Agriculture Business Week

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.

(more…)

Posted on August 20th, 2011 under Other Crops. Tags: Coconut, Makapuno. Comments: 11

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.

(more…)

Posted on August 29th, 2010 under Other Crops. Tags: Coconut, Zamboanga. Comments: 3

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.

(more…)

Posted on July 15th, 2010 under Entrepreneurs, Other Crops. Tags: Coconut. Comments: None

A new and healthier alternative to buko (coconut) as a salad ingredient has arrived. And all thanks to this former teacher.

There’s a businessman in all of us. This is what Anna Bel Salino, 47, a local of Agusan del Norte, goes by when asked about how her own venture aptly called “Anna Bel & Jefil Food Products” came about—something so small she merely called it a ‘project’ when she started it in 2004 while she was fulfilling her teaching responsibilities in a native school. Well, at least for her case, a businesswoman (rather than businessman) is more like it.

Her products include: Seaweed strips (that are available in macapuno and buko pandan flavors), Nata de seaweeds (that come in strawberry and pandan flavors), and Seaweed marmalade (that are made in four flavors namely orange, strawberry, pineapple and mango).

During the 5th Agriculture and Fisheries Technology Forum Product Exhibition, an event sponsored by the Department of Agriculture—Bureau of Agricultural Research, the seaweed strips were being sold at Php100 per 1 kilo pack and the nata de seaweeds at Php35 per 250 grams. However, the prices, according to her, had to jacked up a little since the products were transported by plane from Agusan del Norte where she and her husband do production. Back in Mindanao, the seaweed strips are as cheap as Php50 and the nata at just Php20.

(more…)

Posted on April 22nd, 2010 under Aquaculture, Entrepreneurs. Tags: Buko, Carrageenan, Coconut, Salad, Seaweed. Comments: 4

Acknowledging the Philippines as one of the largest coconut producing countries in the world, Julie’s Bakeshops has signed an agreement with the Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA) to come up with a healthy alternative in making bread.

“The recent increase in flour prices has encouraged bakeshops to look for alternatives that result in the same quality that flour provides in baking bread,” George Abando, Julie’s Bakeshops national sales and marketing manager.

“Some bakeshops have adjusted the sizes of their products to make it still affordable to the Filipino consumers. What you have as a result are either more expensive breads of the same size or the smaller breads at the same price,” Abando explained.

(more…)

Posted on October 2nd, 2009 under Other Crops. Tags: Bread, Coconut, Flour, PCA. Comments: None

The Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA) has discovered new parasitoid insects which could prove to be of great importance in the country’s continuing battle against Brontispa longissima which has previously attacked more than 1.6 million coconut trees nationwide, this is according to PCA Administrator Oscar G. Garin.

“Our research center in the Davao City has identified two indigenous small insects that parasitize Brontispa by laying their eggs in the larva or pupa of the pest” Garin highlighted in the recently concluded Brontispa In-House Evaluation and Action Planning held in Quezon City.

The administrator revealed that the PCA-Davao Reseach Center conducted a Field Release Evaluation where a total of 1,948 parasitoid adults were released in infested barangays in Region XI and parallel laboratory tests.

(more…)

Posted on September 28th, 2009 under Other Crops, SPOTlight. Tags: Brontispa, Coconut, Pest, Philippine Coconut Authority. Comments: 2

A husband and wife team at the Philippine Coconut Authority’s Davao Research Center in Dava City has discovered an indigenous wasp that could help control the spread of the destructive coconut leaf beetle called Brontispa longissima. This is an introduced pest that has wreaked havoc on coconut trees in 255 towns in 44 provinces throughout the country. No less than 1.5 milion coconut trees have been affected by pest as of February 2009.

The two researchers are Ma. Cynthia Gallego and husband Vivencio. Cynthia is the division chief of the Crop Protection Division of the PCA’s research center in Davao City where Vivencio also works as Scientist 1.

The indigenous wasp (still unidentified) has been observed to feed on the pupae of the Brontispa beetle, thus preventing their hatching into adults. The wasp (they call it parasitoid) is now being multiplied and disseminated to coconut producing provinces.

(more…)

Posted on September 23rd, 2009 under Other Crops. Tags: Beetle, Brontispa, Coco Leaf Beetle, Coconut, Parasite, Pest. Comments: None

Young coconut husk is described as a heavy stainer as its extract stains anything it gets in contact with. But this characteristic could make an other important byproduct out of this material which, aside from being bulky , seems to have no valuable use at all,

This is because young coconut husks yield dyes with colors ranging from pink to old rose, as shown by the studies conducted by the researchers of the Philippine Textile Research Institute headed by Dr. Carlos Tomboc.

The researchers have developed a dye in a form of aqueous extract using the standard technology developed by PTRI. According to Julius Leaflo, one of the researchers on the development of young coconut husk dye, young coconut husk extract produces color that, when applied on fabric, evolves itself into a deeper color over time. A pink fabric, for instance, evenly changes to old rose color after a year of application, which makes coconut husk dye unique.

(more…)

Posted on September 17th, 2009 under Other Crops. Tags: Coconut, Dye. Comments: 1

Here’s another unique business idea to help you earn more!

Materials needed
• Coconut halves
• Wax (soy, paraffin, beeswax, etc)
• Scent cubes
• Wicks
• Belt sander (optional)
• Sand paper
• Aluminum soup can
• Pot for boiling water
• Stove
• Stirring device (like a knife, etc)
• Oven mitts
• Coconut stabilizers

Prepping
your coconut You have a choice. You can either leave the fiber on your coconut halve, or sand it down. Some choose to sand it down using a belt sander and strip the fiber away, and then use sand paper to really smooth it out.

(more…)

Posted on September 2nd, 2009 under Income Booster, Other Crops. Tags: Candle, Coconut, Wax. Comments: 2

The Philippine Coconut Authority(PCA) has successfully implemented the National Coconut Productivity Program (NCPP). The program consisted of Participatory Coconut Planting Project (PCPP), Salt Fertilization Project (SFP) and Plowable Intercropping Project (PIP) resolves to promote immediate and long-term coconut development to address the decline in coconut production, cope with the increasing and expanding market demand for coconuts here and abroad, and stave off hunger and reduce poverty in coconut farming communities.

Ensuring the program’s success is the vibrant synergy of the Department of Agriculture (DA), the PCA, the Coconut Industry Investment Fund (CIIF), local government units (LGUs) and various industry stakeholders, particularly -the coconut farmers. This convergencis in itself historic, concretely demonstrating the industry’s focal place in the development agenda of Her Excellency President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

The NCPP marked the biggest mobilization of coconut farmers in the country.

(more…)

Posted on September 1st, 2009 under Other Crops. Tags: Coconut, PCA, Salt Fertilization. Comments: 4

“A crop with a thousand uses” is how experts described coconut. And you can add as an alternative source of biodiesel to that growing list of uses of coconut. Biodiesel is a fuel extracted from plant oils which can be used in diesel engines without any need for modification.

Coconut methyl ester (CME), the biodiesel extracted from coconut, is considered as “green” since it is environment friendly and can help mitigate global warming. Greenhouse gases produce the so-called “greenhouse effect,” which traps heat near the earth’s surface. Many human activities increase the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, which can result in a gradual increase in the earth’s surface temperature.

Carbon dioxide, the primary green house gas, occurs naturally but excessive quantities of it are released by burning fossil fuels such as coal and oil to generate electricity and gasoline for vehicles. Over 8 billion tons of carbon dioxide are released each year by burning fossil fuels.

(more…)

Posted on July 20th, 2009 under Going Green, Other Crops. Tags: Biodiesel, Coconut. Comments: None

Boron deficiency in coconut is a serious concern that should be addressed among the coconut farms in the country.

Based on the study of Dr. Severino Magat, department manager of the Agricultural Research and Development Branch of the Philippine Coconut Authority, boron deficiency can result in significant decrease in yield and even death of the plant.

In his report published by the Food and Fertilizer Technology Center in Taiwan, Dr. Magat said that boron deficiency of coconut is clearly shown in the apical shoot, the most actively growing tissues of the plant. It is also seen in very young leaves of seedlings and young palms. At an early stage of deficiency, “little leaf’ or deformed fronds are seen. These are followed by abnormal leaflets which do not split as usual, making the leaves to have a serrated, zigzag appearance. At an advanced stage, the apical shoot eventually exhibits “blackening” growth failure, and finally leads to the death of tissues and the plant.

(more…)

Posted on May 16th, 2009 under Other Crops. Tags: Boron, Coconut. Comments: 2

Rolando “Rudy” Mintac was in third grade when his parents arrived in Brgy. Ramada, Maria Aurora, Aurora Province (then still a part of Quezon Province) from Manaoag, Pangasinan in 1965 not necessarily to acquire cultivable lands, but to fulfill their “religious mission” to follow the sun anti settle at the east.

Although other Ilocano settlers were busy clearing lands from their thick vegetation, Rudy’s parents were so engrossed in their religion such that they were contented in becoming tenants if only to produce food for their family.

A series of typhoons that hit Maria Aurora when Rudy was already a second year college student probably turned the tide for him. All the nuts of the coconut trees in the plantation fell down with the typhoon, forcing Rudy to drop out from college.

(more…)

Posted on April 23rd, 2009 under Entrepreneurs, Livestock, Other Crops, Rice. Tags: Coconut, Farmer, Farming, Gawad Saka, Ilocano, Pigs, Rice. Comments: 1

The lady who has worked hard on the improvement of Makapuno tissue culture, Erlinda Paje-Rillo, has been recently cited again for her significant accomplishments. This time it is from the Philippine Association of Plant Tissue Culturists. Part of her citation reads as follows:

“Before her retirement, she led two research projects, which run from 2007 to 2010, on the micropropagation of Makapuno using plumular tissues as explants, and development of protocol for clonal propagation of coconut towards improving the efficiency of somatic embryo formation, germination
and plantlet regeneration.

(more…)

Posted on April 13th, 2009 under Other Crops. Tags: Coconut, Makapuno. Comments: None