Agriculture Business Week

Farmers in Ilocos Norte normally have small farms, 0.75 hectare (ha) on the average. Seldom are there farmers with more than 3 ha. But for hard working farmers, farm size is not of a constraint to successful farming even under the semi-arid conditions of the Ilocos provinces.

Compared to most farmers, Onofre Balantac of Barangay Sulongan, Pasuquin and Honorio dela Cruz of Barangay San Guillermo, San Nicolas are relatively young at 38 years old. However, both of them are already classic examples of the many farmers in Ilocos Norte who derive a satisfactory income from their small farms. This is because Onofre and Honorio are innovators. They always seek for new information and technologies that can help improve their farm productivity and income.

(more…)

Filipino Consumers prefer garlic produced in the Ilocos Region, particularly in Ilocos Norte and Ilocos Sur, because of its more pungent and aromatic odor as well as it tangy taste.

However, the Ilocos Region produces only 65 percent or 9,551.94 metric tons (MT) of the country’s average total production of 14,695.29 MT even as the agro-climatic conditions in Ilocos Norte and Ilocos Sur are suitable for garlic production.

Moreover, the country’s total production is not enough to meet domestic consumption. For one thing, the Philippines imports annually an average of 164,881.35 MT of fresh and chilled garlic as condiments. In short, the total production does not even satisfy 9 percent of the domestic demand.

Even if we attain the optimum potential yield of garlic, which is 9 tons per hectare (t/ha), we would produce only 28.45 percent (46,898.19 MT) of our yearly imports from a total garlic area of 5,210.9 ha. A major reason for our appallingly low production is our low average yield of 2.81 t/ha. This yield level is not even one-third of the potential yield.

(more…)

Cabbage Farmers may as well plant either tomato or garlic around their cabbage crop to reduce damages caused by diamondback moth (DBM), Hellula, cutworms, and other harmful insect pests. This practice is called companion planting.

Lucrecia Cocson and Lagrimas Flojo, researchers of the Mariano Marcos State University [MMSU] in Batac City, Ilocos Norte, found in a three year study that companion planting with tomato or garlic results in higher marketable yields and, hence, higher net income from cabbage.

(more…)