Agriculture Business Week

Sweet sorghum was introduced in the Philippines several years back as a possible source of biofuel. This plant has an excellent potential for that purpose but in the meantime that there is no large scale processing plant for biofuel production, there are a few entrepreneurs who are produc-ing other products from the juice of the plant.

One of them is Antonio Arcangel of Batac City in Ilocos Norte. He has been one of the first to be interested in developing non-biofuel products from the juice of sweet sorghum. That is quite understandable because the principal center for research and development on sweet sorghum is right at the Mariano Marcos State University in Batac. The fellow who leads in the experiments and nationwide testing of different varieties is Dr. Heraldo Layaoen of MMSU.

Tony Arcangel has been producing good quality vinegar out of sweet sorghum juice. Another product is sweet sorghum syrup which could be used in pancakes and other food products.

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More and more makapuno seedlings are being made available to farmers who want to plant this high-value crop. Last year, a total of 11,529 embryo-cultured makapuno (ECM) seedlings were produced to augment the usually limited supply of this coconut that bears almost 100 percent makapuno nuts.

This is a tremendous increase compared to the production of only 2,433 seedlings per year from 1996 to 2008. The increase could be attributed in a large measure to the Makapuno Comprehensive Technology Development and Commercialization Program (MCTDCP) supported by the Philippine Council for Agriculture, Forestry and Natural Resources Research and Development (PCARRD) and implemented by the Philippine Coconut Authority from 1996 to March 2004.

The big increase in makapuno planting materials could also be attributed to new technology, particularly the new embryo culture technology which makes it possible to produce several plants from just one embryo. Before, only one coconut seedling can be produced from one embryo.

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The fertile soil of the Cagayan Valley, nourished by the mighty Cagayan River, and coupled with the humid weather condition resulted in the production of quality burley tobacco that is now sought after by cigarette manufacturers worldwide.

According to the multinational leaf supplier Universal Leaf Philippines Inc. (ULPI), the leaf, which is globally known as Isabela burley, is now considered to be one of the best types of tobacco that is used to manufacture cigarettes.

“The demand for Isabela burley all over the world has been steadily rising over the years,” says ULPI president Winston Uy.

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The Philippine Sugar Research Institute breeding station located at Victorias City Negros Occidental, announced the release of three outstanding sugarcane varieties from the year 2000 series.

Out of the 114,000 seedlings produced from 790 crosses of 250 parent varieties, three varieties proved outstanding: PSR 00-34, PSR 00-343, and PSR 00-161. These three varieties have undergone eight years of intensive evaluation and selection process in 15 locations throughout the country. Yield data were based on 27 plant and 11 ratoon trials in at least 13 sites.

PSR 00-34 is a cross between VMC 84-194 and Phil 89-43. Phil 89-43 is a commercial cane noted for disease resistance and also high tonnage due to its big stalks and good germination, while VMC 84-194 is a variety with good rendement and disease resistance.

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Who would think that farmers could still extract profit from residues?

Researchers of the Bicol Integrated Agricultural Research (BIARC) do so. They have developed an innovative, environment-friendly technology to convert sweet sorghum residues into bioorganic fertilizer.

Bio-organic fertilizer is compost from any organic material that has undergone rapid decomposition through the action of introduced homogeneous microbial inoculants. It is different from fresh organic fertilizer in which natural decay process is brought about by the action of heterogeneous microbes present in the organic matter. Compared with the traditional composting method, the introduction of microbial inoculants shortens composting time from three months to just three to four weeks.

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For over nine years in the food processing business, Crispin Muyrong Jr and his wife Ma. Luz, owners of Sunlight Foods Corporation in Marikina City, have considered ubi as their bread and butter This rootcrop, which is valued for its purple-colored tuber, is a much sought-after ingredient in cakes, pastries, halo-halo, ice cream and other delicacies which make up a big chunk of the local food industry.

Crispin, a mechanical engineer, and Ma. Luz, a food technologist, have seen the big potential of ubi in food processing as they learned that fruit processing makes up 35 percent of the food processing pie followed by bakery products at 25 percent. So, in 2000 they decided to quit their respective jobs and focused on making products that the bakery sector needs.

Crispin noticed that there was an abundant supply of ubi in his home province of La Union, so he took advantage of this and processed the tubers into puree using the processing equipment he himself designed. Besides, he thought that he could help ubi growers in the area earn extra income by encouraging them to sell their produce to him.

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Researchers at the Philippine Rootcrop Research and Training Center (PhilRootcrops) of the Visayas State University (VSU) in Baybay, Leyte have unveiled what could become the next potential biological control for anthracnose in purple yam and other plant diseases.

Julie D. Tan, Evelyn B. Taboada, May V. Tampus, Jilly B. Regis, and Rodney H. Perez have isolated and tested the endophytic microorganisms found in sweetpotato, which are recognized as sources of secondary metabolites useful in biotechnology and agriculture. And initial results confirmed that these endophytes produce antimicrobial compounds that inhibit the growth of pathogenic microorganisms in plants.

In their study titled “Antimicrobial evaluation and effects of fermentation process conditions of bioactive compounds produced by endophytic Bacillus sp. against some selected food and plant pathogens”, the researchers screened isolates of endophytes from rootcrop-based products and other related fermented food products for their abilities to inhibit the growth of some selected food pathogens. They also determined the effects of fermentation on the productivity and activity of the biocontrol compound.

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In a rat damage survey conducted in the Victorias Mill District (VMD) in Negros Occidental in 1988, it was found that uncontrolled rodent damage to sugarcane would amount to P269 million per crop year.

Today, sugar losses could be three times bigger, based on the prevailing sugar price. But such loss can be prevented and substantial savings can be derived with the periodic District-Wide Rodent Control Program.

Implemented in the VMD since 2001, this 10- to 12-day control program is started by Federico C. Barredo, coordinator of the Victorias Mill District Development Council (MDDC), Foundation, Inc.

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A new coconut variety that can yield as many as 150 nuts per tree in one year was showcased at the recent coconut festival and trade fair held at the SM Megamall recently. This is the Orgullo Tall, a synthetic San Ramon variety that was developed by the breeding and genetics division headed by Ramon Rivera of the San Ramon Experiment Station of the Philippine Coconut Administration in Zamboanga City.

According to Ernesto Emmanuel who was tending the exhibit booth at the trade fair, San Ramon Orgullo Tall is a combination of 15 different coconut hybrids that evolved from plantings starting 1992.

After many years of observation, the high-yielding trees were identified and selected for multiplication.
Being a synthetic variety, the nuts produced could be used for planting. In five years, the tree has been observed to start flowering in Mindanao. However, some plants planted in Lucena City have been reported to start flowering in just three and a half years from planting.

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Perhaps, one way of helping Agriculture Secretary Proceso J. Alcala achieve his goal of stopping rice importation after three years is to grow more camote and more people shifting from rice to eating camote.

That will not only help us attain rice self-sufficiency, it could also result in more healthy Filipinos. Ask our good friend Dr. Wilfredo Yap, an expert in aquaculture, who noticed with alarm last October (he was then 63) that his fasting blood sugar (FBS) had shot up to 160 mg per deciliter (mg/dl). His blood pressure went up to 150 over 100.

When we met him last April during a forum at the MFI Foundation, he was ecstatic in telling us that camote was responsible for lowering his blood pressure to the normal level of 120 over 80, sometimes 110 over 80 in just a few weeks of eating camote instead of rice. We asked him to write about how he did it and we promised to publish it in the Agriculture Magazine. He only wrote the article after we saw him again last June at a gathering at the Gawad Kalinga project in Angat, Bulacan.

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An interesting farming couple in San Ildefonso, Bulacan, have a smart way of maximizing production in the 11 hectares that they are planting to vegetables the whole year round. They plant the next crop way ahead of the last harvest of the standing crop on the same piece of land.

They are the husband and wife team of Felipe and Jessilyn Ramos, 40 and 38 years old, respectively, of Brgy. Sumandig, San Ildefonso town. Felipe is an agriculture graduate who used to work for a multinational company distributing agricultural chemicals and corn and vegetable seeds. He was head of the Farmers Support Team (FST) in charge of helping farmers grow better crops with the use of improved farming technologies. While Felipe was employed, Jessilyn engaged in buying vegetables and selling them at the Clover Leaf Market in Balintawak, Quezon City.

While Felipe received a decent salary from the multinational firm, he noticed that probably the farmers that they were helping were making much more money than he from growing vegetables. In 2004, he decided to give up his employment so that he could also grow vegetables in the one hectare that they owned. In October 2004, he planted his first crop of ampalaya, tomato and pole sitao.

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A farmer from Davao del Sur maximized his plantation by transforming coconuts into amazing value-added products.

“The amazing thing about the coconut palm is that it provides almost all the necessities of life: food, drink, oil, medicine, fiber, timber, thatch, mats, fuel, and domestic utensils, as well as serving important environmental services such as soil erosion control in coastal regions, wind protection and shade for other crops,” wrote Craig Elevitch, author of various books on tropical agriculture.

Benjamin R. Lao, who owns a farm in barangay Eman in Bansalan, Davao del Sur, is very much aware of the versatility of coconut. So much that he produces several products out of coconuts, including coco sugar and coco syrup. Both don’t only command good prices, there is also a big demand for them in national and international markets.

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There’s more to the humble peanut than you think. Aside from being a tasty snack, peanuts are highly nutritious.

A 100-g serving of peanuts contains 585 cal of unsaturated or “good fat”. Pound for pound, it contains more protein than eggs, dairy products, fish, and some meat cuts. Peanuts also contribute to several aspects of our Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) for vitamins and minerals. Finally, it has dietary fiber that can reduce the risk of certain types of cancer.

Moreover, peanut plants can also improve soil fertility by fixing the nitrogen from the air. Since the plants contain high amounts of protein, they are ideal feeds for farm animals.

Ensuring peanut seed security With these benefits, the Philippine Council for Agriculture, Forestry and Natural Resources Research and Development (PCARRD) launched the Integrated Peanut R&D Program for Region 2.

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Banana and cacao have something in common – they grow best when under shade. Thus, simultaneously growing these crops between coconut trees offer an alternative source of food and income for coconut farmers.

In Quezon Province, Philippine Council for Agriculture, Forestry and Natural Resources Research and Development (PCARRD’s) Techno Gabay Program supports two concurrent Science and Technology-based Farm (STBF) projects on banana-coconut and cacao-coconut.

A group from PCARRD headed by Dr. Arturo S. Argafiosa together with Mr. Gil Flores of the Federation of Free Farmers (FFF) visited the project sites in Quezon on January 19 to monitor the STBFs’ progress.

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