Agriculture Business Week

More than 50 varieties of new vegetables and other high-value crops are currently grown on two hectares in Brgy. Sto. Rosario, Floridablanca, Pampanga to find out how they fare under growing conditions in actual farmers’ fields.

Louie Castro, 34, a commercial photographer who shifted to the production of high-value crops in 2003, is collaborating with the East-West Seed Company in growing the crops. EWSC is a leading producer and distributor of vegetable seeds and other high-value crops in the country.

Ric Reyes, a ranking East-West Seed official, says that they are constantly developing new varieties for release every year. But they have to test them not only under their company’s experimental stations but also in actual farmers’ fields so that they will be able to find out how they fare in the field.

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Posted on June 17th, 2010 under Vegetables. Tags: East-West, Veggies. Comments: None

The East-West Seed Company recently received from SGS Philippines its ISO 9001:2008 certificate for having complied with internationally accepted quality management system (QMS) standards.

An ISO team consisting of East-West managers and staff was formed to facilitate the attainment of the ISO certificate. The team was headed by Dr. Mary Ann Sayoc, the company’s general manager. Members included Daisy M. Caraos as management representative; Martin R. Hinlo, deputy management representative; Irene M. Sion, document controller; Joseph C. Fajardo, internal quality auditor; Patty C. Fortu, training and awareness leader; and Frank T. Mallari, measurement and calibration of ISO consultants. Robere & Associates served as partner-consultant in the project.

The East-West Seed Company is the first vegetable seed company in the Philippines to receive an ISO certification.

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Posted on April 9th, 2010 under Entrepreneurs, Special Report. Tags: East-West, ISO Certification, Seeds. Comments: 6

When it comes to dissemination of farming technology, nothing beats the demo farm. People more easily believe what they see than what they only hear and don’t see. And that is why seed companies, fertilizer manufacturers, and even property developers resort to this strategy to win customers.

One property developer that is effectively using the demo farm idea is Manila East Lakeview Farms in Morong, Rizal. The company sells farm lots and a major come-on is that farm lot owners can grow their favorite vegetables, not just for home use but also for commercial purposes.

The company has tied up with seed companies such as Allied Botanical Corporation and East-West Seed Company in showcasing some of the most productive hybrid vegetab
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Posted on December 25th, 2009 under Farming. Tags: East-West, Harb. Comments: 3

Four senior agriculture students at the Visayas State University in Baybay , Leyte are growing high-value vegetables provided by East-West Seed Company on 3,000 square meters allocated by the university so they could earn money for their tuition and other school expenses.

The four are Jonathan Requiso, Rodel Morales of Ormoc City, Noel Gantala of San Francisco, Southern Leyte (all horticulture majors) and Andy Cornell Bornillo, an agronomy major from Bien Unido, Bohol. They are trained by specialists of the seed company on the improved techniques of growing high-yielding yielding hybrid seeds. Dr. Elizabeth Briones of VSU, on the other hand, serves as the coordinator.

The four work as a team so that when one is not busy with his academic work, he attends to the vegetable garden. They themselves prepare the plots for planting. They germinate the seedlings, transplant them and take good care of them so that they will produce a reasonable harvest.

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Posted on November 5th, 2009 under Vegetables. Tags: East-West, Veggie. Comments: None

One strategy of successful farmers is to specialize in a crop that they have mastered to produce and to market. Just like Eleuterio “Totoy” Indic of Brgy. Sta. Elena in Tacloban.

In the last three years he has been planting sweet corn every month of the year, whether it is dry or wet season. Most farmers don’t plant sweet corn during the wet season but Totoy does because he knows how to solve the usual problems occurring during the rainy season.

His favorite variety is the Macho from East-West Seed because he says it is more sturdy than other varieties, especially during, the rainy season. Strong winds may lodge it but the plants will stand up soon after.

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Posted on September 9th, 2009 under Corn/Maize. Tags: Corn, East-West, Macho, Maize, Sweet Corn. Comments: 2