Agriculture Business Week

The fertile soil of the Cagayan Valley, nourished by the mighty Cagayan River, and coupled with the humid weather condition resulted in the production of quality burley tobacco that is now sought after by cigarette manufacturers worldwide.

According to the multinational leaf supplier Universal Leaf Philippines Inc. (ULPI), the leaf, which is globally known as Isabela burley, is now considered to be one of the best types of tobacco that is used to manufacture cigarettes.

“The demand for Isabela burley all over the world has been steadily rising over the years,” says ULPI president Winston Uy.

(more…)

Posted on May 21st, 2011 under Other Crops, Plant. Tags: Burley, Isabela, Tobacco. Comments: None

Monterey Foods Corporation celebrates its anniversary this year, capping four decades of excellence in meat production and quality retailing.

Monterey’s history is a story of commitment to superior quality meat and meat products. From the time the company started in 1969 with a single 1,200-hectare ranch in Isabela, to its development into a subsidiary of the country’s largest food, beverage, and packing conglomerate, Monterey has maintained rigid standards of quality control.

One of the results of this dedication to excellence is the “farm-to-market” concept that the company espouses. This implies meticulous monitoring and implementation of strict quality controls from breeding to slaughtering, and to transporting all the way to our neighborhood meatshops. Monterey ensures that proper cold chain management is maintained from the time the animals are slaughtered until the time the meat is delivered to the customer.

(more…)

Posted on July 28th, 2009 under Livestock. Tags: Isabela, Meat, Monterey. Comments: None

Smallhold banana growers in Isabela gave more reasons to continue planting banana the natural way now that they have proven that improved farming technology can do wonders for them.

And why not? Their naturally produced bananas have found a sure market. One is Japan, which requires 3,500 boxes of Bongulan banana weekly. A box contains 13 kilograms (kg), so that’s a total of 45,500 kg a week. The bigger market is Korea that buys from them 685,000 kg a week or roughly 52,692 boxes weighing 13 kg per box.

This was learned from Dr. Biley Temanel of Isabela State University (ISU) during the recent General Membership Assembly of the National Research Council of the Philippines. He said that the opening of the export market for Isabela banana growers is the result of the marketing agreement forged with the Center for Organic Farming and Integrated Rural Development or CORDEV which now serves as their marketing outlet.

(more…)

Posted on July 20th, 2009 under Farming, Fruits. Tags: Banana, Farmers, Isabela. Comments: None

Henry Ballesteros was reviewing for the board exam when he was asked by his friend to attend some seminars on rice production. But his interest in it got deeper that he decided to go back to Isabela to become a seed grower. Well, it seems that he has made a very good decsion because today he is one of the successful seed growers in Isabela.

A graduate of Technological University of the Philippines, Henry hosts experiments by the Department of Agriculture (DA) and private companies in his farm in San Andres, Aurora, Isabela. One of these was the Farmer-led Extension Program of DA in 2008 in which he was a Palay Check cooperator of.

He also holds farmers’ field day so other farmers can take a look at his farm, and attends seminars on rice production. So from these he sees which technologies really work. In fact he has practically Tried most of the technologies demonstrated in his farm.

(more…)

Posted on June 29th, 2009 under Farming, Rice. Tags: Farming, Isabela, Rice, Seed, Seed Grower. Comments: None

An Isabela seed grower shares his back story and insights on how to make a more sellable yield.

Hardwork is no stranger for entrepreneurs like Alfredo Arpagila. Apart from being a farmer in Alicia, Isabela, one of the country’s most well known granaries, Alfredo holds a valuable position at the National Food Authority (NFA) and owns a town hospital, managed by his wife doctor.

The role of a farmer was bestowed to him as far back as he was just in high school, “My parents were residents of Isabela,” he cheerily recalled. “They were farmers, so they taught me everything I know, basically-down from cultivating the soil up to harvesting. I grew up watching them work in the farm with other farmers, so as early as junior high, I already knew my agriculture. And that’s what I did with my children too,” he said.

(more…)

Posted on May 1st, 2009 under Entrepreneurs. Tags: Entrepreneur, Isabela, Seeds. Comments: None