agriculture business : crops, aquaculture, livestock, poultry, entrepreneurs, and agrithing…
He said that although the guidelines are not exhaustive and made for India, these would still be very helpful because there are only few studies on Jatropha and these could apply in the Philippines. We are therefore reproducing the ICRISAT guidelines with minor revision.
• Jatropha can be grown on degraded lands that are not suitable for growing agricultural crops. Good quality farmlands must be spared for growing food crops.
This was revealed by the Department of Science and Technology Regional Office VI in Iloilo City which has recently assisted eleven sugar mills in Antique under the project called “Upgrading the Muscovado Mills in the Province of Antique”.
Through its Small Enterprise Technology Upgrading Program Innovation System Support Fund (SET-UP ISSF), the assistance was turned over by DOST Regional Director Rowen R. Gelonga to the provincial government of Antique headed by Governor Salvacion Z. Perez.
The recipients, which are all members of the Antique Muscovado Producers Marketing Cooperative in the town of Patnungon, were provided with a total of P1.1 million funding assistance in the form of stainless steel settling tank with pump assembly and a stainless steel cooling trough.
Rhinoceros beetle feeds on the young unopened fronds in the central crown of the palm. An attack can cause serious damage, while repeated attacks can destroy the apical meristem resulting in the death of the palm. Young palms are particularly attacked. Although adult palms are rarely attacked, significant decrease in yield is observed.
At the farmers’ level, rhinoceros beetle can be controlled using the integrated control strategies that are developed by the Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA). As one of the components in the adoption of good agricultural practice for coconut, integrated pest management strategies are applied in the control of pest and diseases.
Coconut is an important crop in the Philippines. It is a dollar earner and is also crucial in the production of biodiesel for blending with imported diesel as mandated by law. Some 100,000 metric tons copra equivalent is required to produce 70 million liters of biodiesel a year for blending.
To increase coconut production, the government, particularly the Philippine Coconut Authority, is coming up with practical schemes to enhance coconut production nationwide.
Bronzeoak Philippines’ Jose Maria T. Zabaleta talks about the first Integrated Ethanol Distillery and Power Cogeneration Plant in the country.
Last 2006, Jose Maria T. Zabaleta was the executive director of the Philippine Sugar Millers Association, (PSMA) Inc. and eagerly spoke about his being an advocate of the use of sugarcane as a source of energy and fuel ethanol.
Today, the dynamic Zabaleta wears a different hat. As President and COO of Bronzeoak Philippines and Chairman of the San Carlos Bioenergy, Inc., the maverick businessman talks about sugarcane in a different light. It’s no longer just a mere crop from which we sweeten our foods, but also as potent source of fuel and electricity.
Together with Ms. Sheva Mehrabi, Bronzeoak Philippines’ corporate communication and marketing officer, Mr. Zabaleta giddily shared with us the huge and bright potentials of his latest project-the San Carlos Bioenergy, Inc.
This modified manual briquetting machine has been creating ripples in Cavite.
The researchers of the Forestry Products Research and Development institute, based at UP Los Banos, Laguna, fabricated a modified manual briquetting machine using steel plates, angle bars and round bars. It was patterned after an existing manual briquetting machine weighing 55 kilograms (kg) and produces 12 kg of briquettes per hour. Each briquette measures 5.0 cm high and 2.5 cm in diameter.
The modified unit makes briquettes each measuring 3.8 cm high and 3.8 cm in diameter with 1.25 cm cavity diameter. It produces 15 kg of charcoal briquettes/hr. The unit weighs 75 kg, making it sturdier than the old unit.
According to DA Secretary Arthur C. Yap, the info caravan aims to increase farmers’ awareness of and access to technologies and development programs designed to increase their productivity in the midst of increasing input prices.
Through the technoklinik, rice experts from the different DA-attached agencies convene with farmers to personally provide answers to their rice related problems and queries.
Ube also contains a special type of protein that has an anti-hypertensive property, according to a study conducted by the biotechnology team of PhilRootcrops. This discovery adds value to ube, making it a potential medicine for hypertension and other immune-related diseases like diabetes.
With the crop’s medicinal value and market potential, purple yam production should be given much attention, but the opposite is happening in the Philippines. Here, yams are usually cultivated in highly weathered tropical soils, which have low nutrient reserves, strong acidity, and high amounts of exchangeable aluminum (Al) that are toxic to many crops. Hence, the national average yield value from yam is 5 tons per hectare (ha), which is very low considering the high production cost of yam.
It is said that planting during off season is like committing suicide. For any crop or corn for that matter, not following the regular planting calendar spells a variety of should-be problems. The list includes insect pests, drought, diseases, and rodents. On top of these, drying and storage are potential problems that can be brought about by rains and poor weather. Palay and corn need thorough drying and if one does not have drying equipment, significant losses from poor grain quality can be incurred.
On the other hand, many corn farmers in Luzon and Mindanao find off-season cropping more of an opportunity. Prices of grains during the off season are normally higher than the rest of the year since harvest does not synchronize with the majority of standing crops. Some say they do not want their farms idle so they plant another crop just before the regular rice season (in Central Luzon) and earn additional income. Yield may be lower in some instances but most of the time, the grain price in the off-season can compensate for the reduced output. But getting additional cash from a two-cropping-a-year farm venture is what attracts them the most.
San Pabloc City-based Rasza Agro Produce Corporation (RAPC), a manufacturer of coconut oil products in Laguna, has become the Department of Science and Technology’s first private sector technology licensee to commercially produce coco-methyl ester (CME), a diesel fuel additive from coconut. The non-exclusive licensing agreement was recently entered with the Industrial Technology Development Institute (ITDI).
The licensing agreement allows RAPC to produce CME for five years starting November last year. It was signed by Dr. Nuna Almanzor, ITDI director and Romulo M. Awayan, RAPC president. Under the agreement, ITDI provides the technical assistance required for the establishment and operation of a CME plant in Laguna, while RAPC will provide the necessary investment for the land, building, equipment, and working capital for the operation of a CME facility. It will also handle the marketing of the products.
The CME biofuel produced by the technology developed by ITDI has zero sulfur content which reduces hydrocarbon, soot and particulate matters when used in engines. DOST says that it has lesser greenhouse gas emission and is biodegradable. It also has superior lubricity and detergency properties, safe on storage, and is non-toxic. It operates on conventional engines and can be used alone or blended with diesel.
