Agriculture Business Week

A 52-YEAR old surgeon who later became successful in tilapia farming was awarded as one of the ten outstanding technology adoptors by the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) at the Manila Hotel last September 19. They are part of the 50 Men and Women of Science who are recognized by DOST for their significant contribution to science and technology in celebration of its 50th anniversary.

Dr. Jose Ildefonso Costales Jr. of Brgy. Nabbuan, Santiago City owns and manages Palaisdaan Natin, a 3-hectare (ha) fishfarm which produces 8 million fingerlings annually and generates an annual sales and income of P4.2 million and P3.3 million, respectively.

Started without any knowledge in fish farming, Dr. Costales availed of the tilapia grow-out production module of the Consultancy for Agricultural Productivity Enhancement (CAPE) Program under DOST’s Technology Application and Promotion Institute in 2000.

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Posted on January 7th, 2009 under Aquaculture, Entrepreneurs, Technology. Tags: Entrepreneurs, Technology, Tilapia. Comments: None

In the late 90’s we conducted a technology search in Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia. We visited research and extension centers, and documented technologies generated by research institutions. We also conducted on-farm observations of innovative practices that farmers and traders apply in the production and postharvest handling of durian(Durio zibethinus Mur.) and mangosteen(Garcinia mongostana Linn.).

The technology search was useful in fastracking the generation of technologies which we made available to local farmers through the Handbook on Durian Production in the ASEAN and Handbook on Mangosteen Production in the ASEAN. These publications have helped in the expansion of both crops in the country. Durian is now one of the country’s major crops. It has been grown in over 20,000 hectares (ha) and provided high income to many fruit growers, especially the smallholders. It also provided employment to thousands of farm laborers, traders, processors, and businessmen. Similarly, mangosteen is emerging as one of the country’s major fruit crops and medicinal crops, which is being grown in over 5,000 ha.

When the Department of Agriculture awarded the senior writer as Outstanding National Agricultural Scientist in 1996, he used his cash prize to conduct technology search and extensive documentation of the technological practices in the production and postharvest handling of longkong and duku in southern Thailand and northern Malaysia.

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Posted on January 4th, 2009 under Fruits. Tags: Durian, Longan, Malaysia, Mandarin, Mangosteen, Tangerine, Technology, Thailand. Comments: None

There’s probably no sweeter reward for extensionists than to find one day that a once stubborn farmer has turned into one of the foremost advocates of the new technology.

Lito Sadiaran, 52, of Barangay Pias Norte, Currimao, Ilocos Norte, was considered a stubborn farmer until he got the PhilRice Palayamanan project in 2001 and subsequently in the Technical Cooperation Project of PhilRice and Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) called TCP 3.

“I would say a lot of baloney things before whenever somebody tried to teach me something new,” Lito said.

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Posted on December 30th, 2008 under Farming, Technology. Tags: Farmer, Technology, Veggies. Comments: None

How do Filipinos love the native Saba banana?

We love it in many ways. As snack food, we have banana-cue or maruya, banana rolls or turon, or just plain boiled banana. We like to have it as minatamis na saging for dessert and pinasugbo, another local delicacy. Famous recipes like pochero, nilagang baka, and bulalo also have banana as one of its ingredients. In summertime, the in demand halo-halo will never be complete without Saba banana. Saba or Cardaba banana is truly a part of our rich culinary culture.

So if you will ask millions of Filipinos overseas how many of them have missed the taste of Saba banana, most probably, you will have a great number of them.

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Posted on December 24th, 2008 under Fruits, Technology. Tags: Banana, Freezing, Technology. Comments: None

Perhaps, nothing could make inventors happier than to witness how their inventions have helped people.

This is what unsung Filipino inventors Alfonso Puyat and Engineer Walther Alvarez must have felt when the Villa family’s farm in Nueva Ecija expanded after they dared to adopt the unpopular technologies that these inventors developed.

Ricardo and Nenita Villa used to harvest 100 to 120 cavans per hectare from their 45-hectare rice farm in San Fernando Norte, Cabiao. But when they learned that Fernando Gabuyo of San Jose City was averagely harvesting more than 300 cavans per hectare from hybrid rice, they became curious and wanted to harvest more.

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Posted on December 7th, 2008 under Farming. Tags: Farm, Organic, Rice, Technology, Tilapia, Vegetables. Comments: None

Food safety is a serious concern, not only of food companies, but also that of the government and the general public. One of the issues of food safety is the prevention of contamination, which leads to food poisoning. US centers for Disease Control and Prevention(CDC) estimate that anywhere from six to 33 million cases of food poisoning occur annually in the United States, ranging in severity from negligible to severe.

Companies involved in animal husbandry, animal agriculture, and food processing are continuously looking for better ways to ensure the quality of their products. The business is highly dependent on the assurance that these are safe for public consumption. This means going through rigorous testing procedures that can either be costly, time-consuming, or otherwise impractical.

Many companies have turned to DuPont, a science-based product and services company for a more innovative solution. In response, DuPont Qualicon, a part of the company’s Agriculture and Nutrition portfolio, has developed three systems for the accurate sampling and testing for dangerous organisms in food items. These new systems are highly accurate, more cost-efficient, take less time, and do not require extensive training to use.

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Posted on November 23rd, 2008 under Technology. Tags: Food, Safety, Technology. Comments: None

To lessen the cost of storing seeds, PhilRice has been developed alternative technologies for preserving the quality of seeds and protecting them from storage pests.

These are the admixture seed treatment machine (STM) and the sealed storage enclosure for hybrid rice and other seeds (SACLOB), which both utilize locally available materials and were developed by a group of engineers led by Engr. Ricardo F. Orge.

STM
Admixture seed treatment is a method of treating or saving the seeds from storage pest attacks by combining the chemicals applied in the process. The STM, on the other hand, is designed to optimize the use and efficiency of these chemicals by ensuring the application and absorption of the right volume and solution for the seeds.

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Posted on November 23rd, 2008 under Technology. Tags: Pest, Seeds, Technology. Comments: None

In the Philippines, technology transfer falls significantly on the shoulders of technicians of local government units. They are expected o perform multiple functions. However; due to limited resources and concrete programs within the local government unit, these technicians failed to serve efficiently.

On one hand, there are technicians who are industrious, innovative, and practice what they teach. They are more effective in transferring technologies and effecting changes in their clients or their recommendations are based on experience. They also effectively ink farmers to the support service and even help market farm produce.

One of them is Marlyn Lilagan, an agricultural livestock technician who has spent almost three decades assisting and extending information to farmers Balungao, Pangasinan. A significant part of the success of this fifth class municipality in eastern Pangasinan in, goat raising is attributed to her and to the support of LGU.

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Posted on October 18th, 2008 under Livestock, Technology. Tags: Goat, Technology. Comments: None

Save as much as P11,000 every day with MACS biomass furnace, an alternative source of energy used in fueling the mechanical dryer that is used in drying grains especially during the rainy season.

Designed by Dr. Manolito C. Bulaong of the Postharvest Engineering Department (PHED) of the Bureau of Postharvest Research and Extension (BPRE) for its Maize Aflatoxin Control System (MACS) project, the biomass furnace is cheaper to use than the diesel burner in heating the mechanical dryer.

Unlike the diesel burner which consumes 20 liters of diesel per hour at 85°C drying air temperature, the furnace utilizes both rice hull and corncobs as fuel. It has boiler tubes with a diameter of 2.5 inches which serve as heat exchanger and this produces a clean, smoke-free hot air. Its drying time ranges from 6 to 8 hours per batch at an initial moisture content ranging from 24 to 31 percent.
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Posted on October 11th, 2008 under Technology. Tags: Biomass, Dryer, Technology. Comments: None