aggie trends april 2011

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Vol. XXVI No. 4 A monthly publication of the Department of Agriculture April 2011 A P400-million modern whole- sale trading and processing fa- cility for vegetables and fruits— dubbed as Agri-Pinoy Trading Center (APTC)—will soon rise on a four-hectare lot in La Trinidad, Benguet, considered as the country’s ‘salad bowl.’ Due for completion before yearend, it will be the biggest and most modern agricultural whole- sale trading and processing cen- ter in the country, said Agricul- ture Secretary Proceso J. Alcala, who led the ceremonial launch, April 13, 2011, at the proposed site within the ‘strawberry fields,’ in Benguet State University (BSU), in La Trinidad. Sec. Alcala said the Benguet APTC will form part of the country’s integrated food supply chain being established in ma- jor food producing regions in the country — in compliance with President Aquino’s commitment to enable Filipino farmers and fisherfolk sell their produce di- rectly and earn comfortable in- comes, and at the same time make basic food affordable and accessible to the general pub- lic. P400-M agri trading center to rise in Benguet Fresh chilled tuna and pompano from the Philippines earned a total of $20.2 million (roughly P869M) in booked orders and negotiated sales in the International Boston Seafood Show in Massachusetts, USA, held March 20-22, 2011. In a report to Agriculture Secretary Proceso J. Alcala, DA Assistant Secretary Salvador S. Salacup, who led the 14-man Philippine delegation, said sales represented a 187% increase in the original target of only $10 million for the Boston event. Bestsellers were fresh chilled Phl tuna earns $20M in Boston seafood show Thousands of Tarlac farmers till- ing over 34,000 hectares (ha) are bound to benefit next year and be- yond with the completion of the Balog-Balog Irrigation Multipur- pose Project (BIMP) Phase 1 by year-end. Agriculture Secretary Proceso J. Alcala has instructed the Na- tional Irrigation Administration to Tarlac farmers to benefit from Balog-Balog irrigation project Sec. Alcala is toured by 10-year old farmer Joshua Baltazar at their 2.8-hectare ‘Palayaman’ integrated farm in Kabuluan Sur, Oton, Iloilo. (Pls turn to p2) (Pls turn to p7) Agriculture Sec. Proceso J. Alcala (8 th from left) joins other key players who are part of the P400-M Agri- Pinoy Trading Center (APTC) that will soon rise at ‘Strawberry Fields’ in La Trinidad, Benguet. They are (from left): DA-RFU2 dir. Lucrecio Alviar, Jr., Dev’t. of Academy of the Phils. president Antonio Kalaw, DA Undersecretary Claron Alcantara, DA-APTC program dir. Ariel Mañalac, Benguet farmers’ coop. vice-chair John Sagpaey, La Trinidad Mayor Gregorio Abalos, Benguet Rep. Ronald Cosalan, Benguet Gov. Nestor Fongwan, DA-CAR dir. Marilyn Sta. Catalina, DA-AMAS dir. Leandro Gazmin, DA-NABCOR vice pres. Honesto Baniqued, and Benguet State University president Rogelio Colting. (Pls turn to p11) fast-track the project which will irrigate a total of 34,410 ha (21,935 ha of new farmlands and 12,475 ha of rehabilitated areas) inTarlac City and eight towns (La Paz, Gerona, Pura, Ramos, Capas, Paniqui, Bamban and Concepcion). The BIMP Phase 1 will put to DA grants P4-M project for young Mangyans Touched by the transformation of children of indigenous Mangyans and out-of-school youth (OSY) in Oriental Mindoro who are now profitably engaged in agriculture, Agriculture Secre- tary Proceso J. Alcala recently approved a P4.27-million project for the conduct of a sustainable agriculture training program for other batches. The training — aptly called “Mangyoung Entrepinoys Or- ganic Farming sa Mindoro” — is spearheaded by the Salesian Sisters of St. Bosco, who since 2002 have been operating the (Pls turn to p11)

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Vol. XXVI No. 4A monthly publication of the Department of Agriculture

TRANSCRIPT

Page 1: Aggie Trends April 2011

Vol. XXVI No. 4 A monthly publication of the Department of Agriculture April 2011

A P400-million modern whole-sale trading and processing fa-cility for vegetables and fruits—dubbed as Agri-Pinoy TradingCenter (APTC)—will soon riseon a four-hectare lot in LaTrinidad, Benguet, considered asthe country’s ‘salad bowl.’

Due for completion beforeyearend, it will be the biggest andmost modern agricultural whole-sale trading and processing cen-ter in the country, said Agricul-ture Secretary Proceso J. Alcala,who led the ceremonial launch,April 13, 2011, at the proposedsite within the ‘strawberry fields,’in Benguet State University(BSU), in La Trinidad.

Sec. Alcala said the BenguetAPTC will form part of thecountry’s integrated food supplychain being established in ma-jor food producing regions in thecountry — in compliance withPresident Aquino’s commitmentto enable Filipino farmers andfisherfolk sell their produce di-rectly and earn comfortable in-comes, and at the same timemake basic food affordable andaccessible to the general pub-lic.

P400-M agri trading center to rise in Benguet

Fresh chilled tuna andpompano from the Philippinesearned a total of $20.2 million(roughly P869M) in bookedorders and negotiated sales inthe International BostonSeafood Show inMassachusetts, USA, heldMarch 20-22, 2011.

In a report to AgricultureSecretary Proceso J. Alcala, DAAssistant Secretary Salvador S.Salacup, who led the 14-manPhilippine delegation, said salesrepresented a 187% increase inthe original target of only $10million for the Boston event.

Bestsellers were fresh chilled

Phl tuna earns$20M in Bostonseafood showThousands of Tarlac farmers till-

ing over 34,000 hectares (ha) arebound to benefit next year and be-yond with the completion of theBalog-Balog Irrigation Multipur-pose Project (BIMP) Phase 1 byyear-end.

Agriculture Secretary ProcesoJ. Alcala has instructed the Na-tional Irrigation Administration to

Tarlac farmers to benefit fromBalog-Balog irrigation project

Sec. Alcala is toured by 10-yearold farmer Joshua Baltazar attheir 2.8-hectare ‘Palayaman’integrated farm in KabuluanSur, Oton, Iloilo. (Pls turn to p2)

(Pls turn to p7)

Agriculture Sec. Proceso J. Alcala (8th from left) joins other key players who are part of the P400-M Agri-Pinoy Trading Center (APTC) that will soon rise at ‘Strawberry Fields’ in La Trinidad, Benguet. Theyare (from left): DA-RFU2 dir. Lucrecio Alviar, Jr., Dev’t. of Academy of the Phils. president AntonioKalaw, DA Undersecretary Claron Alcantara, DA-APTC program dir. Ariel Mañalac, Benguet farmers’coop. vice-chair John Sagpaey, La Trinidad Mayor Gregorio Abalos, Benguet Rep. Ronald Cosalan,Benguet Gov. Nestor Fongwan, DA-CAR dir. Marilyn Sta. Catalina, DA-AMAS dir. Leandro Gazmin,DA-NABCOR vice pres. Honesto Baniqued, and Benguet State University president Rogelio Colting.

(Pls turn to p11)

fast-track the project which willirrigate a total of 34,410 ha(21,935 ha of new farmlands and12,475 ha of rehabilitated areas)inTarlac City and eight towns (LaPaz, Gerona, Pura, Ramos,Capas, Paniqui, Bamban andConcepcion).

The BIMP Phase 1 will put to

DA grants P4-M project for young MangyansTouched by the transformation

of children of indigenousMangyans and out-of-schoolyouth (OSY) in Oriental Mindorowho are now profitably engagedin agriculture, Agriculture Secre-tary Proceso J. Alcala recentlyapproved a P4.27-million projectfor the conduct of a sustainable

agriculture training program forother batches.

The training — aptly called“Mangyoung Entrepinoys Or-ganic Farming sa Mindoro” — isspearheaded by the SalesianSisters of St. Bosco, who since2002 have been operating the

(Pls turn to p11)

Page 2: Aggie Trends April 2011

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EditorialAng DA sa gitna ng mga pagsubok

Writers: Adora D. Rodriguez, Jo Anne Grace B. Pera, Arlhene S. Carro, Bethzaida Bustamante, Mc. Bien Saint Garcia, Jay Ilagan, Catherine NantaContributors: DA-RFU Info Officers, Public Info Officers and Staff of DA

is published monthly by the Department of Agriculture InformationService, Elliptical Road, Diliman, Quezon City. Tel. nos. 9288762 loc 2148,2150, 2155, 2156 or 2184; 9204080 or tel/fax 9280588. This issue is availablein PDF file. For copies, please send requests via email: [email protected].

Editor-In-Chief : Noel O. ReyesAssociate Editors: Karenina Salazar, Cheryl C. Suarez & Adam Borja

Bureaus, Attached Agencies & Corporations, Foreign-Assisted ProjectsPhotographers: Jose Lucas, Alan Jay Jacalan, & Kathrino ResurreccionLay-out Artist: Bethzaida BustamantePrinting & Circulation: Teresita Abejar & PCES Staff

tuna and pompano due mainly toits excellent quality and taste aswell as its year-round availability.

Previous buyers and importersimmediately placed an initialorder of 500 kilos per week at $10per kilo for the next three monthsbeginning April 2011.

It was likewise noted that thereis still vast opportunity for theexpansion of Philippine aquaticresource products consideringthat many supermarkets andretail stores near the exhibitionsite sold f ish, frozen seafoodproducts, shrimps, prawns,crabs, tilapia, tuna loins, squidsand octopus which are currentlysourced from Taiwan and China.

Phl tuna earns...(from p1)

The Department of Agricultureis setting aside P160 million forthe rehabilitation of irrigation fa-cilities and other water systemprojects in the Panay region.

Agriculture Secretary ProcesoJ. Alcala said he will send a teamof experts to immediately assessthe pre-requisites of the region’sirrigation concerns.

“We want to kick off this projectimmediately as irrigation plays animportant role in the rice self-suf-ficiency program of the Aquino ad-ministration,” Alcala said duringa weekend-trip to the provincesof Capiz and Iloilo.

“The DA is currently funding bigticket projects which are moreefficient and will ascertain posi-tive results,” he said.

He added that the DA hasstopped giving subsidies to farm-ers, as the government seeks tostrengthen projects that will givethem long-term benefits.

These include the constructionand rehabilitation of various agri-cultural infrastructures such asirrigation, farm-to-market roads,postharvest and tramline facili-

DA allots P160-M for irrigation in Panayties, and construction of tradingcenters. “We want to teach farm-ers to be responsible,” Alcalastressed, pointing out that theseed and fertilizer subsidyprojects before were not effec-tive as envisioned.

“Mas maliit po ang budgetnatin ngayon, kung kaya pina-prioritize natin yung mgaprograma na talagang makaka-tulong,” he explained. (We havea smaller budget now, thus weare prioritizing more importantprograms.)

With a big slash on its bud-get this year, DA funding hasbeen limited to more significantprojects and programs in linewith the mission of attaining foodsufficiency and higher incomefor the countryside.

During the provincial visit,Alcala met with local officials ofthe region to discuss possibleprojects that will further enhanceagricultural production forPanay Island.

He also met with farmers andfishers to address issues of theagricultural and fishery sectors.

Salacup noted that theInternational Boston SeafoodShow is one of the best venuesto showcase the products of thePhilippine seafood industry andfurther penetrate the USA,which is considered the 3 rd

largest consumer of seafoodproducts worldwide.

A total of 918 exhibitors from48 countries participated in theevent.

About 40 of the exhibitorswere manufacturers, followed byimporters and agents,wholesalers and distributors.

Salacup further said thisdevelopment further encouragesthe DA to continue providingsupport to the f ishery andaquatic sector.

Sa gitna ng mgapagsubok, sari-saring usapin at

alalahanin, kabilang na angwalang tigil na pagtaas ngpresyo ng mga produktongpetrolyo, kaguluhan saiba’t-ibang panig ngmundo, eskandalo atkorapsyon sa atingpamahalaan, may mgaahensya ng gobyerno napatuloy na nagsusumikapupang makapag-lingkod sabayan.

Isa na rito angKagawaran ng Pagsasakana patuloy nanagtataguyod ng mgapamamaraan upangpaunlarin ang sektor napinagmumulan ngkabuhayan at pagkain ng94 milyong Pilipino.

Patunay nito ang matatagna pagpapahayag ni DASecretary Procy Alcala ngmga pagpapasiya upangmapataas ang produksyonng bigas sa taong ito bilangbahagi ng Food StaplesSelf-Sufficiency Roadmap(FSSR).

Bukod sa pagpapalaki ngani, estratehiya din sa ilalimng FSSR ang bawasan angmalaking porsyento ngpost-harvest losses atmaituro sa publiko angmahusay na pamamahalang bigas para makatipid sapambansang konsumo.

Kaugnay nito,ipinatutupad sakasalukuyan ang frontloading ng pondo opaglalaan ng mas malakingbahagi ang budgetaryrequirements ng DA mulasa taong kasalukuyanhanggang 2013.

Ang pondo ay gugugulinsa pagpapatayo atpagpapabuti ng mgamahahalagangimprastrakturang pang-agrikultural partikular na

ang sistema ng irigasyonsa buong bansa. Saparaang ito, mulingdadaloy angkinakailangang tubig samga tigang na palayantungo sa mas malusog atmayabong na pananim,masaganang ani, atmalaking kita.

Ang re-assignments ngmga regional executivedirectors ay isa ringpamamaraan na inilatagng Kagawaran ngayongbuwan. Layunin nito naipakalat ang mgamahuhusay natagapangalaga ngagrikultura sa katauhanng mga REDs. Sapamamagitan nito,natututukan ang mgarehiyon na maykakulangan at kahinaansa produskyon.

Sa halos isang taon napamumuno ni Sec. Procy,nakita natin ang kanyangdeterminasyon atpagsusumikap namaiangat ang sektor ngpagsasaka atpangingisda. Regularsiyang nakikipag-usap atnakipagtulungan sa mgalokal na opisyal upangpersonal na marinig atmatugunan ang hinaingng mga maliliit namagsasaka atmangingisda.

Tayo bilang bahagi ngmalaking pamilya ng DAay nararapat na makiisasa adhikain ng atingpinuno at magtiwala sakanyang kakayanan.

Sa pamamagitan nito,sama-sama natingkakamtin ang mithiintungo sa sapat napagkain para sa lahat, atmahusay at matatag nakabuhayan para sa mgamaliliit na magsasaka atmangingisda.

Page 3: Aggie Trends April 2011

April 2011 3

175,000 MT a year, worth roughlyP3 billion. Of these, 13,000 MTworth $16 million were exportedin 2008 to the USA, Italy, andother European countries.

For his part, Dir. Sarmiento saidZamboanga’s bottled sardines in-dustry has now gained a footholdand a niche in the domestic mar-ket and is gradually penetratingforeign markets.

With the facility, sardine mak-ers can now store and processherring fish, which is seasonallyabundant during December toMarch in Sulu Sea, along the coastof Zamboanga Peninsula.

On behalf of Zamboanga fisher-men, sardine processors andworkers, Gov. Yebes and MayorJaloslos thanked Secretary Alcalaand BFAR Director Sarmiento fortheir support to further boost theprovince’s bottled sardines indus-try, which is their main source oflivelihood, employment and in-come.

Gov. Yeves said there are cur-rently 23 producers of Spanishsardines in the province. Theybanded together in 2000, and or-

DA-BFAR puts up P40-M sardinecold storage in Zamboanga

DA-NIA to repair 2 irrigation projects in Misamis Occ.The Department of Agriculture

through the National IrrigationAdmnistration (NIA) is allotingP13 million to rehabilitate twocommunal irrigation systems(CIS) in Ozamis City, MisamisOccidental to enable the provinceto attain 100 percent self-suffi-ciency in rice in the next twoyears, from the current 84% level.

Secretary Proceso J. Alcala

To ensure continuous year-round production and further propup the P3-billion bottled sardinesindustry in Zamboanga, the De-partment of Agriculture (DA)—inpartnership with the City Govern-ment of Dapitan and ProvincialGovernment of Zamboanga delNorte—recently constructed anintegrated P40-million cold stor-age facility in San Pedro, DapitanCity, Zamboanga Del Norte.

Agriculture Secretary ProcesoJ. Alcala, who led the inaugura-tion April 25, 2011, said the facil-ity can store up to 300 metric tons(MT) of fish in six compartments(50-MT capacity each). It alsohas a chiller room (100-ton ca-pacity), and a contact freezer(500-kilogram capacity). The fa-cility occupies a developed areaof 5,000 square meters.

The facility was funded by theDA’s Bureau of Fisheries andAquatic Resources (DA-BFAR).Dapitan City through MayorDominador G. Jalosjos donatedand cleared a seven-hectare areawhere the cold storage facilitywas constructed, while the Pro-vincial Gov’t. of Zamboanga delNorte, led by Gov. Rolando E.Yebes, will manage and operatethe facility.

With the facility, Sec. Alcalasaid production of bottled sar-dines will be sustained continu-ously throughout the year, pro-viding both fishermen and work-ers sustained livelihood and in-come.

Industry figures show annualproduction of bottled sardinesranges from 140,000 MT to

said the two are irrigationprojects are the Labo and ClarinCIS that serve a combined areaof 160 hectares. When com-pleted, the Labo CIS will irrigatea total of 118 hectares, whileClarin will irrigate 42 hectares.

Initially, the two systems werealloted with P6.5 million, but Sec-retary Alcala doubled it to P13million, upon knowing that the

ganized the In-glass Sardines ofDipolog Association or ISDA.

He said the current industry thisis a far cry from the time whensardines in glass jars were firstintroduced to the province by theDA-BFAR in the early 1970’s, in-

province currently produces 84%of its total rice requirements. Hechallenged the local officials andfarmers to attain 100 percentself-sufficiency in rice in thesoonest possible time, even be-fore 2013, by doubling their irri-gation budget to P13M.

He urged farmers to increasetheir average palay harvest to at

spired by Doña ConcepcionMacias Vda. De Montaño, whodemonstrated the technologyshe learned from elite Spanishfamilies who processed theirown sardines in bottles.

Sec. Alcala (2nd from left) leads the inauguration of a P40-millionintegrated cold storage facility in San Pedro, Dapitan City, that isexpected to further prop up the country’s P3-billion bottled andcanned sardines industry. Joining him (from left) are TampilisanMayor Enriqueta Bomediano, Zamboanga Del Norte Gov. RolandoYebes, and DA-BFAR Dir. Malcolm I. Sarmiento, Jr.

International Fund for Agricul-ture Development (IFAD) officialscalled on Sec. Alcala (center) lastApril 6, 2011 at the DA-centraloffice, where he enjoined them todevelop and commercialize moreupland rice varieties for both do-mestic and export markets. TheDA and IFAD currently imple-ments the Cordillera HighlandAgricultural Resource Manage-ment Project Phase 2 (CHARMP2) aimed at increasing farmers’ in-comes and reducing poverty inci-dence in the Cordilleras. With Sec.Alcala are (from left): IFAD Phils.country manager Youqiong Wang,DA undersecretary Joel Rudinas,DA technical adviser SalvacionBulatao, former IFAD countrymanager Sana F.K. Jatta, andIFAD officials Yolando Arban andMichael Rayner.

IFAD pays courtesy call on Secretary Alcala

(Pls turn to p8)

(Pls turn to p8)

Page 4: Aggie Trends April 2011

4

DA chief ‘cross-posts’ regional officialsThe Department of Agriculture

has reshuffled several top re-gional and agency off icials,cross-posting some of them toother regions and the rest takingon special tasks.

Of the 16 DA Regional FieldUnits (RFUs), 10 regional execu-tive directors (REDs) and six re-gional technical directors (RTDs)are affected. The re-assignmentstook effect March 28, 2011.

Agriculture Secretary ProcesoJ. Alcala said “the re-assignmentforms part of the agency’s con-tinuing streamlining efforts to pro-vide our clienteles — most par-ticularly small farmers, fishersand ruralfolk, and local govern-ment units — faster and moreefficient technical and supportservices, aimed at attaining rice-self sufficiency, food security, in-creasing farm and fishery produc-tivity and incomes, and providingFilipino families with accessible,affordable and nutritious basicfood items.”

Below are the new assign-ments of DA REDs and RTDs:

•RFU CAR - Marilyn Sta.Catalina; RTD Operations & Ex-tension, Danilo Daguio; RTD Re-search & Regulations, CameronOdsey;

•RFU1 - Renato Maguigad;RTD Operations, CrispuloBautista; RTD Research,Eduardo Gonzales;

•RFU2 - Lucrecio Alviar, Jr.;RTD Operations, Valentino

Perdido; RTD Research, Or-lando Lorenzana;

•RFU3 - Andrew Villacorta;RTD Operations, Paz Mones;RTD Research, JennilynDawayan;

•RFU4A - Abelardo Bragas;RTD Operations, VilmaDimaculangan; RTD Research,Brigida Mercado;

•RFU4B - Cipriano Santiago;RTD OPerations, AntonioCreencia; RTD Research,Yvonne Vinas;

•RFU5 - Jose Dayao; RTDOperations, Elena de losSantos; RTD Research, EdgarDavid;

•RFU6 - Larry Nacionales;RTD Operations RemelynRecoter; RTD Research, JoyceWendam;

•RFU7 - Leo Cañeda; RTDOperations, Angel Enriquez;RTD Research, Eduardo Alama

•RFU8 - Antonio Gerundio;RTD Operations, Arsenio Fortin;RTD Research, Wilson Cerbito;

•RFU9- Carlos Mendoza;RTD Operations, ConstancioAlama; RTD Research, AidaCariño;

•RFU10 - Lealyn Ramos; RTDOperations, ConstancioMaghanoy; RTD Research,Roxana Hojas;

Lime perks upcorn production

In a reserach conducted by theWestern Mindanao AgricultureResearch Center, the applicationof dolomitic lime to one hectareof corn was found to producebetter crops, increase its yield,and raise farmers’ income.

Dolomitic lime contains cal-cium and magnesium that isknown to elevate soil pH and en-hances plant growth and cropyield.

Done in acidic soil, there werethree experimental treatmentsobserved. Results showed thecontrol crop had an ear length of12 cm with a yield of 5 tons/hect-are and a net income ofP22,043.00. The two treatmentswith lime had an ear length of14 cm with 6 tons/hectare yieldand a net income of P36,005.00.

Sec. Alcala (2nd from right) appreciates a round eggplant during avegetable harvest festival at a techno-demo farm in BarangayCapehan, Tarlac City, where a 16-week ‘Kabalikat sa Kabuhayan’farmers’ training program was conducted by the SM FoundationInc. (SMFI) in partnership with the Department of Agriculture,Provincial Government of Tarlac and Harbest Food Corp. (HBC).The trained farmers, totalling 163, will produce and regularlysupply the vegetable requirements of SM supermarkets in Tarlac.Sec. Alcala thanked SMFI for its initiative and committed to sup-port Tarlac Governor Victor Yap (right) who spearheads the pro-gram. Joining them are HBC president Arsenio Barcelona (partlyhidden), SMFI ass’t. vice president Cristie Angeles (left) and Tarlacprovincial agriculturist Rowena Tabamo.

•RFU11 - Oscar Parawan; RTDOperations, Norlito Agduyeng;RTD Research, Romulo Palcon;

•RFU12 - Amalia Datukan;RTD Operations, Jimmy Olivo;RTD Research, Jose Balacutan;and

•RFU13 - Edna Mabeza; RTDOperations, Edgardo Dahino;RTD Research, Teodora Pellerin-Fiel.

The new designations of otherREDs and DA officials are:

•RED Reinerio Belarmino,technical assistant on develop-ment of draft animals;

•RED Pedro Jerry Baliang,tech’l. ass’t. on meat import/ex-port situation;

•RED Ricardo Oblena, tech’l.ass’t. on irrigation program andproject monitoring;

•RTD Bernadette F. San Juan,tech’l. ass’t. on special con-cerns;

•Dr. Ruben Miranda, OIC-ex-ecutive director of the PhilippineRice Research Institute(PhilRice);

•Atty. Ronilo Beronio, specialassistant for DA property con-cerns;

•Felix Valenzuela, tech’l. ass’t.at the Office of the Assistant Sec-retary for Livestock, and concur-rent LDC deputy exec. dir.;

(Pls turn to p8)

• Asst. Secretary Edilberto deLuna, national corn programcoordinator;

• Dante Delima, national riceprogram coordinator, and con-current BPI ass’t. dir.; and

• Jennifer Remoquillo, na-tional high value crops programcoordinator.

Intellectual Property (IP) Phil-ippines has recently awardedtwo trademark certificates toKalipayan Products and LikasKaya, which the Bureau of Agri-cultural Research (BAR),through its Intellectual PropertyRights Office (IPRO), assistedin filing and processing of IPapplications, as well as in pro-viding legal and technical assis-tance.

Kalipayan Products wasawarded the trademark for theirstylized “G” logo and devicewhich they could now use intheir product labels.

“The approved trademarkconsists of a very stylized letterG in black color, in continuouswriting with rough edges,”described Dr. Andrea B. Agillon,head of the BAR’s IPRO.

Kalipayan Products, ownedby Ms. Ma. Elena A. Tabora, isthe producer of NegrosOccidental’s original GourmetTuyo, noted for its Pinoy flavorand now eyeing the globalmarket.

Meanwhile, Likas Kaya,which produces organicfertilizers, was awarded thetrademark of the word “LikasKaya” and three-arrow device ingreen color.

The trademark was applied forby Arnold N. Venturina,president of the OccidentalMindoro National State College.

“They own the trademarkwhich is good for 10 years,” saidDr. Agillon. “The trademark forthe Stylized Gourmet took awhile as we had to re-f ile itbecause it was denied,” he said.

As defined in the IntellectualProperty Code (R.A. 8293), “atrademark is  any  visible  signcapable of distinguishinggoods”. It could be a sign,device or mark by which thearticles produced or dealt in bya particular person ororganization are distinguished or

Two enterprisesget trademarks

(Pls turn to p11)

Page 5: Aggie Trends April 2011

5April 2011

The Sugar Regulatory Ad-ministration (SRA), under Ad-ministrator Ma. ReginaBautista-Martin, announcedthe United States is lookingpositively at the country’ssugar industry and at thegovernment’s efforts to improvethe lives and income of smallsugarcane farmers throughfarm consolidation and public-private partnerships.

This came on the heels of ameeting, held early this monthat Washington DC, attendedby Martin, representatives fromthe Philippine Sugar MillersAssociation (PSMA) and theSugar Alliance of the Philip-pines (SAP).

The delegation met withDeputy Undersec. Darci Vetterof the USDA; Dir. RonBaumgarten, Jr. and KarlEhlers of USTR; Dir. MikeDunlap and Chief CounselJonathan Coppess of the Com-mittees on Agriculture of theUS House of Representativesand US Senate.

Recognizing the importance ofestablishing one systematic da-tabase on buffalo information, theDA-Philippine Carabao Center(PCC) launched recently an ‘In-ternational Buffalo KnowledgeResource Service’ (IBKRS) viathe internet.

Interested individuals andgroups may visit www.ibkrs.net,where they can find selected re-searches on buffalo.

Dr. Libertado C. Cruz, PCCexecutive director, said IBKRS isa one-stop-hub that consolidatesquality research articles on buf-falo information in the form ofabstracts and/or full texts. It isinternational in scope, with em-phasis on countries with longyears of established and repu-table buffalo research informationfacilities.

The site also includes a direc-

DA-PCC launches ‘buffalo knowledge’ websitetory of relevant institutions andorganizations, and a database ofresearchers and scientists in spe-cific fields of discipline, added Dir.Cruz.

Through the IBKRS, interestedlivestock raisers, farmers,agribusinessmen and researcherscan access available informationon buffalo production, breedingand genetics, reproductive bio-technologies, animal health andnutrition, feeding management,dairying and dairy technologies,and enterprise development.

Dir. Cruz invites and encouragesall buffalo scientists to networkwith the PCC via the site’s chatand forum. They can also sendrelevant information that may en-hance the coverage, intellectualcontent and use of the IBKRSwebsite. They can also email theirinquiries at [email protected].

Region 12 officials shift to biologicalcontrol against coconut tree pest

US officials look favorably at Phl sugarindustry in Washington D.C. meeting

Also present were Dir. MarciaEugenio of the Office of ChildLabor, Forced Labor and HumanTrafficking of the US Departmentof Labor; Jack Roney of theAmerican Sugar Alliance; andPaul Ryberg, Pres. of the Inter-national Sugar Trade Coalition.

The team reiterated thecountry’s commitment to fill upthe US sugar quota since grow-ing competition in the worldmarket is likely to lower theprices of sugar, making the USan important trade partner.

The industry is willing to payshort-term opportunity costs bysupplying the US market todayin order to enjoy long-term ben-efits in terms of access to theUS market in the future, it wasagreed.

As an offshoot of the discus-sions on the US quota, USDASec. Vilsack announced an ad-ditional in-quota quantity for theTRQ of sugar giving the

Philippines an allocation of60,000 metric tons raw value(MTRV).

The Department of Agriculture(DA), together with the PhilippineCoconut Authority (PCA) andthe Local Government  Units ofRegion 12, joined efforts in coun-tering pests that have beenattacking coconut  trees,  this

time using biological meansrather than purely chemical pes-ticides.

The PCA reported that they arenow focused on biological controlusing parasitoids (Tetrastichussp) to sustain containment efforts

to control the pest. DA-12 Re-gional Director Amalia Jayag-Datukan said the region’s effortsto contain the pests had beennotably strong despite reports ofinfestation since it was detectedin Lutayan, Sultan Kudarat inJanuary 2009. Since then, theregion’s authorities have beenattempting to control Brontispausing chemical pesticides.

Chemical application includestrunk injection, spraying anddrenching of the cut portion of thecrown. All chemical treated treeswere then subjected to mechani-cal control by cutting and burn-ing of the spear leaf before spray-ing.

Sometime in 2009, the CropProtection Division of PCA DavaoResearch Center has success-fully identified and mass pro-duced a local parasitoid.

After laboratory and field obser-vation, this proved to be an effec-tive control against Brontispa.

This parasitoid (Tetrastichussp) lays eggs in the pupa ofBrontispa, which, after 2 weeksof parasitism, will emerge as anadult again averaging from 20-40wasps.

Since then, all efforts to con-tain Brontispa were focused onbiological control usingtetrastichus. Massive trainings

on mass production of this in-sect have been conducted re-gion wide. Several laboratorieswere established in Lutayan,Sultan Kudarat, and the LGU ofCotabato Province.

Just recently, the SultanKudarat Polytechnic Universityin Lutayan established its ownlaboratory after undergoing train-ing on Integrated Pest Manage-ment which is more sustainable,environment friendly, and posesno harm to humans.

As of March 2011, PCA re-ported a total of 124,810 treesinfested and treated with variouscontrol measures, majority ofwhich used parasitoids.

The Municipality of Tupi where1,180 coconut trees have beeninfested, was declared understate of calamity to augment re-sources to control the pest.

Amid the reported infestationof Brontispa longissima Gestrocommonly known as coconuthispine beetle, the PCA warnedcoconut farmers about its pos-sible spread to neighboringtowns.

They urged farmers to imme-diately report to their nearesttechnicians any suspectedbrontispa infestation to preventits spread.

Sec. Alcala (above, 2nd from left) hands over a symbolic key toOriental Mindoro governor Alfonso Umali, commencing acounterparting program that provides farmers with two tractors(below), farm equipment, inputs and projects, in ceremonies heldApril 29, 2011, in Calapan City. Joining them are DA-4B regionaldir. Cipriano Santiago (left) and vice governor Butch Dolor.

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6

Benguet APTC: Something new, something rightAnybody who has been to the

present La Trinidad VegetableTrading Post in Benguetprovince will probably agree thatsomething’s wrong somewhere.

It might be because as soonas you get to the vicinity of thevegetable trading post, you aregreeted by long lines of vehiclesfilled to the brim with a wideassortment of highland veg-etables waiting to be unloaded.

Or, you might have beenturned off by the offensive smellof rotting vegetables and fruits,along with the occasional smellof chicken dung being ferried bythe truckloads into interiorBenguet towns for use asfertilizers. With decaying foodin the vicinity, the presence offruit flies and ordinary house-hold buzzards would not be sofar behind.

Ask an ordinary vegetablefarmer or his wife (as Benguetfarmers are usually accompa-nied by members of the familyin trading their hard-earnedproduce) if they are happy withthe outcome of their trade.Were they able to recoup theirexpenses? Did the prices levelup to what they expected? Didthey turn in a profit? Often thannot, the reply would be accom-panied by a helpless, dissatis-fied sigh.

These observations were alsocommon when a team from theDevelopment Academy of thePhilippines (DAP) and theDepartment of Agriculture (DA)came for a site inspection ofthe present La Trinidad Veg-etable Trading Post early thisyear.

The team, led by DirectorAriel Manalac of DA’s Agricul-ture Training Institute, foundthat Benguet’s vegetabletrading post was inadequate tomeet the estimated 1 millionkilograms of vegetables un-loaded there everyday.

The present trading post,established in 1984, caters toover 2,000 stakeholderscomposed of farmers, traders,middlemen, and buyers. Thehighland vegetables tradedthere are cabbages, potatoes,cauliflower, Chinese cabbage,carrots, chayote, broccoli,cucumber, lettuce, celery, onionleeks, sweet pepper, radish,sweet peas, and beans.

Because of its inadequacies,farmers and their freight queuealong the national highway andcontribute to pollution, unsani-

tary environment, and trafficcongestion in the area. In turn,there is a great deal of incon-venience and loss of productiv-ity on the part of the farmerswho are virtually powerless inthe scheme of things.

All these are about tochange with the programmedconstruction of a newer, moremodern, more spacious andsystematic integrated veg-etable trading post in themunicipality beginning thissummer.

Called the Benguet Agri-Pinoy Trading Center (APTC)at the heart of Benguet’sstrawberry farms at barangayBetag in La Trinidad, the newtrading facility is estimated tocost about P400 million andwill take about a year tocomplete.

Agriculture SecretaryProceso J. Alcala signed aMemorandum of Understand-ing and witnessed the ceremo-nial launching of the BenguetAPTC last April 13. The othersignatories in the agreementinclude the DA, the BenguetState University (BSU) whoowns the four-hectare property,the municipal government ofLa Trinidad, the province ofBenguet, and the Benguetfarmers’ marketing coopera-tive.

Dubbed to be the mostmodern trading post in thecountry to date, the BenguetAPTC will play a pilot role inthe country’s integrated supplychain being pushed by the DA,Alcala said.

Its trading facilities are aimedat increasing vegetable farmers’

By Adam Borja

income while protecting themfrom market price fluctuations.Production facilities encourageminimum processing of vegetableproducts with the use of moderncold storage technologies butalso provide for further process-ing to meet export demands andhandling of excess produce andspoilage. Full processing, on theother hand, will result in the pro-duction of starch, chips, strings,and pastes, while minimal pro-cessing will cover cleaning, sort-ing, slicing and packing.

Its business portfolio includestolled facilities and services, feesfor trading post operations, andintegrated supply chain involvingproduction, processing and mar-keting.

Farmers may enter into pro-duction agreements like contractgrowing or contracts-to-buy withthe trading post’s corporate part-ners. These partners scheduleprogrammed planting, harvest,processing and delivery to meetcorporate clients’ needs.

Also they may enter into mar-keting agreements with other cli-ents or for export purposes, andemploy processing stages tomeet the demand.

Secretary Alcala revealed thatthe project will be funded jointlyby the national government, inpartnership with the BenguetState University, the local govern-ment units under Benguet Gov.Nestor Fongwan and Rep. RonaldCosalan, and

La Trinidad Mayor GregorioAbalos, with a sharing schemefor foreign investors.

He said the Korean Interna-tional Coordinating Agency(KOICA) has already committed

to spend US $2.5 million for theprocessing plant of the new veg-etable trading post.

Alcala also underlined the roleof farmers and farmers’ coopera-tives in the success of the un-dertaking as he ceremoniallyturned over around P600,000 tothe local government of Benguetrepresenting the first tranche ofpayments to affected strawberryfarmers, saying they can stillcontinue their farming activitiesdespite on-going construction.

Under the agreement, theDepartment of Agriculture facili-tates the investments via grant;enters into a five-year manage-ment contract; engages in mar-keting and account developmentand capacity building; and par-ticipation in governance. In ex-change, the DA will get a sharein the business and in manage-ment fees;

The Benguet State Universityshall allow a 25-year lease of the4-hectare property, buy inputsfor its own vegetable process-ing activities; and participate ingovernance. As reward, it shallhave its share in business, getincome from lease, and get toachieve its academic goals

The La Trinidad Municipal Gov-ernment, the Provincial Govern-ment of Benguet, and the farm-ers’ cooperatives and federa-tions shall also contribute to theproject and be entitled to returnson investment.

Secretary Alcala said theBenguet APTC shall serve as aconduit in the development of avibrant agricultural marketingsystem in the country to providescientific technological supportand speed up the growth of theagricultural sector.

He revealed that the DA plansto establish similar tradingposts in Isabela, Nueva Ecija,Visayas, Cebu, Cagayan DeOro, and Iloilo. These tradingposts, Alcala said, will becomplementary to each otherand shall work in an integratedsystem for food security pur-poses.

With the Benguet APTC com-pleted soon, farmers, traders,students, tourists, and ordinaryresidents will have reason to behappy for the all-new, life chang-ing experience.

Now they can f inally saysomething right is going on intheir community.

Page 7: Aggie Trends April 2011

7April 2011

Coral transplantation revives marine habitat

The town of Linamon inLanao del Norte has es-poused a typical yet efficientway to revive submarinehabitat: coral transplantation.

Its 5.2 kilometer coastlinehas been the shelter ofthriving cluster of trans-planted corals.

“We need to accelerate therevival of our coral reefs tosave the resources thatremained in our seas,” saysErnila Obenza, the NRMFocal Person of Limanon.

“Although not so commonamong the usual coastalconservation activities, we’veheard the success of coraltransplantation in Medina(Misamis Oriental). We were

By Sherwin B. Manual interested in it and hired theresearcher who conducted theproject in Medina as ourconsultant,” Obenza said.

Corals are the natural habitat,breeding place and source offood of different underseaorganisms. Its complex growththat forms the reef acts asnatural breakwater from strongcurrent and waves. Corals helpstop siltation and helps in theaccumulation of more sand orsoil in the coast.

Dwindling fishery resourcesNestor Sakay, a local

fisherfolk, said that this part ofIligan Bay used to be rich invarious fishes even if it’s just astone’s-throw away from thecoastline. Results of theParticipatory Resource Ap-

praisal and Resource andSocial Assessment in 2008revealed that most of the fishescaught near the shorelineespecially in sea grasses andcoral areas are siganids likekitang, damsels like pata andañel- añel, parrot fishes andwrasses like “mul-mul” and“lubayan.”

Sardines, locally known as“tamban,” is the most abundantfish especially in the fishinggrounds near Larapan river.Fisherfolk also catch pelagicfishes mostly tuna, and tuna-like “pidlayan” “budlisan”“anduhaw”, flying fish like“bangsi and balo.” Milkfish orbangus is also a very promisingmarine crop.

“However, fish catch trend isgenerally going down from 1960to the present. Fisherfolkattribute this to fish habitatdestruction especially in thecoral reefs.

“Our survey in 2000 in thefive coastal barangays showedthat our coral reefs are in poorto fair condition and the com-munities living in the area areaware of it as they admit duringour public forums,” Obenzasaid.

The fishery resources aredwindling fast enough to causealarm for the fishing communityand the local government.

“The study we conductedrevealed that in 1993, fishermenwith motorized bancas whospend 45 minutes to four hourswithin eight to 10 kilometersfrom the shore can catch about110 kilos.But in 2008, theycatch only about 20 kilos.

Worse, small fisherfolkwithin four to five kilometers in1993 usually get 65 kilos in2008, but now they could barelygather 10 kilos in their bas-kets,” Obenza said.

Adaptable technology“The coral transplantation is

just but one part of our wholeeffort to revive the rich re-sources of the seas of Linamonthrough the establishment of aMarine Protected Area (MPA),”said Obenza.

The town has engaged toestablish a 6-hectare MPA, andone hectare is devoted to coraltransplantation.

“The Samburon-Mago-ongcoast was selected becausebased on the initial studyconducted the area, it still hasresources that can be saved orconserved. It has the capacityto regenerate while the prob-lems of water turbidity is not soprevalent,” said municipalmarine biologist Cheryl Eballe.

The present trading post in La Trinidad, Benguet.

400-M agri ... (from p1)

“The technology wasadapted from marine biolo-gist Lemuel Alfeche who hassuccessfully studied coraltransplantation in Duka Bayof Medina, Misamis Orien-tal,” explained Eballe.

“Researches showed thatthe wild corals can grow asmuch as 2 cms in a year,but in the study of Alfeche inDuka Bay the coral growthwas observed to be at 16cms for a year,” she added.

In the Linamon project,they use 38 modules orcoral substrates with threedesigns: the pyramidal blocktype, the cylindrical blocktype and the dome blocktype.

“We have transplanted thecoral acropora which weretaken from the coral reefs inBrgy. Poblacion,” Eballesaid.

“This strategy will allowthe control of water param-eters within the contiguoussites having similar vectorialcurrent operating in thesystem with similar salinity,”Eballe explained.

Further, she explained thatthe coral fragments col-lected from parent coralswere cautiously transferredunderwater using plasticbaskets drawn by apumpboat. These wereindividually planted withinthe respective coral sub-strates with the use ofconcrete blocks which wereplanted upright by insertingthem at the center of theholes provided in the blocks.They were also cementedunderwater and allowed fourto five hours to harden.

“The transplantationprocess was painstaking,and based on our latestmonitoring, we observed atleast 70-30 coral survivalrate which is within theexpected rate,” Eballe said.

“The consequences ofinvesting on this kind ofresource managementstrategy for coral reefdevelopment will result inenvironmental economic andsocial benefits such asincreased productivity,enhanced marinebiodiversity and the develop-ment of a tourism attractionsite,” Obenza said.

“We envisioned thatthrough this intervention wecan improve the quality oflife of coastal communitiesas well as bring back thehealth and integrity of theenvironment,” she added.

The new facility, which willcomplement the existing tradingpost near the La Trinidad Munici-pal Hall, is envisioned to maketrading operations of vegetablesand fruits faster, from unloadinguntil payment of goods delivered,and thus minimize spoilage andwastage. It will be funded jointlyby the DA, provincial and munici-pal governments of Benguet andLa Trinidad, and Benguet Rep.Ronald Cosalan.

It will also a feature a modernprocessing facility, to be fundedby a $2.5-million grant from theKorea International CooperationAgency (KOICA), said Sec.Alcala. The facility will processvegetables into ready-to-cook‘chop suey’ packs, vegetablechips and starch.

The launch was preceded bya signing of a memorandum ofunderstanding (MOU) amongconcerned stakeholders, led bySec. Alcala.

The other signatories were:Benguet Governor NestorFongwan, Rep. Ronald Cosalan,La Trinidad Mayor GregorioAbalos, Jr., BSU President Dr.Rogelio Colting, and JohnSagpaey, Benguet farmers’ mar-keting cooperative’s vice-chair.

Sec. Alcala said the DA will es-tablish similar multi-commodityagricultural and fishery tradingand processing centers in othermajor provinces such as Isabelaand Nueva Ecija, for grains andlowland vegetables; Iloilo forgrains and fishery products; Cebu,for fishery and processed fruits;Cagayan De Oro, grains, fruitsand vegetables; and GeneralSantos City for marine and aquac-ulture products, grains, fruits andvegetables.

Also, Sec. Alcala urged the of-f icers and members of theBenguet farmers’ marketing co-operative to contribute their re-spective share in making theproject a success.

Page 8: Aggie Trends April 2011

8

Sec.Alcala (2nd from right) hands over to Mr. Leo Loredo of theProvincial Federation of Small Coconut Farmers Association co-conut seedlings which is part of the P13.5 million-DA projectsawarded to North Cotabato farmers under the Priority Develop-ment Assistant Fund of Congressman Jesus Sacdalan (2nd fromleft). Other inputs distributed were 57,142 rubber-budded seedlings,70 heads of farm animals and four units of shallow tube wells. Alsowith Sec. Alcala is DA-12 Regional Director Amalia J. Datukan.

White corn grit, sweet potato, cassava and banana will soonbe regular table foods or snacks during meetings, conferences,seminars, workshops and other forums conducted by the Depart-ment of Agriculture.

In a recent memorandum, Secretary Proceso J. Alcala urgesall DA offices, bureaus, agencies and regional field units to vigor-ously promote and encourage consumption of other staple foodssuch as white corn, sweet potato, cassava, and banana.

This initiative forms part of the government’s Food Staples Self-Sufficiency Roadmap (FSSR) that aims to attain self-sufficiencyin rice by end of 2013.

By increasing the production and consumption of other foodstaples, rice consumption will be reduced.

Hence, the DA will also promote responsible consumption pat-tern of rice and other staples for better health and nutrition.

Another strategy is to reduce post-harvest losses of rice, cornand other grains and staples.

DA promotes other staples

Sec. Alcala turns over P13.9Magri projects in North Cotabato

Agriculture Secretary ProcesoJ. Alcala on April 9, 2011 turnedover a P13.5 Million worth of ag-ricultural projects to farmers ofthe 1st District of North Cotabatothru Representative JesusSacdalan’s Priority DevelopmentAssistance Fund (PDAF).

A total of 70 head of cows andcarabaos were dispersedamounting to P10M, with P5Mof the budget coming from PDAFand from the DA.

Some P2M worth of rubber-budded seedlings, P1M worth ofcoconut seedlings andP500,000 worth of coffee seed-lings together with four (4) unitsof shallow tube wells amountingto P100,000 each, and smallfarm implements were also givento the beneficiaries in Midsayap,North Cotabato.

Alcala said the activity is partof the directions of Pres. NoynoyAquino for farmers to be able tofeel the presence of thegovernment’s efforts in helpingthem uplift their everyday living.

“Pres. Aquino wanted to knowwhat the real thing is on theground, give him proper feed-

back, and deliver the govern-ment to the citizens so that thepeople will feel true change es-pecially here in North Cotabato,”he said.

“Central Mindanao has be-come well known for conflicts.Now, with the help of our Con-gressman Jesus Sacdalan alongwith the mayors, this place willbecome famous by feeding ourbrothers and sisters.” Alcalaadded.

He also announced that thedepartment has created an ap-propriate program to help its vari-ous clienteles.

One of the problems relayedto him is the water system inthe area, where farmers com-plained of flooding during heavyrainfall.

Alcala assured the farmersthat he will discuss the matterwith Public Works SecretaryRogelio Singson.

He said that he will put in ad-ditional funding for flood controlprojects that have already beenstarted, so that these will becompleted within the year. Thedepartment will also put up ad-

ditional dryers and advised farm-ers to select effective rice millsthat have a 65-70% recovery rate.

The Land Bank of the Philip-pines can provide funds for amuch better rice milling facility.

To achieve its goal of five met-ric tons per hectare to attain ricesufficiency in the country, thegovernment is focusing on theselection of the right variety ofrice seeds to produce more yield.Alcala said that among the as-sistance given to farmers are giv-ing support services like storageand drying facilities, and improv-ing the region’s irrigation system.

On the increasing price of fer-tilizers, Sec. Alcala said DA isnow implementing the OrganicAgricultural Act of 2010 (RA10068), which will be of great helpto farmers who are promoting eco-logically-friendly agriculture prod-ucts. Municipal agriculturists willbe trained to produce their ownorganic fertilizers to help farmersagainst the high costs of inputs.

The research was aimed atdetermining the effects of dolo-mitic lime to soil pH and iden-tify the most ideal rate of appli-cation for corn cropping. It waswas undertaken by Felizardo M.Salomes, Priscilla C. Jover,Teresita B. Pactol, Homer T.Mendoza, Pedro L. Ambabang,Jonathan G. Comamao andAldren P. Mejares. (DA9)

Lime ... (from p4)

Yebes said aside from theMontaños, the original Spanishfamilies who produced bottledsardines were the Urquiagas, theBermedos, and the Buenos.

Dir. Sarmiento said there areat least four companies that arecompliant with the Hazard Analy-sis Crit ical Control Point orHACCP standards required byimporting companies. They areMendoza Industries, AlenterFoods, Inc., Tita Rosa FoodsInc., and Montaño Foods Inc.

HACCP is a systematic pre-ventive approach to food safetythat addresses physical, chemi-cal, and biological hazards as ameans of prevention. The sys-tem is used at all stages of foodproduction, preparation, packag-ing and distribution.

Sarmiento said the DA-BFARin Zamboanga (Region 9) main-tains a regional laboratory thatoffers free services, and providestraining and technical assis-tance to sardine producers toenable them improve their prod-ucts and be globally competitive.

DA-BFAR ... (from p3)

least five tons per hectare byemploying good agricultural prac-tices — from land preparation touse of good quality certif iedseeds, and right kind and amountof fertilizers, and post harvestpractices.

”Please give me five,” he urgedthe Ozamis farmers in a ‘townhall’ meeting. The country’s cur-rent average harvest of palay(unmilled rice) is 3.7 tons (74cavans of 50 kilos each) per hect-are.

DA-NIA ... (from p3) The National Irrigation Admin-istration in Region X, throughthe Lanao-Misamis OccidentalIrrigation Management Office un-der Regional Irrigation ManagerJulius S. Maquiling, hasachieved a 52.71 percent irriga-tion development in the region.

Out of the total agriculturalarea of 193,830 hectares,14,547has. are potentially irrigable.About 7,668 has are already ir-rigated by the NIA, commercialor private irrigators, and smallland owners. The rest is for irri-gation development.

Local government officials ledby 1st District Rep. Jorge T.Almonte, Ozamis Mayor NovaPrincess Parohinog-Echavez,Clarin Mayor David Navaro, andother local chief executives werethankful to Secretary Alcala forhis generosity and vowed to dotheir best to meet their targetsbefore 2013.

Meanwhile, Sec. Alcala saidthe DA will grant 20 scholarshipslots for deserving agriculture en-gineering students during the61stPhilippine Society of Agricul-ture Engineers (PSAE) annual

Page 9: Aggie Trends April 2011

9April 2011

Agriculture Secretary ProcesoJ. Alcala encouraged more than1,700 graduates to be the part-ners in advancing prosperityacross Mindanao and through-out the Philippines during the 65th

Commencement Exercises ofthe University of SouthernMindanao in Kabacan, Cotabato.

“Dahil sa ganda ng klima saMindanao, dahil sa ang gagalingng tao sa Mindanao, gagawinnating agricultural hub ng buongbansa ang Mindanao,” Alcalasaid.

“Mindanao is the land of prom-ise. We should make this dreaminto a reality. People can plant365 days because of the niceclimate in Mindanao and weshould take advantage of it,” hesaid.

He said President NoynoyAquino is pleased with the ac-complishments of agriculturesector in the country. The AquinoAdministration goal is to be self-sufficient in food nationwide thatis why Mindanao is so vital inachieving this goal because ithas the capability and the knowl-edge and it is bountiful all yearround.

Alcala assured that there willno longer be rice importation by2013 under DA’s Agri-Pinoy pro-gram. Last year, the Philippinesis the number one importer ofrice in the world with 2.4millionmetric tons (MMT). This year, In-donesia ranks as the top im

Mindanao graduates urged to bepartners in advancing prosperity

porter with 1.5 MMT.Give Me FIVE!

The Central Mindanao regionproduces an average of 3.8 met-ric tons of rice per hectare, henoted, as he imparted to thegraduates his challenge for thefarmers to produce five (5) metrictons or at least 4.5MT.

If this is achieved, there is noneed for the government to importrice anymore, he said.

In return, capability enhance-ment, latest farming technologiesand education on farming togetherwith postharvest facilities and in-frastructures will be utilized andimplemented.

Construction and rehabilitationof irrigations, organizing classesof seeds and proper use of fertil-izers will be given focus.

The agriculture department isplanning to put up at least threegrainlands in Mindanao wherecorn and rice surplus will beshipped to Luzon.Mindanao Rural DevelopmentProgram Phase 2

The Mindanao Rural Develop-ment Program Phase 2 (MRDP2)has provided P4.2 billion to beused in rural developments inMindanao.

At least P8.6B-worth of projectsis being proposed and with thehelp of the President, the govern-ment is hoping to engage with theWorld Bank to increase funding.Halal in Mindanao

DA has provided funds for Mus

lim brothers and sisters to betrained for halal food preparation.Sec. Alcala is pushing for the fi-nalization of the draft standardsfor halal to enable the Philippinescompete with other countries forthe global halal industry esti-mated at US$1.3 trillion.

An-internationally-harmonizedstandard is just the first step to-wards providing the proper devel-opmental perspective.

The department is alsostrengthening seaweeds industryand mariculture parks inMindanao

Although Mindanao has beenmarred by conflicts, I came herewithout any security. Kitang kitako po ang kinabukasan nginyong lugar at kitang kita ko rinpo na kung hindi po kayomakikipagkaisa ay doon na rinpo natatapos ang pangarap ko,doon na rin po natatapos ang

buong pangarap ng adminis-trasyong Aquino na maging selfsufficient po ang pagkain ngbuong bansa, Alcala added.

Moreover, he commended at-least 578 agriculture graduates.

He said, they are the futureentrepreneurs in our country.With proper guidance, they willbe in partnership with our gov-ernment in promoting agriculturein the future.

Serious about the promotionof agricultural courses, Secre-tary Alcala inspired the USMcommunity of t about 20 slotsscholarship grants for the univer-sity.

The DA’s Agricultural Competi-tiveness Enhancement Fund(ACEF) will offer scholarships foragriculture-related courses.

This scholarship will providefree tuition and free book allow-ance among others.

Two dozen corn farmers gradu-ated from a seven-month Partici-patory Plant Breeding (PBB)course on corn, at Posnaan,Aguinaldo, Ifugao, March 24,2011.

The training, aimed at strength-ening the capability of farmers inmanaging their seeds, crops, andfarms, is an extension activitythrough the partnership of the De-partment of Agriculture,KASAKALIKASAN andSEARICE program.

After training, the farmers areexpected to replicate the strate-gies, techniques, knowledge, andpractices they learned to their co-farmers.

Agricultural Technologist andtrainer Alexander P. Bayachansaid the graduates began theirintegrated plant management,

Ifugao farmers train on corn breedingwhile their PPB course startedin September until March. Thecourse covered planting phaseup to the harvest phase.

Most of the graduates weregrateful for the training and ex-pressed positive feedback aboutthe program. “Masarap ang mag-aral, para ngang bitin eh,” saidJohny Sapinan, a graduate. Headded they will always welcomeand accept additional knowledgeand information shared to themto support their livelihood.

Dirrek D. Lao-ay, Executive Di-rector Assistant of SEARICE,said the graduation of the cornfarmers is not the end, but thebeginning of good farming prac-tices in the field. More activitiesand trainings are needed to ex-pand the farmers’ knowledge and

(Pls turn to p11)

“There is money in agriculture!” Thus said Sec. ‘Procy’Alcala as heencouraged graduates of the Southern Luzon State University(SLSU), April 26, 2011, in Lucban, Quezon, where he served as com-mencement speaker. Of the total 794 graduates, 87 students finishedagriculture-related courses. He granted SLSU with 25 scholarshipslots for those who will pursue agriculture courses. Photo showsSec. Alcala receiving a token from SLSU president Cecilia Gascon,while SLSU Regent Dr. Roberto Licup looks on.

Sec. Alcala (top left) addresses the graduates of the University ofSouthern Mindanao during their 65th Commencement Exercises.

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Sec. Alcala’s travelogue for the month of April

1--LUISIANA, LAGUNA: 14th Pandan Festival —Unveiled marker ofPatubig ng Bayan during the 14th Pandan Festival and 157th Year ofAbsolute Villasenor in Brgy. San Isidro, Luisiana. Attended by MayorManuel R. Rondilla, Vice Mayor Crisanto Villamin, and formerLaguna Gov. Teresita Lazaro, RFU III Regional Dir. AbelardoBragas. Dialogue with farmers and members of Sanggunian ngBayan. Awarded P1 million for Multi-Purpose Dryer and P6.5 millionfor Farm to Market Road, three (3) hand tractor each 3 Baragays; ashallow tube well and various vegetable seeds.

4--TABLAS, ROMBLON: Odiongan Town Fiesta, Ecumenical Night,Odiongan Agro-Fair —Delivered message on agri projects forRomblon, specifically on fisheries and aquaculture; visited boothsof various Romblon-grown agri produce; Visited Looc FishSanctuary in Romblon, one of the country’s most fertile fishinggrounds with Gov. Eduardo Firmalo. Noted potentials to supply fishproducts to Boracay and other nearby tourist destinations. LoocBay serves as breeding ground for various fishes such as Ilak andBank among other high value fishes; Turned over Food Terminalwarehouse and attended Farmers’ Forum in Odiongan, Romblon;Released last batch of 90 Olive Ridley Turtles on the shores ofBinucot Beach in Ferrol, Romblon with Gov. Eduardo Firmalo andFerrol Mayor Jason Fabila.

7--LUCENA, QUEZON: Commencement Exercises —Deliveredspeech at Quezon National High School Commencement Exer-cise at the Alcala Sports Complex in Lucena City, Quezon. Hecommitted to give scholarship funds to 20 students who will beapplying for agriculture and other related courses with additionalallowances and books and a job at the Department of Agriculture.

8--BATANGAS: 42nd SoroSoro Ibaba Development CooperativeFounding Anniversary & Cluster General Assembly Meeting,Batangas State University Main Campus Gymnasium, RizalAvenue, Batangas City —Delivered a message to the members ofthe cooperative and granted 100 heads of piglets to the coopera-tive.

9-10--NORTH COTABATO: USM Commencement Exercise —Awarded P13.5 million project, distributed 57,142 rubber-buddedseedlings, 70 heads of farm animals and four units of shallow tubewells to North Cotabato farmers; with Rep. Jesus Sacdalan andRFU XII Regional Dir. Amalia Datukan.

13--VICTORIA, TARLAC —Turned over liquid quick freeze machineto the New Caluguran Bangon Concepcion Multi-Purpose Coop-erative at Concepcion, Tarlac; appreciated the cooperative’sinitiative for ‘Gulayan sa Paaralan’ project; promised another liquidquick-freeze equipment, a greenhouse, and an additionalP500,000 operating capital. Joined by Tarlac 3rd Dist. Rep JeciAquino Lapus and NCBCMC chair Myrna Masiclat; attended aFarmer’s Forum and site visit at the Kabalikat sa KabuhayanFarmers Training Program at Brgy. Capehan, Tarlac City; Attendedby Tarlac 3rd Dist. Rep. Jeci Lapuz, Tarlac Gov. Victor Yap, Vice-Gov.Pearl Angeli Pacada, Gerona Mayor Dennis Norman Go, La PazMayor Dionisio Manuel, Concepcion Mayor Andres Lacson, Prov’lAgriculturist Edwina Weng Tabamo, HARBEST Agribusiness Corp.Pres. Arsenio Barcelona, RFU III Regional dir. Andrew Villacortaand NABCOR Pres. Allan Javellana.- BAGUIO AND BENGUET— Turned over Bawek-Twin PeaksAgricultural Tramline System in Tuba, Benguet. Attended byBenguet Gov. Nestor Fongwan, Benguet Rep. Ronald Cosalan andTuba Mayor Florencio Bentrez; signed memorandum of under-standing and launching of the Benguet Agri-Pinoy Trading Centerat the Strawberry Fields, Betag, La Trinidad, Benguet; with DA-CARDir. Marilyn Sta. Catalina, Agri-Pinoy Trading Center Program Dir.Ariel Manalac, DA-AMAS Dir. Leandro Gazmin, NABCOR ChiefOperating officer Honesto Baniqued, Benguet State University Pres.

Dr. Rogelio Colting, and BSU Multipurpose Coop. Chair, JaneAsiong; served as guest speaker during the 20th National HogFarmers’ Convention at the Baguio Country Club. Attended bySenator Francis Kiko Pangilinan, Rep Mark Leandro Mendoza,AKAP Partylist Rep. Nikki Briones, Abono Partylist Chair, RoesndoSo and Nat’l Fed. Of Hog Farmers Inc. Chair, Zosimo De Leon;attended Farmers’ Forum on organic farming with the PhilippineMisereor Partners-Northern Luzon cluster at the University of thePhilippines Baguio campus.

16--CAPIZ —1st Quarter Meeting of Western Visayas RegionalDevelopment Council at Governor’s Hall; Luncheon meeting withCong Antonio del Rosario at Del Rosario Farm; Guest Speakerduring the 110th Provincial Farmers’ Day, participated in by 2,500farmers

17--ILOILO —Breakfast meeting and farm tour at BarangayBacuranan with Mayor Jesry Palmares and discussed agriprojects; Tour at the Western Visayas Integrated AgriculturalResearch Center (WESVIARC) Facility in Humangaya, attended theDA- WESVIARC Regional Management Committee meeting; had aluncheon meeting with Jaro Archbishop Most Reverend AngelLagdameo; met 10-year old farmer Joshua Baltazar atBrgy.Kabuluan Sur, Oton, Iloilo.

25--OZAMIZ CITY/DAPITAN CITY FIELD VISIT, Ceremonial MOASigning of the Rehabilitation of LABO and CLARIN CommunalIrrigation System, Ozamis City, Misamis Occidental —Signed amemorandum of agreement for the P6.5 million worth of rehabilita-tion of Labo and Clarin communal irrigation system in Ozamis City,Misamis Occidental; Attended by 1st Dist. Rep. Jorge T. Almonte,Ozamis Mayor Nova Princess Parohinog-Echavez, BalilangaoMayor Svetlana Jalosjos, Calamba Mayor Luisito Villanueva, Jr.,Lopez Jaena Mayor Martin Migiño, Sapang Dalaga Mayor DonjieAnimas, Clarin Mayor David Navaro, Don Victoriano MayorRodolfo Luna, Sincaban Mayor Dello Lood, Tudela Mayor EstelaEstaño, Misamis Occidental Farmers Federation of IrrigatorsAssociation Pres. Oscar Pluma; Lunch Meeting, Misamis Occi-dental Aquamarine Park, with 2nd Dist. Rep. Leo Ocampo andBonifacio Mayor Samson Dumanjug, RFU XI RED Lealyn Ramos,RFU IX Carlos Mendoza, BFAR National Director MalcolmSarmiento, PFDA Gen Manager Rodolfo Paz and BFAR Region XDir. Visa Demarinfor possible mariculture projects;Inauguration of DA-BFAR-ZANORTE Cold Storage Facility, SanPedro, Dapitan City —Led the ceremonial ribbon cutting during theinauguration of the P40M cold storage facility; Attended by Gov.Rolando E. Yebes, Roxas Mayor Eduardo Yebes, Tampilisan MayorEnriqueta Bomediano, Kalawit Mayor Eugenio Baliling, Sr., SibucoMayor Norbideiri Edding, Dapitan City Vice Mayor Patri Chan andfisherfolk; 61st PSAE Annual National Convention, Dapitan CityGymnasium, Dapitan City, Zamboanga del Norte —Delivered hismessage to over 200 participants of the 9th PSAE InternationalConvention and Exhibition and the 61st PSAE Annual NationalConvention;

26 QUEZON: Commencement Exercises, Lucban, Quezon—Served as guest of honor and gave and delivered an inspira-tional message for the 29th Commencement Exercises of theSouthern Luzon State University

28-29 MINDORO —Briefed the Oriental Mindoro RegionalProvincial Government Management Committee; He approved theschool’s proposed P4.2M Mangyoung Entrepinoys OrganicFarming project that benefit mostly indigenous Mangyans and out-of-school youth; visited Mary Help of Christian School; Turnedover to Oriental Mindoro Gov. Alfonso Umali two units 90 hp tractorwith various farm inputs, equipment and projects as part of thepartnership between the DA and the provincial government

It was another busy month for Agriculture Secretary Proceso S. Alcala, as he continues his avowed mission of touchingbase with ordinary farmers and fisherfolk all over the country in the desire to come up with realistic programs that will trulybring food security, generate income, and uplift the quality of life for all Filipinos. His itinerary brought him to witness the

festive Pandan Festival in Laguna, to the heart-wrenching stories of Mangyan kids in Mindoro. His activities ranged fromspeaking engagements in commencement exercises and town fiestas, to the inauguration of multi-million priority projects inBenguet, Cotabato, Zamboanga. Here’s a run down of the Secretary’s activities for the month:

Page 11: Aggie Trends April 2011

11April 2011

Tarlac farmers ... (from p1)

thanked Secretary Alcala forgracing forum, saying it was afirm endorsement of forthcomingstronger agriculture ties betweenthe two countries.

He agreed with SecretaryAlcala in that the Forum is animportant venue to formalizingcooperation, and he is optimisticit will stimulate further trade be-tween both countries.

Further, since 2004 the Aus-tralian government—through theAustralian Agency for Interna-tional Development (AusAid)andAustralian Centre for Interna-tional Agricultural Research(ACIAR)—has provided the Phil-ippines agricultural technical as-sistance and grants of more thanAus$190M (roughly P8.9 billionat Aus$1=P47).

The Australia-Philippines Ag-ricultural Forum was participatedin by about 40 top officials fromthe DA and Australia’s Depart-ment of Agriculture, Fisheriesand Forestry (DAFF), headed byAmbassador Smith and Paul

skills so long as they will notlose enthusiasm, he added.

The PBB course was madepossible through the cooperationof the local government units ofAguinaldo, Ifugao, and the Officeof the Provincial Agriculturist inthe province.

Ifugao ... (from p9)

DA-PhilMech will put up 54more units nationwide by year-end. These will feature ‘double-decker’ carriages that can alsoferry people, particularly duringemergency situations.

Tesorero said they have al-ready four prototypes with modi-fied carriages, which can carryup to 500 kilos, composed ofboth farm products (weighing atleast 260 kilos) and up to fourpersons, weighing an average of60 kilos each.

The modified tramline will belaunched in Sariaya, Quezonnext month.

The cost of constructing atramline ranges from P1.3 mil-lion to P1.9 million, dependingon the topography, distance andlength of cable system. It couldbe completed in two to threemonths.

DA completes ... (from p12)

Alcala stresses ... (from p12)

DA grants ... (from p1)

productive use farmlands thatwere previously covered by laharfrom Mt. Pinatubo.

The DA chief made the com-mitment during a meeting withTarlac farmers and local execu-tives, 3rd District Rep. Jeci Lapusand Governor Victor Yap.

Sec. Alcala said the NIA hasallotted P349 million this year torepair and rehabilitate the BIMP,which sources water from theBulsa River.

In addition to the BIMP, Sec.Alcala said the DA will conductfeasibility studies in partnershipwith the Department of PublicWorks and Highways to con-struct small water impoundingprojects (SWIPs) in the townsof La Paz and Gerona.

For these initiatives, GovernorYap, Rep. Lapus, municipal may-ors and farmer-leaders thankedPresident Aquino and SecretaryAlcala for their strong support totransform Tarlac into one of thecountry’s major rice and veg-etable producing provinces.

Sec. Alcala said the BIMP willbe further developed as sourceof hydro-electric power in Luzon,under the proposed BIMP Phase2. It is one of the several ‘big-ticket’ agriculture infrastructureprojects proposed by the DA tobe funded under thePublic-Pri-vate Partnership (PPP) scheme.

The BIMP phase 2 entails theconstruction of a 113.5-meterdam across the Bulsa River, andinstallation of turbines to gener-ate 43.5 megawatts of electric-ity. Total project cost is esti-mated at P18.5 billion.

DA Chief visits Mangyans, farm youth in Oriental Mindoro.Secretary ‘Procy’ Alcala (right) listens intently as Sister Phebe G.Lacse—directress of the Mary of Help Christians School, in Parang,Calapan City, Oriental Mindoro—shares with him various liveli-hood projects undertaken by the school that include the productionof wood vinegar (foreground). Sec. Alcala approved the school’sproposed P4.2-million project, called “Mangyoung EntrepinoysOrganic Farming sa Mindoro.”

Mary Help of Christians School(Mindoro), Inc., in BarangayParang, Calapan City,

School directress SisterPhebe G. Lacse said the fundwill be used to continuebankrolling their training programin organic farming and sustain-able agriculture technologies,where they have trained an aver-age of 50 to 60 students per yearsince the school began in 2002.

Sister Lacse said the one-yeartraining per batch is an integratedformal and informal agriculturaleducation program.

Aside from hands-on farmingchores — growing rice, veg-etables, cassava and fruit trees— the students likewise learn en-trepreneurial skills. They also un-dergo on-the-job training in pri-vate and DA techno-demonstra-tion farms.

Ross, general manager for Phil-ippines-Australia bilateral trade.Sec. Alcala led the DA delega-tion, along with Undersecretaryfor policy and planning SegfredoSerrano.

During the meeting, the termsof reference of the Forum wasadopted, mainly aimed at en-hancing consultations and coop-eration between the two countriesin agriculture and related mat-ters of mutual interest, includingthe facilitation of resolution of bi-lateral issues.

Secretary Alcala was person-ally gratified mingling with the stu-dents, who performed an emo-tional song and dance numberduring his visit. The students saidthey pin their hopes on agricul-ture to become productive and re-sponsible, God-fearing citizens,and contribute their share in up-lifting their respective communi-ties.

Sister Lacse said about 40 per-cent of out-of-school youth inCalapan City and Puerto Galeraaged 13 to 23 years old work ashelpers, vendors, porters, fisher-men, or entertainers. Others areidle or help in household, farmingor fishing chores.

She said the school has an ex-isting tie-up with local governmentunits in Mindoro that sponsor orshoulder one-half of the P20,000-worth of tuition and miscellaneousfees of the students. The rest isshouldered by private individualsand groups as benefactors.

In this regard, Sec. Alcala com-mended the Provincial Govern-ment of Oriental Mindoro for shar-ing a counterpart of roughly P1.8million to complement the P4.27-M fund given by the DA.

Sister Lacse said under theirone-year program, graduates arerequired to share and transfer theiracquired knowledge and skills inagriculture and other enterprisesto family members and others intheir community.

distinguishable from thoseproduced or dealt in by others,and must be affixed to goods orarticles.

Trademark rights (which isusually used with a “TM”superscript symbol) can preventothers from using a confusingsimilar mark.

BAR provides IP assistancenot only for its funded researchoutputs but also to other publicand private institutions. Theassistance provided comes in

many forms from very simpleprovision of information to ascomplicated as drafting claims.

“The bottlenecks in IPR areusually in accommodatingapplications for patents. Severalmeetings and discussionsensue before the IPmanagement staf f can sit,concentrate, and processapplications,” explained Dr.Agillon. With the trademarksawarded to them, the businessentities are expected to have acompetitive edge for theirproducts.(DA-BAR)

Two ... (from p4)

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Agriculture Secretary ProcesoJ. Alcala underscored the needfor stronger relations with Austra-lia, as farmers, fishers, food pro-ducers, and entrepreneurs willbenefit from an expanding inter-national trade that will ensurebetter lives for both Filipinos andAustralians.

“As the Philippines strives tomodernize its agriculture and fish-ery sector, we recognize the needto expand economic and tradingrelations with our neighbors inAsia and the Pacific, includingAustralia,” said Secretary Alcaladuring the inaugural meeting ofthe Philippine - Australia Agricul-tural Forum, held April 28, 2011,at the EDSA Shangrila Hotel,Quezon City.

He said the Philippines there-fore seeks a stronger and deeperpartnership with Australia, a fel-low Cairns Group member, andthe world’s 13th biggesteconomy.

The partnership between thePhilippines and Australia, headded, “is a good template forsustainable agricultural growthand modernization, and going tobe one of the most significant forthe Philippines in the comingyears.”

Total trade of agricultural prod-ucts between the Philippines andAustralia in 2009 totalled US$292million (M), according to figurescollated by the DA’s Bureau ofAgricultural Statistics (BAS).

Exports of various Australianagricultural products to the Phil-ippines in 2009 amounted to

Alcala stresses need for stronger agricooperation, trade with Australia

US$262M, led by wheat andother grain products ($93M), milkand dairy products ($50M), fro-zen meat ($22M), and live cattle($4.7M), among others.

On the other hand, exports ofvarious Philippine agriculturalproducts to Australia amountedto US$ 31M in 2009, led by des-iccated coconut ($7.6M), pine-apple ($3.2M), canned tuna($2.4M), ref ined carageenan($2.1M), potassium fertilizers($1.1M) and canned sardines($0.95M).

During the forum, Sec. Alcaladiscussed the DA’s major strat-egies that include conductingregular ‘grassroots’ consulta-tions with small farmers andfisherfolk, restoring public trustin government, accelerating ofcountryside growth through theconstruction or establishment ofneeded rural infrastructure suchas irrigation systems, farm-to-market roads, postharvest facili-ties and market trading posts,and promotion of a sustainable,environment-friendly food produc-tion, processing and marketingtechnologies.

“We now live in what they calla growing global village. Hence,we speak and deal with commongoals and aspirations, sharedrisks and challenges, global op-portunities and hope,” Alcalaadded.

For his part, Australian Ambas-sador to the Philippines RodSmith, head of the Australiandelegation, welcomed and

(Pls turn to p11)

DA completes 53 agri tramlines, 54 more by year-endIn areas where there are no

roads or it would be too costly toconstruct one, farmers are nowliterally “clinging on” to agriculturaltramlines.

Made of steel cable, pulleysand steel cage as “cable car” orcarriage, a tramline has becomea cheaper, more efficient andfaster mode of transporting farmproducts from isolated areas tothe nearest road onto tradingposts or public markets.

Thanks to the ingenuity of De-partment of Agriculture (DA) en-gineers, particularly at the Philip-pine Center for Post harvest De-velopment and Mechanization(PhilMech), formerly known as theBureau of Postharvest Researchand Extension (BPRE).

“Agricultural tramlines are in-deed more cost-efficient than con-structing farm-to-market roads(FMRs),” said Agriculture Secre-tary Proceso J. Alcala, who ledthe recent inauguration of the 53rdDA-PhilMech tramline at SitioBawek, Barangay Twin Peaks, inthe town of Tuba, Benguet.

“Mas mura ang tramlinekumpara sa FMR, at madali pangmatapos,” added Sec. Alcala. (Atramline is cheaper and faster tocomplete than an FMR.)

The Twin Peaks tramline ben-efits two dozen farm-families, whoplant 25 hectares to snap beans,garden peas, gabi and ube (yam),ginger, banana, mango, and veg-etables like lettuce, cabbage, po-tatoes and carrots.

The Twin Peaks farmers’ asso-ciation is headed by Tirso Torres,who added that their current totalfarmed area could still be ex-

panded by an additional 15 hect-ares.

During pre-tramline years,Torres said they manually carrytheir products on their back,painstakingly trekking a four-ki-lometer mountain trail for two tothree hours up to the nearestdrop off point along KennonRoad. Others hire ‘kargadors’ orporters for a fee of P2 per kilo orP100 for a 50-kilo sack of vari-ous products.

Now with the tramline, traveltime is cut to merely three to fiveminutes, covering a distance of452 meters, between the unload-ing area near Kennon Road andthe loading area atop a hill.

Further, Twin Peaks farmerscan now save in terms of por-ters’ fees an equivalent of P700per trip, as the tramline can carryup to 350 kilos of various farmproducts.

The tramline—constructed inOctober 2010 and completedthree months later in Decem-ber—is a joint undertaking of theDA-PhilMech with the Municipal-ity of Tuba and the Twin Peaksfarmers’ association, saidPhilMech Director RicardoCachuela.

Also present during the inau-guration were Benguet Gov.Nestor Fongwan, Benguet Rep.Ronald Cosalan, Tuba MunicipalMayor Florencio Bentrez, newly-appointed DA-Cordillera Admin-istrative Region director MarilynSta. Catalina, Tuba local officialsand farmer-beneficiaries.

Tramline project leaderBartolome Tesorero, Jr. said the

Sec. Alcala (left) helps unload stringbeans from a newly-completedtramline at Twin Peaks, Tuba, Benguet. It is the 53rd unit built since2010 by the DA through the Phil. Center for Postharvest Dev’t. andMechanization (DA-PhilMech) in partnership with farmers’ groupsand LGUs. Tramlines are cheaper, more efficient and faster modeof transporting farm products from isolated areas to the nearestroad, and onto trading posts and public markets. Also shown (fromleft) are Benguet Gov. Nestor Fongwan, Benguet Rep. RonaldCosalan, and Tuba Municipal Mayor Florencio Bentres.

(Pls turn to p11)

Sec. Alcala (2nd from right) and Australian Ambassador to thePhilippines Rod Smith seal their partnership with a handshake atthe inaugural ‘Philippines-Australia Agriculture Forum,’ wherethey agreed to pursue stronger collaboration to benefit both Fili-pino and Australian farmers, fishers, livestock raisers and theirfamilies. Flanking them are Paul Ross of Australian Departmentof Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry; and DA undersecretary forpolicy and planning Segfredo Serrano.