losses from theroot-infecting Striga, or witchweed,

Nigerian farmers favorpest-resistant corn

during two years of trial cultivationby farmers in Borno Statein northern Nigeria.

Nigeria’s Institute for AgriculturalResearch began distributing thenew parasite-resistant maize seedsin December 2008.

The farmers couldn’t wait for theofficial release of seedlings be-cause the variety is successful,cutting losses and the next step isto distribute the parasite-resistantmaize in other countries in West

and Cen-tral Africa.

The vari-e t i e s ,k n o w nas Sammaz15 and 16c o n t a i ngenes thatdiminishthe growthof para-sitic flowering plants such asStriga, which attaches to the maizeroot. Both Sammaz varieties toler-ate heavy Striga infestations with-out suffering crop losses.

A normal maize variety withoutresistance to Striga can sustainfrom 60 per cent to 100 per centgrain yield loss in farmers’ fieldsthat are severely infested.

Sammaz 16 loses just ten per centof yield in an extreme invasion.

Sammaz 16 is a late-maturingvariety requiring 110 to 120 days ofgrowth, whereas Sammaz 15 canoften be harvested at 100 days andis more suitable for regions withshort growing periods or unpredict-able water supplies.(www.scidev.net)

New green revolution

via ‘magic pea’A new, improved, protein-rich pea

called Pushkal, is now available.It is first commercially available

hybrid legume in the world, andmay launch a new Green Revolu-tion because of its 40% higheryields than the best local varieties,said Dr. William Dar, director-gen-eral of the InternationalCrops Research In-stitute for theS e m i - A r i dT r o p i c s(ICRISAT),in India.

Pigeonpeais a highprotein di-e t a r ys t a p l e ,with 20 to 22percent protein, inmany countries like India,Myanmar, Nepal, China, south-eastern Africa, and the Caribbean,said Dr. Dar, former acting agricul-ture secretary in the Philippines.

Globally, it is cultivated on 4.92million hectares with a productivityof 898 kg (1975.6 lbs) per hectare.

Most of the research had beendone in India, where small brown,quick-cooking beans are preferred;in Africa, the preferred pigeonpeasare white, larger and the wholeseeds are cooked.

Indian pigeonpea hybrids don’tadapt well to conditions in Africa,where altitude, climate, soil condi-tion and rainfall are quite different.

Since wilt disease is a significantproblem for African pigeonpea, vari-ous varieties were planted in localfields to find plants which were wiltresistant.

Thus, researchers, working withlocal farmers, were able to incor-porate in the African pigeonpea

adaptation to temperature, climateand light.

Other varieties include bean vari-eties favored in India, where cropsare timed for export between Mayand October when the country facesa pigeonpea shortage. This workhas boosted income for local farm-

ers and varieties thatmature early

g i v ef a r m -e r st w ocropsayear.

Alsopigeonpea

seedsa r e

c r u s h e dto provide animal feed;

in rural areas, its dry stems areused for fuel. The new hybrid thrivesin drought conditions and hasgreater resistance to diseases thanthe best varieties.

It creates a strong root systemwhich aids greater nitrogen fixationto keep soils fertile. The new vari-ety comes during a globalpigeonpea shortage which hascaused prices to soar, creatingmisery among millions of poorpeople who cannot afford them. 

To date, seeds for the newpigeonpea hybrid have beenplanted on some 5,000 hectares,but hybrid will be widely planted inthe next few years as the low costseed becomes more readily avail-able in India.

The new hybrid technology hasgenerated interest from a numberof other countries, includingMyanmar, Brazil, the Philippinesand China.(www.icrisat.org)

‘Super cassava’ in the offingAn ambitious attempt to

bioengineer cassava into a “com-plete meal” took a step forward withthe approval of field trials for theplant by Nigeria’s NationalBiosafety Committee.

The genetically modified cassavacontains 30 times as much beta-carotene, a precursor of vitamin A,as its normal counterpart.

Ultimately it is hoped that thecassava will contain increased lev-els of iron, protein, zinc and vita-min E that will meet the minimumdaily allowance in a 500 gram meal.

Some 250 million people in Sub-Saharan Africa — and 800 millionpeople globally — rely on cassavaas their m a i nsource of energy.But it is low innutrients, vulner-able to plant vi-ruses, and it lastso n l y t w od a y s w i t h -out pro-c e s s - ing.

Asidef r o ma d d -i n gextranutri-ents,t h et e a mh a ssuccess-fully pro-duced varietieswith increased virus resis-

tance, decreased amounts of poi-sonous cyanides — which can re-main in cassava if the crop is poorlyprocessed — and a longer shelf life.

For example, iron levels were in-creased nine-fold; zinc, four-fold;and protein, four-fold.

Nigeria’s approval is the first ithas granted for a GM confined fieldtrial.

The team also hopes to beginconfined field trials in Kenya, to beoverseen by the Kenya AgriculturalResearch Institute, before the endof 2009.

They are now in the process oftraining African scientists in thelabs wherein they are going to learnthe technology to make atransgenic cassava plant.

They will return and make the fi-nal products themselves.(www.scidev.net)

14

‘Win-win for farmers and consumers’

More BBs underway in EV

The Department of Agriculture’sBureau of Agricultural Research(DA-BAR) has funded 82 projectson agriculture and fisheries underits National Technology Commer-cialization Program (NTCP), sinceits inception in 2005.

The projects cut across agricul-tural crops, fisheries, and livestocksectors that were carefully chosenin an effort to maximize the re-search outputs of scientists andresearchers by bringing total pack-ages of technologies to farming andrural communities.

On crops, some of the com-pleted projects include the follow-ing:

Mass production and commer-cialization of locally-developedsweet tamarind variety;

Development of special productlines from the medicinal oreganoplant such as wine, tea, and vin-egar;

Testing of post-harvest technol-ogy using coir dust and evapora-

DDDDDA-BA-BA-BA-BA-BAR funds 82 aAR funds 82 aAR funds 82 aAR funds 82 aAR funds 82 agggggribribribribribusiness prusiness prusiness prusiness prusiness projectsojectsojectsojectsojectstive cooling for off-season supplyof tomato;

Production of high-quality garlicthrough the use of Giberellic acid;and

Enhancing the export quality offruits and vegetables through GoodAgricultural Practices (GAP) andapplication of post-harvest handlingtechnologies.

The project on enhancing exportsof fruits and vegetables also startedthe full support of DA-BAR to thefresh and processed mango exportventure of Lito Arenas, a success-ful mango producer, processor andexporter in Pangasinan.

BAR has financed the success-ful market reconnaissance of Mr.Arenas to Europe, and his projecton using a German-based fabri-cated drying system for the com-mercial production of dried mangofruit through the Pangasinan Tropi-cal Multi-purpose Cooperative.

In the market reconnaissance toEurope, pickled mango was found

to be a viable venture since pro-cessed food has less stringent re-quirements for export than freshproduce.

Similarly, as part of BAR’s sup-port to the National Rubber Devel-opment Program (NRDP), it hasalso funded and completed severalprojects.

These include the establishmentof budwood gardens, nurseries, andtechnology demonstration farmsnationwide for the recommendedrubber clones, namely: RRIM 600,RRIM 712, RRIM 901, PB 217, PB235, PB 260, USM 1, PB 311, andRRIM 628.

To support the R&D componentof the DA’s Biofuel Feedstock Pro-gram for the production of sufficientamount of feedstock to meet thelocal demand for biofuels, BAR’sNTCP funded several projects onthe commercialization of sweet sor-ghum for wide-scale production anduse not only for fuel but as humanfood and animal feed as well. This

came about after the feasibilitystudy, commissioned by BAR alsoon the viability of sweet sorghumas energy source, found it to beone of the most promising sourcesof biofuel feedstock in the Philip-pines.

Sweet sorghum is among theworld’s top five most important ce-reals. It was introduced in the coun-try by the India-based InternationalCrops Research Institute for Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) alongsideother pro-poor crops such as pigeonpea and Asha peanut which is alsobeing commercialized in the coun-try through projects funded by BAR.

On livestock, DA-BAR has alsofunded an upgraded goat produc-tion project, propagation of geneti-cally-superior water buffaloesthrough in-vitro production andembryo transfer, and promotion andcommercialization of carabao-based dairy products.

On fisheries, the development ofproducts from the commerciableseaweeds such as seaweedlongganisa, pickles, noodles, andchips were funded. There is like-wise an on-going project on thedevelopment of post-harvest tech-nologies on the halymenia andportiera seaweed species which arealso being screened for theirbioactive compounds.

The appropriate technology forthe grow-out of sea urchin, a deli-cacy popular in Japan, SoutheastAsia, and the United States, wasalso given support.

Since 2005, BAR has been regu-larly conducting technology com-mercialization exhibits and fora atthe national and regional levels tocreate awareness and to dissemi-nate these viable technologieswhere needed.

In line with BAR’s plans to con-tinue and strengthen the worthwhilecontributions of NTCP, moreprojects and activities related to ag-riculture and fisheries technologycommercialization are expected tobe funded this year.

The Technology Commercializa-tion Unit (TCU) is the focal unit as-signed by BAR to facilitate the fund-ing and monitoring of the commer-cialization of viable technologies onagriculture and fisheries from thedifferent R&D institutions within DA,other government agencies, statecolleges and universities (SUC),non-government organizations(NGOs), and local governmentunits (LGU) involved in the devel-opment of the sector. (Miko

Jazmine J. Mojica, DA-BAR)

Twenty-one BarangayBagsakans (BBs) are now operat-ing in Region 8.

These are in Biliran (Kawayan,Culaba, Caibiran & Almeria), Leyte(Capoocan, Mac Arthur, San Isidro, Abuyog, Hindang & Baybay),Southern Leyte ( Maasin City ),Samar (Calbiga, Pinabacdao,Daram and Brgys. Bougainvilla &Tominamos, Sta. Rita),Eastern Samar (Dolores &Mercedes) and NorthernSamar (Catarman,Mondragon & San Roque).

 “And we’re still count-ing for more,” says BBFocal Person RegionalTechnical Director ArsenioA. Fortin.

“There are still propos-als from interested localgovernment units (LGUs). Positiveresponses from farmers and con-sumers have encouraged the LGUsto replicate the project in their lo-cality,” he said.

 The project has indeed been abig help to both farmers and con-sumers, Fortin added.

Take the case of 50-year oldFelizardo Darasin of the BaybayFarmers’ Association, who said:

“Before, we were given no fair op-tion. If not at the mercy of themiddlemen.

“We endured the hassle of trans-porting our produce to the public

market which incurred consider-able transport costs.

“And worst, we incurred biglosses when our products were notbought by consumers.So, we hadto sell them at a very low prices.

“Now, with the BarangayBagsakan project, we are encour-aged to produce more, since weare now assured of a ready market

that will give us the real worth ofour produce.”

 Consumers, on the other hand,stated that the establishment ofBBs is also favorable and well worthit.

For instance, 30-year old house-wife and mother Ghila Quiro ofBaybay, Leyte said:

“It is really advantageous havinga BB because we can save timeand money. We no longer take aride to the public market and wastetime in going around stalls for thelowest priced agri-commodities.

“Instead, we just go to the BB

and we are able to buy fresh com-modities at lower prices, comparedto those sold in other local publicmarkets.”

 National BB Focal Person Direc-tor Francisco Ramos of DAAgribusiness and Marketing Assis-tance Service noted that the BB isamong the projects under PresidentGloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s Accel-

erated Hunger MitigationProgram, which was con-ceptualized in 2006 tohelp alleviate hunger inthe country.

“With its resonatingbattlecry, ‘Negosyo sa

Sakahan Laban sa

Kahirapan,’ BB does notonly offer affordable prod-ucts, but also generatesemployment as it requires

several workers for its operation,”he said.

Through a counterpartingscheme between the DA and LGUs,BBs are granted a P200,000 fundassistance for needed equipmentsuch as chest freezer, vegetablechiller, digital weighing scale, plas-tic crates, meat hangers, commod-ity price boards and others.

And as part of the technical sup-port package, the DA also conductsan orientation seminar on BB man-agement, and food handling tech-niques for operators. (Jessa Faye

G. Esponilla, DA-RFU 8 Info Div.)

“With its battlecry, ‘Negosyo sa

Sakahan Laban sa Kahirapan,’

BB does not only offer

affordable products, but also

generates employment as it

requires several workers for its

operation,”

15March 2009

tion projects nationwide.For his part, Undersecretary

Jesus Emmanuel Paras said pro-gram partners should have the ca-pability to efficiently undertake pro-posed intervention measures, andpriority will be given to the LGUsthat are willing and able to providethe appropriate counterpart funds.

As for NGOs and POs, theyshould be at least three years oldand in good standing as certified

Sur). The signing is among the fi-nal stages in the processing of thegrant.

The forthcoming project amountsto P785.45 million in total cost,with P649 million coming fromKOICA and P136.45 million ascounterpart of the Philippine gov-ernment.

The new project follows the suc-cessful construction and operationof the first KOICA-funded RPC inBaler, Aurora in 2007, worth $2.3million.

Sitting on a 1.1 hectare site inBarangay Reserva, the Baler RPChas significantly reduced

Korea donates ... (from p1)

DA forms... (from p3)

Agriculture Secretary Arthur C. Yap (left) and Korea Interna-

tional Cooperation Agency (KOICA) Managing Director Choi

Sungho sign the records of discussions on the project to estab-

lish four modern integrated rice processing complexes (RPCs)

in Pangasinan, Iloilo, Bohol, and Davao del Sur. Assisting them

are Zenaida Villegas and Cristy Polido of the DA-Project De-

velopment Service.

postharvest losses, produced qual-

ity rice grain and increased farm-

ers’ income. it has also provided

high-quality rice at reasonable

prices.

In Korea, the operation of about

328 RPCs and 568 drying and stor-

age complexes has reduced work-

ing hours by 64% and operating

costs by 34% while cutting

postproduction losses from 6% to

1%.

A KOICA team is in the country

to assess budgetary requirements

and mode of implementation for the

construction of the four RPCs.

Members of the Irrigators’Association (IA) in Palacatian,Pavia, Iloilo, are now enjoying aP1.00 increase per one kilogramof their dried palay sold, from P17to P18, thanks to the flatbeddryer (FBD) awarded to them byAgriculture Secretary Arthur C.Yap April last year.

Prior to the grant, farmers havegotten used to losses and qualitydeterioration, as the palaygerminates inside the sack dueto improper drying technology.

Solar drying or drying palay onthe road has resulted to almost10% postharvest losses, accord-ing to the DA’s Bureau of

Ilonggo farmers benefit from flatbed dryer

Postharvest Research andExtension (DA-BPRE).

The Palacatin IA said the FBDhas so far dried 3,555 sacks lastOctober 2008 and 3,141 sackslast January 2009.

The association imposes athree-tiered fee that it uses toproperly maintain the FBD: P27per sack for the IA board ofdirectors; P30 for active mem-bers; and P32 for non-members.

Compared to existing mechani-cal dryers, the FBD is cost-efficient as it utilizes rice hull asfuel. It also requires minimumlabor, and repair and maintenanceexpenses.(BPRE Sagip Ani Balita)

by the Securities and ExchangeCommission.

Moreover, he said disbursementsto program partners will be done inthree tranches, where funds will bereleased only after they had fullyliquidated previous allotments.

Finally, NGOs, POs or founda-tions that have unsatisfactory per-formed in the implementation ofprevious DA-funded projects can nolonger participate.

A typical DA-BPRE flatbed dryer.

Like any other machine producedfor export, agricultural machineshave to pass quality and perfor-mance standards before they getto the market.

Researchers at the AgriculturalMachinery Testing and EvaluationCenter of the University of the Phil-ippines Los Baños (AMTEC-UPLB)recently completed evaluating thestandards for fabricating and test-ing multicrop processing machines.

These machines slated for com-mercialization are:

Washer-peeler, a customizedmachine that peels outer skin, orcleans and removes undesirabledebris of ginger rhyzomes, sweetpotato, potato, arrowroot, radish,and carrot; 

Multicrop juice extractor, whichextracts juice from ginger, lemongrass, pandan leaves, arrowroot,herbal plants, vegetable leaves, andother crops;

Crystallizer, which cooks gingerjuice to produce powdered gingertea; and

Multicrop micromill, which driesand grinds product meal of variouscrops into finer materials suitablefor food seasoning or as flour.

The standards specify the fabri-cation and performance require-ments and the methods that shouldbe followed in testing and inspect-ing the machines.

With the standards, machines areguaranteed of high quality engineer-ing design for wide-scale applica-tion.

A multidisciplinary technical com-mittee formed by AMTEC-UPLB

UPLB completes standards

on multicrop processing machinesreviewed existing standards fromnational and international organiza-tions and formulated one that fitsPhilippine resources and condi-tions.

Using the developed standard,AMTEC-UPLB project leaderproject leader Engr. Darwin C.Aranguren, tested the machinesthat are currently installed at theBicol University in Polangui, Albay.

Findings showed that the fourmachines generally conformed tothe requirements on safety, work-manship, and finish. The washer-peeler, micromill, and crystallizerrequired design improvements tomake them more serviceable andefficient. The juice extractor satis-fied most of the standards.

The standards have been en-dorsed to the Department of Tradeand Industry - Bureau of Productsand Standards and the Board of Ag-ricultural Engineering ProfessionalRegulation Commission for adop-tion as National Standards.

It will also be endorsed to theDepartment of Agriculture (DA) forissuance of appropriate policy. Thepolicy would require DA-attachedagencies to use the standards intheir procurement of machines.Machine manufacturers from theprivate sector, on the other hand,can use the standards to guide thedesign and fabrication of other ma-chines.

The project is funded by the Tech-nology Innovation for Commercial-ization Program of the Departmentof Science Technology and coordi-nated by PCARRD.

16

The Department of Agriculture willexpand this year the Gulayan ng

Masa, its national backyard-basedvegetable production program, toinclude root crops and fruits.

The expanded program targets tobenefit 900,000 rural and urbanpoor households, particularly inrainfed areas and low-incomeprovinces, said AgricultureSecretary Arthur Yap during theMarch 28 launch of “Bayan-Anihan,”a joint project of the DA with theprivate sector-led Gawad Kalinga(GK) movement, in San Isidro,Nueva Ecija.

 “We plan to begin fullimplementation of the expandedGulayan program before the onsetof the wet season in May,” Yap said

Gawad Kalinga is best known forbuilding houses for the poor, inpartnerships with governmentagencies, private sector, individualbenefactors and philanthropists.This is the first time that it isteaming up with the DA to carry outa food sufficiency and livelihoodprogram.

 Secretary Yap, who has been anactive participant in GK projectssince he was administrator of theNational Food Authority in 2002,said the support of private sectorgroups such as Gawad Kalinga iscrucial in helping governmentachieve President Arroyo’s goal ofproviding food on the table of everyFilipino family.

The Bayan-Anihan was launchedat two farm sites at the NuestraSenora de Soledad Village inBarangay Tabon. It will involve andbenefit 62 families, who will growupland kangkong, eggplant, okra,ampalaya, hot pepper, and tomato.The project is supported by GlobeTelecom, one of the country’sleading telecommunicationscompany. It has committed to adopt35 farms under the Bayan-Anihan

project.   Also present during the project

launch were San Isidro MayorSonia Lorenzo; lawyer Joe Tale, GKchairman; Tony Meloto, GKadvocate champion; JohnConcepcion, president of Bayan-Anihan Foundation Inc.; JeffreyTarayao, community relations headof Globe Telecom; and Dr. RubenSevillejo, president of the CentralLuzon State University.

 San Isidro is among the 100sites in Luzon, where the Bayan-anihan project was launched

Expanded vExpanded vExpanded vExpanded vExpanded veeeeeggggggie prgie prgie prgie prgie project to benefoject to benefoject to benefoject to benefoject to benefititititit

900,000 families900,000 families900,000 families900,000 families900,000 familiessimultaneously lastweek of March,according to Dr. ReneRafael Espino,national coordinator ofthe DA’s GinintuangMasaganang Ani-HighValue CommercialCrops (GMA-HVCC)program.

 He said the projectwill be implementedinitially in 115 sites inLuzon, benefiting atleast 30 families persite. 

This year, it aims tocover a total of 500sites all over thecountry, of which 225will be in GK sites and275 in non-GK sites.An additional 2,000sites are planned in2010 and 2011.

A series of trainingprograms onvegetable gardening andcommunity farming were already

Cadlan, Pili, Camarines Sur -The Department of Agriculture andGawad Kalinga (GK) here llikewisejoined other GK sites in the coun-try to simultaneously launchBayan-Anihan, at Pagkamoot GKVillage, near the provincial capitol.

‘Bayan-Anihan’ is also in BicolOf the first batch of 100 Bayan-

Anihan sites in Luzon, 45 are inBicol.

DA Region 5 director Jose V.Dayao led the ceremonies, alongwith GK national officer MeloVillaroman, Dr. Roman Bucad of

Camarines Sur State AgriculturalCollege (CSSAC), Jeff Uy ofBayan-Anihan PMO, Allan Pato ofGK Cadlan, Isagani Betchayda ofShell Foundation, and Pili Coun-cilor Augusto Cabañero.

Director Dayao said the DA willprovide participating families withvegetable seeds and seedlings, fruittree seedlings, weighing scales and

organic fertilizers.Each site for one

family should be atleast 10 squaremeters, with ad-equate freshwatersource. They will begiven open-polli-nated seed variet-ies. They maychoose to plant a”recipe mix” likepinakbet andsinigang.

For GK’s part,Villaroman ex-plained the five corevalues of Bayan-Anihan.

CSSAC will trainthe participatingfamilies on properand improved veg-etable productionpractices. (Emily B.

Bordado, DA-RFU5)

given in February to GK residents.Education and empowermentseminars for the youth are also in

DA Region 5 Director Dr. Jose V. Dayao (4th from left) hands over a tray of

vegetable seedlings to Allan Pato of Gawad Kalinga Pagkamoot Village,

Cadlan, Camarines Sur. Looking on are (from left to right): GK national of-

ficer Melo Villaroman, Dr. Roman Bucad of Camarines Sur State Agricul-

tural College, Pili Councilor Augusto Cabañero, Isagani Betchayda of Shell

Foundation, and Cadlan barangay captain Walden Brosas.

Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap (3rd from right) leads the ceremonial

planting of vegetable seedlings at ‘Bayan-Anihan’ launch, in San Isidro,

Nueva Ecija. Flanking him (from right) are San Isidro Mayor Sonia

Lorenzo, Gawad Kalinga (GK) chair Atty. Joe Tale, GK champion advo-

cate Tony Meloto, Bayan-Anihan Foundation president John Concepcion,

Jeffrey Tarayao of Globe Telecom, and Central Luzon State University

president Dr. Ruben Sevillejo.

progress through a planned youthmovement campaign in June toensure sustainability.