Agriculture Business Week

Good number of commercial organic fertilizers are now registered at the Fertilizer and Pesticides Authority (FPA). Last year, the FPA listed 23 brands registered for rice fertilization. Apparently, the manufacturers of these brands claim that their products can effectively provide the nutrient needs of rice, especially under irrigated and rainfed lowland conditions.

How true is their claim?
The answer to this question could come from a paper by Dr. Cezar P. Mamaril and Michelle B. Castillo, which was presented during the recent 22nd National Rice R&D Conference at the Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) in Science City of Munoz, Nueva Ecija.

Dr. Mamaril, a retired soil science professor at the University of the Philippines Los Banos (UPLB) and retired soil scientist at the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), said that first and foremost processed organic fertilizers as well as plant biomass (straws, stovers, leaves), animal manure and food processing wastes are sources of soil organic matter.

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Posted on June 3rd, 2009 under Ornamental. Tags: Fertilizer, Inorganic, MOET, Organic. Comments: None

Farmers in Gloria, Oriental Mindoro are fascinated by the initial performance of the bio-organic fertilizer Durabloom on their crops. It was introduced to them only last September.

For instance, Conrado “Rady” Marasigan, 61, was so proud to show to us the fruits of his tomato crop which he fertilized only with Durabloom. He planted one-fourth hectare and used the Diamante and Elegante varieties of East-West Seeds. Using a small can of sardines to measure, he applied one can of Durabloom as basal fertilizer mixed with the soil before transplanting, and he was amazed by the results.

Rady has been harvesting every other day since January 15. At the time of our visit in early March, he said he must have harvested about 6 tons already and yet much more had to be harvested. On the day of our visit alone, he harvested about 450 kilos at breaker stage, but the price has already gone down to P 10 per kilo from P8 per kilo during the first few weeks of harvest.

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Posted on May 25th, 2009 under Organic, Vegetables. Tags: Durabloom, Fertilizer, Organic, Tomato, Veggies. Comments: None

BANANA
Garces also uses Durabloom on 6 has of Cavendish banana and is impressed on its performance at nine months old. In the last week of February this year, he had already harvested 2 has of new plants which produced 1.3 boxes per bunch. Each box weighs 13.5 kg.

He brought us to the field of a fellow member of the Pangantucan Banana Growers Cooperative before we went to his field. He said that at seven months old the plants of his fellow member still had no fruits. This is why Garces is convincing the other 19 members of the cooperative to use Durabloom instead of using a cheap material made from wood shavings and other organic materials but without chicken manure.

Garces said it is more advantageous to use Durabloom since it is made entirely from chicken manure, which is completely decomposed and odorless. He said other materials have an unpleasant odor.

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Posted on May 21st, 2009 under Farming, Organic. Tags: Durabloom, Farmer, Fertilizer, Organic. Comments: 5

Whenever farmers find a farm input beneficial to them in more ways than one, anybody can be sure that farmers will cling to it, spread the good word about it, and continue using it.

Such is the case of the bio-organic fertilizer Durabloom, which has literally spread like wild fire in Mindanao and in the Visayas as more farmers are now using it for the production of corn, sugarcane, vegetables, banana and other fruit crops. Some farmers are even combining Durabloorn with inorganic fertilizer for rice production. Menzi Farm in Bukidnon is using Durabloorn to fertilize anthurium, durian, mangosteen, lanzones and rambutan.

One big proof of the popularity of Durabloom, which is produced by Novatech Agri-Food Industries, is the increasing order of farm supply store owners in Mindanao who provide farm inputs to corn farmers on credit. This is because farmers request for Durabloom. Farm inputs given to the farmers will be paid after the harvest.

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Posted on May 20th, 2009 under Farming, Organic. Tags: Durabloom, Farmers, Fertilizer. Comments: 3

Sometimes, a big problem can be a blessing in disguise. Just like when fertilizer prices surged to unaffordable levels about one year or so ago. That led many farmers to look for alternatives that could reduce their production costs.

Fortunately, there are old and new ways of natural farming that are available to farmers. There are natural farming techniques that can be used not only for growing crops but also in raising farm animals. That is good because naturally-farmed foods are considered more healthful than those bombarded with chemical fertilizers, pesticides and antibiotics. And it is heartening to note that there are an increasing number of people looking for such food products. They are willing to pay a higher price for them.

One heartening development is the launching recently of a new book on natural farming written by Teresa Perez-Saniano and three co-authors that include organic farming advocates like Cong. Proceso J. Alcala, Carmen Cabling and Dante S. Delima. The book, titled Likasaka, is written in Tagalog but it could be readily understood by non-Tagalogs because of the well-illustrated procedures in making non-chemical fertilizers and natural pesticides.

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Posted on April 12th, 2009 under Farming, Organic. Tags: Farming, Fertilizer. Comments: 12

Based on what we saw in a farmer’s field in Brgy. Labting, San Juan, Ilocos Sur last January 15, the bio-organic fertilizer Durabloom may very well be considered also good for flue-cured tobacco.

In one of his fields where the tobacco plants were already 40 days old after transplanting, 45-year-old Victor Valledor, an agriculture graduate of the Mariano Marcos State University (MMSU), applied 20 bags of Durabloom per hectare. His tobacco plants became robust and were growing well.

In another field where tobacco plants were already 60 days old after transplanting, he replaced one-third of the inorganic fertilizer requirement for flue-cured tobacco with Durabloom. He observed that his crop grew faster and had bigger leaves than those applied completely with inorganic fertilizer.

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Posted on April 11th, 2009 under Organic. Tags: Durabloom, Fertilizer, Tobacco. Comments: None

CRFs can be an efficient way of giving nutrients to your plants.

In the ornamental business, the quality of the plant is the topmost priority, which greatly depends on the management of the grower. Each grower has his own technique and style in bringing out the best in their plants. One common factor among these growers is the kind of fertilizer they use. It would be difficult to support and grow most high valued ornamental plants without using fertilizers because fertilizers supply most of the nutrients needed by plants.

Most ornamental growers use inorganic fertilizers in granulated form. This is because with inorganic fertilizers, nutrients are immediately available and with the fast release of nutrients, salt can also be released easily which can build up quickly in the soil or media. With too much salt, the roots or leaves can be damaged due to its burning effect.

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Posted on February 26th, 2009 under Organic, Ornamental, Plant. Tags: CRF, Fertilizer, Ornamental. Comments: None

Scientists are getting wary on the declining quality of soil and water all over the world due to the continuous application of inorganic fertilizer. They noted that while inorganic fertilizer application is responsible for 40 percent of the world’s total production output, this practice has also led to ecological impact that ultimately threatens man’s existence.

In a recent symposium at BPRE, the participants claimed that 60 percent of the applied inorganic fertilizer contaminates the environment through run-off, seepage, percolation and volatilization. It contaminates the underground and surface water, and causes soil and water acidity, salinity and eutrophication. At the same time, water contaminated with nitrate when taken in causes blue baby syndrome both on humans and ruminants.

Teresita S. Sandoval of the Bureau of Soil and Water Management (BSWM) said that based on data from the National Irrigation Administration (NIA) and BSWM, water quality for agriculture poses no serious threat yet. However, she pointed out that this information may not reflect the true picture because of limited samples. Some aspects of sampling needed to establish the quality of a particular body of water over time and space were not adequately satisfied.

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Posted on February 20th, 2009 under Soil. Tags: Fertilizer, Soil, Water. Comments: None

Several years back, government agriculturists were devolved to the local governments. This, meant that instead of the national government paying for their salaries, it became the responsibility of the municipal governments to give them their assignments as well as their monthly compensation.

On paper, that looks great. After all, it is the local authorities who know what agricultural projects that are appropriate for their own towns, and they could be more efficient in producing positive results. However, it has also its disadvantages. If the mayor, for instance, is not interested in agriculture (as a good number are), farming could be relegated to the back seat. Even if an agriculturist is assigned to a town, he or she could accomplish very little if funds are not allocated for undertaking activities that will benefit the farmers.

On the other hand, if the mayor is supportive to the town’s agriculturist, a lot of good things could happen. Just like the case of Lea Beltran, a lady agriculturist in charge of the Bio-N production center in Tigaon, Camarines Sur. She is well supported by the present mayor, youthful Arnie Fuentebella, and she is doing a very good job in her assignment.

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Posted on January 23rd, 2009 under Organic. Tags: Bio-N, Fertilizer. Comments: 6

Several years back, government agriculturists were devolved to the local governments. This meant that instead of the national government paying for their salaries, it became the responsibility of the municipal governments to give them their assignments as well as their monthly compensation.

On paper, that looks great. It is the local authorities who know what agricultural projects that are appropriate for their own towns, and they could be more efficient in producing positive results. However, it has also its disadvantages. If the mayor, for instance, is not interested in agriculture (as a good number are), farming could be relegated to the back seat. Even if an agriculturist is assigned to a town, he or she could accomplish very little if appropriate funds are not allocated for undertaking activities that will benefit the farmers.

However, if the mayor is supportive to the town’s agriculturist, a lot of good could happen. Just like the case of Lea Beltran, a lady agriculturist in charge of the Bio-N production center in Tigaon, Camarines Sur. She is well supported by the present mayor, youthful Arnie Fuentebella, and she is doing a good job in her assignment.

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Posted on January 15th, 2009 under Farming, Organic. Tags: Bio-N, Farming, Fertilizer. Comments: None

The huge amount of vegetable refuse generated everyday at the trading posts, bagsakan centers and public markets could be an excellent source of fully decomposed compost that vegetable growers can use if this is processed the right way.

In some places, vegetable refuse is simply brought to a material recovery facility (MRF) where it is allowed to decompose the natural way. In other places like Central Luzon State University (CLSU), people in-charge of its MRF claim to apply some beneficial microorganisms on the biomass that is brought there. However, the biomass is applied with beneficial microorganisms, simply to dry up the natural way.

According to Bayani L. Profugo, president and general manager of Bens Agribusiness Corporation, vegetable refuse and other biomass can be processed quickly into compost if its solid and liquid content are first separated from each other using a dewatering equipment.

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Posted on January 12th, 2009 under Organic. Tags: Compost, Fertilizer, Liquid Fertilizer, Veggies. Comments: 5

For more than two years now, farmers in at least 11 towns of Bulacan and Pampanga have been getting higher yields and net income from their rice, corn, watermelon and vegetable crops. These are due to the bio-organic fertilizer Durabloom, which is made of pure chicken manure.

Liza Sacdalan of Plaridel, Bulacan, said it all started in a seminar held on Dec. 5, 2004 that was attended by officers of the Angat Maasim River Irrigation System Confederation of Irrigators Associations. In that seminar, Dr. Rene Sumaoang, president and general manager of Novatech Agri-Food Industries, talked- lengthily on bio-organic fertilizer Durabloom, which he himself formulated after working as vice president of a private company for several years.

Immediately after the seminar, the heads of the various irrigators associations ordered a total of 200 bags, which were delivered in Plaridel five days later.

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Posted on January 10th, 2009 under Organic, Rice. Tags: Bulacan, Durabloom, Farmer, Fertilizer, Organic, Pampanga. Comments: 2

It appears that continued application of bio-organic fertilizer Durabloom has accumulated effects on the improvement of soil structure and, texture, as well as on the soil microbial population.

At the Hacienda Sta. Teresita in Talisay City, Negros Occidental, cane yield has been increasing from 80 tons a hectare (t/ha) in the first year to 100 t/ha in the second year to 120 t/ha last milling season. What’s more, the picul sugar per ton of cane (PS/TC) has almost unbelievably increased to 2, resulting in higher sugar production.

We went around the plantation recently and what we saw was clear proof that this bio-organic fertilizer is really one of a kind, so to speak.

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Posted on January 6th, 2009 under Organic. Tags: Durabloom, Fertilizer, Organic. Comments: 5

Two graduates of medical technology residing in Padre Garcia, Batangas have become successful farmers with nothing but high praises for the bioorganic fertilizer Durabloom, which is manufactured by Novatech Agri-Foods Industries.

These farmer-innovators took the lead in Batangas in using Durabloom in a large scale on their sugarcane crops, and now vow to use it completely on their crops next year as they expect a big increase in their cane and sugar yields.

Indeed, the sugarcane crops of Oscar A. Tagalicud, 55, and Imelda OlaveLindog, 51, in Brgy. San Felipe have become the envy of many cane planters in Batangas as they now see the luxuriant growth of their crops. Barely five to six months have passed since the crops were applied with Durabloom but their canes have had a diameter of almost 1.5 inches towards the end of last August.

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Posted on January 2nd, 2009 under Entrepreneurs, Farming, Livestock, Ornamental, Poultry. Tags: Anthuriums, Durabloom, Entrepreneur, Farming, Fertilizer, Pigs/Hogs, Poultry. Comments: 1