Customs crack down on smuggled agri goods

Bureau of Customs Commissioner Napoleon Morales and Intelligence Group Deputy Commissioner Jairus Paguntalan today inspect P51.1 million worth of onions and other agricultural products as they made the rounds of the Port of Manila , Manila International Container Port, Security Warehouse 159, and a private warehouse in Valenzuela City .

Following orders from Morales to crack down on smuggled agricultural products, CIIS operatives at the Port of Manila apprehended three forty-footer containers of onions and another forty-footer containing Peking duck which were misdeclared as flavoring materials and grocery items. The haul was estimated to be worth P13.8 million.

Also inspected were 667 bags of onions which originally came from Tondo, Manila and 816 bags of onions from different stalls in Divisoria which were transferred to Security Warehouse 159. Also stored in 159 were 1,304 bags of red onions, 1,507 bags of white onions, and 509 bags of ginger worth   P2.45 million which were transferred from Warehouses 1103, 1104, 1106, 1108, and 1110  in Binondo.

At the Manila International Container Port, joint operations of the Risk Management Group and CIIS foiled the illegal entry of 14 containers of P22.25 million worth of meat and agricultural products which include onions, ginger, and potatoes. The shipments were misdeclared as cakes, pastries, seasoning and condiments.

The customs men also proceeded to a warehouse of Global Export Box Manufacturing Inc in Valenzuela City to oversee the inventory of the contents of three forty-footer containers of onions worth P6.1 million which were seized by CIIS operatives a few weeks back. The shipment was misdeclared by the consignee Rickman Trading as support mattresses and gift items.

According to CIIS Director Filomeno Vicencio Jr., the CIIS has recommended to the POM and MICP District Collectors for the issuance of warrants of seizure and detention against all the apprehended shipments. Intelligence Chief Fernandino Tuazon said that the bureau will coordinate with the Department of Agriculture for the proper disposal of the goods after the formal seizure proceedings are finished.

Commissioner Morales expressed that "these are part of the continuous campaign of the Bureau against smuggling of agricultural products." Morales reassures the local growers that there will be "no let up on the crack down on smuggling."

Groups join hands for sustainable agriculture in Cordilleras

LA TRINIDAD, Benguet - The crop protection industry have joined hands with the working journalists in this upland province in a show of force for sustainable agriculture in the Cordilleras. Underlining corporate social responsibility, CropLife, Crop Protection Association of the Philippines (CPAP) and the Philippine Integrated Crop Management Association, Inc. (PICMA), all associations of the manufacturers of agricultural chemical products in the country, sponsored a seminar that sought to untangle for communicators and journalists the confusion over what is sustainable agriculture and what is not. Regional Executive Director for the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) of the Department of Environment and Natural Resrources (DENR) Primitivo Galinato Jr later appealed on the need for an advocacy to help protect the Cordillera watershed areas, citing the wanton encroachment of vegetable farms in the upland areas as a cause for alarm. "These farming activities might be of help economically to our farmers but it is not sustainable in the long run, for our ecosystems when destroyed will be very hard to bring back to its intended usage, that is, of being a watershed," he said. Part of the problem, Galinato said is a local legislation in the area that presently "allows the issuance of tax declarations even in national parks." Describing the Cordilleras as "the watershed cradle of northern Luzon, a giver and sustainer of life to our neighboring regions, we have 13 major watersheds that need to be protected and enhanced instead of being degraded," he added. The region's total land area is 1,829,368 hectares with 1,549,909 designated as forest land area. This means that only 729,539 hectares remain with forest cover. There is a dire need to rehabilitate and reforest more than 481,491 hectares for the Cordilleras to have a more sustainable environment. The only mossy forests in the Cordilleras, bound by the tri-boundary of Mountain Province, Benguet and Ifugao, continue to be encroached upon by the so-called vegetable farmers who wantonly convert the forested areas into vegetable gardens without regard for the environmental degradation it entails. Should these environmentally harmful encroachments persist, it will soon affect the region's river systems, Galinato said. Rampant improper farming in the uplands will eventually cause erosion and siltation of the waterways, leading to a general lack of water that will adversely affect even the region's role as the power generator of the area – they propel the turbines of our hydroelectric dams. This same general lack or lessening of water has begun to negatively affect lowland agricultural production. Due to the silted waterways, lowland harvests have begun tapering off in Pangasinan. The CAR-DENR is currently trying to curb vegetable garden encroachment and stop the further destruction of the remaining forest areas in the upland watershed areas. The CAR-DENR will also try to educate and inform the upland communities about the dangers these encroachments will bring. They are also embarking on an advocacy to promote semi-permanent crops like coffee in the watershed areas, even as inter-crops among the vegetables to further help stave off erosion and water run-offs. The CropLife-CPAP-PICMA team-up, in pursuing their corporate citizenship, is looking to support more production on the limited areas now planted to help stave off even more encroachment on the slopes. Florence Vasquez, CropLife president, maintains that "more production on the now-existing farms will hopefully keep the slopes intact by providing enough economic rewards to the farmers now without their having to expand their farmlands even more." Jojo Alejar and Max Obusan, CPAP president and executive director respectively, add that "sustainable agriculture demands a balance between man's need for economic sustenance today and society's need to keep our ecology and environment able to meet the demands and needs of our children and people in the future."

DA jumpstarts biotech week celebration

The Department of Agriculture (DA) has kicked off the annual National Biotechnology Week celebration by a series of seminars on agricultural biotechnology products in Negros Occidental, presentation of the natural ingredients study by the Chamber of Herbal Industries of the Philippines, Inc. (CHIPI) and three symposia on biotechnology for teachers that started in Ilocos Norte, Iloilo and Cebu. Taking the lead in the annual celebration is the Department of Agriculture-Biotechnology Program Office (DA-BPO), which has been collaborating with the Biotechnology Coalition of the Philippines (BCP), BIONet Pilipinas and the Biotechnology for Life Media and Advocacy Resource Center (BMARC) for several years. Last June 2, a seminar organized by the BCP on the benefits of biotechnology was held in Negros Occidental in the context of Provincial Ordinance No.. 007, Series of 2007, which bans genetically modified organisms (GMOs). Dr. Saturnina Halos, top biotechnology adviser of the DA, expounded on the values of GMOs, particularly on genetically modified feed corn that is being produced in about 400,000 hectares by 100,000 small Filipino farmers. She noted the ban militates against the interest of Filipinos who cultivate GMOs even as the country has been consuming imported food products from GMOs from the US, Argentina, Brazil and Canada.. "It is against the constitutional rights of equal protection under the law of small feed millers and livestock growers in the province whose livelihood is threatened by the ban. Furthermore, a ban on GMOs is in conflict with the national policy on the safe and responsible use of modern biotechnology and their products as enunciated in a policy statement issued by President Arroyo in 2001 and a violation of the Agriculture and Fisheries Modernization Act (AFMA), which mandates the use of modern biotechnology as a tool for agriculture and fisheries modernization," she counseled. On June 27, the results of the Natural Ingredients Study by the Chamber of Herbal Industries of the Philippines, Inc. (CHIPI) and Hybridigm were also formally announced. CHIPI is the national organization of companies engaged in the research, development, farming, manufacturing, marketing and distribution of natural, herbal and alternative products for personal care, medical use and food supplementation. Hybridigm is a consulting firm that was tapped by the DA-BPO to construct a relevant, objective and comprehensive report on natural ingredients. The following month, the following were held: Towards a Harmonized DA-Biotechnology Program, a project mid-year assessment and planning for the 2009 NBW Siguradong Hybrid, Siguradong Panalo! Training on DNA Fingerprinting and its Application in Seed Purity of Hybrid Rice Varieties (organized by PhilRice) Presentation by the DA-BPO of the Agriculture Biotechnology Roadmap and the Natural Ingredients Study to the DA Management Committee · Regional Biotechnology Seminar for Teachers held in Batac, Ilocos Norte (organized by the NIMBB-UPD and SUCs on the theme "Instituting a General Education Biotechnology Course in Philippine State Universities and Colleges) (biolife news service)

NATIONWIDE MOVEMENT CONVENES SCIENTISTS IN A FORUM TO CRITICALLY LOOK AT GMOs

The Network Opposed to GMOs (NO to GMOs), a nationwide movement among peasants, scientists, consumers, academe, greens, NGOs, convened today a forum on the GMO (Genetically Modified Organism) technologies that are upon us and what this means to the Philippines.

The lead presentor is an international scientist and biochemist engineer, Camilo Rodriguez-Beltran who gave a presentation on "International Trends on GM Technologies and the Modern Applications of Biotechnologies."

Beltran gave the context of GMOs globally but also situated the role that the Philippines plays with this technology in the world. He gave an overview of the current developments in such areas as GM mosquitoes, GM animals, GM bacteria and GM plants for industrial and nutritional purposes

The Philippines was the first country in Asia to allow field testing and commercialization of GM crops. Today, many farmlands; particularly in Mindanao have been planted with GM crops; mostly used as feeds. Several GM crops are now being redied as food for direct human consumption. The government is positioning the country as a GM technology exporter in this
part of the world.

Local scientists Dr. Chito Medina of MASIPAG and Dr. Emer Borromeo emphasized on this as they gave a local situation on GM technologies. Dr. Medina focused on GM Rice while Dr. Borromeo focused on GM applications in Egglant, Papaya, Peanuts and others.

Dr. Maria Rowena R. Romana-Eguia of the South East Asian Fisheries Development Center (SEAFDC) gave a presentation on GM application in Tilapia.

Beltran emphasized that "...specific risk appear with these organisms not only because of their nature but also because of their application." He specified on latest research that has given more knowledge about the safety of these products; particularly on new knowledge in health and environmental effects of the two traits currently release in the Philippines: Insect and
herbicide resistant crops.

He noted that "knowledge on latest research is important in order to provide awareness and a starting point for discussion on the appropiateness of this technology in the context of the Philippines."

The forum was capped with a presentation by Attorney Ping Peria of the Third World Network (TWN) on "Different Strategies in Pushing GM in the Philippines" that lead to the planning session of the network on how to pursue further their campaign against GMOs in the Philippines.

IRRI: Profit-driven research will not feed the world

Los Baños, Laguna – As the International Rice Research Institute celebrates its 49th year anniversary, majority of the poor farmers are still at the grip of upsurging farm inputs, health hazards and down-spiraling income as IRRI continues its collaboration with AgroChemical TNCs and influence of national governments and institutions for the imposition of High Yielding Varieties (HYVs) in their lands.According to Dr. Chito Medina, IRRI introduced HYVs in the 70’s.

Tagged as the Green Revolution campaign to combat world hunger, HYVs were designed to produce rice for the increasing human population even if the chemical inputs are expensive. Dr Medina is currently the national coordinator of the Magsasaka at Siyentipiko para sa Pag-unlad ng Agrikultura (MASIPAG), a national network of farmers, scientist and development workers advocating for a farmer-centered approach in dealing with food security.

Combined with fertilizers peddled by Agrochemical TNCs, HYV introduction in Asian countries nearly wiped out traditional rice varieties. The use of HYVs also has put farmers in continuous contact with pesticides thereby increasing serious health hazards, indebted farmers due to high inputs and has contaminated the environment’ said Dr Medina.With the recent deal between DuPont and IRRI, the so-called the ‘Scientific Know-How and Exchange Program’ will strengthen public-private partnership in increasing global rice productivity. The partnership is said to accelerate hybrid rice breeding efforts which would enhance commercialization of higher yielding hybrids in Asia to help the globaldemand.

‘The DuPont-IRRI deal would only put the farmers and inevitably the consumers in jeopardy. With funding from private entities such as DuPont, researches and outputs shall be greatly influenced. Further, it also provides DuPont privilege access to important collection of germplasms.

This is tantamount to the wholesale of genetic resources for commercial, profit-oriented purposes of TNCs. IRRI turned away from its responsibility in safeguarding these precious resources entrusted to them as a public institution.’ He added that IRRI has also received grants from Syngenta Foundation, , the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and other TNC corporations.

Dr Medina also cited from the recently concluded Fact Finding Mission with RESIST in Nueva Ecija wherein farmers reported early signs of flowering and panicles with empty rice grains of SL8H provided under GMA’s rice program. Authorities from the Department of Agriculture simply dismissed the incident that the abnormal growth was due to ‘wind and cold.’

Apparently, some fields recovered, some did not. It was also noted that farmers increased fertilizer application to the fields in order to stop potential crop loss.

Dr Medina stressed for a more viable alternative. A recent study on the household impact of MASIPAG in the Philippines showed that the yield of organic farming is not far from that of chemical-based farming, and farmers practicing organic agriculture in fact have better net income.

Sustainable farming through organic farming also contributes to food safety, conservation of genetic resources and empowerment of farmers.

Federico ‘Ka Oting’ Gil added that IRRI’s continued collaboration with profit-hungry TNCs only justifies the call of farmers and NGOs for the dismantling of this institution.’It has never served the interest of the poor rice farmers of the world, rather it has driven them further to poverty.‘ Ka Oting is Chairperson of the Board of Trustees of MASIPAG.

Francis Morales who also holds a seat in the MASIPAG Borad of Trustees said that IRRI should be held accountable to the continued poverty brought by the institution to the farmers.

‘MASIPAG strengthens its call for a more farmer-centerd agricultural research and farming system if food security is to be achieved. Forty-nine years of IRRI is enough’ Morales said.

Banana growers say aerial spraying is safe

The head of the technical committee of the Philippine Banana Growers and Exporters Association (PBGEA), has assured farmers and environmental advocates that aerial spraying of fungicides in the vast banana plantations of Mindanao is safe.
Dr. Emily Fabregar made this assurance late last month when she presented a paper on "Global Positioning System: A New Technology for Farm Application," during the foundation celebration of the University of the Philippines in Mindanao (UP-Min) in Davao City.
She joined a panel of experts in the lecture forum spearheaded by CropLife Phillippines and the Initiative for Farm Advocacy and Resource Management (iFARM) on February 25, 2009.
Dr. Eufemio Tan Rasco Jr.’s book “The Unfolding Gene Revolution” recognized as the NAST “Outstanding Book of the Year 2008,” was also presented during the forum at the UP-Min's College of Science and Mathematics.
Dr. Fabregar said the use of GPS has greatly reduced the risk to humans since the system automatically shuts of spraying equipment when it leaves the target area.
Aerial spraying had been banned in Davao City based on an ordinance that the Court of Appeals (CA) later determined to be unconstitutional.
Fabegar said the “intelligent spraying” systems employed by PBGEA are also controlled via GPS.
The Fertilizer and Pesticide Authority (FPA) requires 50-meter defaults along the area perimeters of the plantations to be sprayed.
Showing a video clip of an actual aerial spray run by a PBGEA fixed-wing plane, the cut-off mechanism clearly showed that the misty spray stopped before reaching the boundaries (identified by a river in the clip) with enough room to spare. This should allay concerns expressed by some quarters regarding off-target spraying in banana plantations.
Dr. Fabregar emphasized that such GPS-controlled mechanisms are now employed in all banana plantation spray runs since it reduces the volume of fungicide used. GPS allows no room for pilot error that may cause drift or off-target spraying.
The fungicides are sprayed on banana plants to prevent a fungus called sigatoka from spreading. This fungus attacks banana leaves and causes premature ripening and freckles on the fruits. With premature ripening and freckles, bananas cannot pass export quality control.
Aerial spraying is considered the most cost-efficient method for addressing the sigatoka fungus problem.
Dr. Rasco said in a previous forum on science-based agriculture conducted in January at the Grand Regal Hotel in Davao City that the most cost-effective solution to the sigatoka problem was aerial spraying.
He stressed it was funny that the ban was imposed on the solution to the problem besetting the banana industry.
Dr. Fabregar also said the fungicide used in the aerial spraying was diluted with water in the spraying solution to be even less potent than over-the-counter anti-dandruff shampoos that are sold everywhere and used even by children. A common cause of dandruff is a fungus like sigatoka.
As an early result of the initial ban on aerial spraying in Davao City, Lapanday has closed its Mandug Farm, a banana plantation within the city. More than 150 hectares of a previously viable and productive banana farm has been lost due to an ordinance that was enacted rather precipitately, according to critics.
IFARM has been calling for a science-based agriculture that pays a premium on risk assessment and management.
It also backs the use of safe and responsible use of all farm inputs, particularly those used in protecting cash crops for both domestic and foreign markets. (iFARM)

Newly-developed biotech abaca being eyed to boost troubled industry in the south

MARAWI CITY -- The Department of Agriculture and the Mindanao State University (MSU) are collaborating to help reinvigorate the troubled abaca industry in the south which used to be a big foreign exchange earner through a newly-developed biotechnology variety that has been proven to be resistant to deadly viruses.

Director Alicia Ilaga of the DA Biotechnology Program cited during the recent launching of the Biotechnology Information and Resource Center at the MSU main campus cited that the virus resistant abaca developed by the panel of experts led by Dr. Antonio Lalusin of the Institute of Plant Breeding at the University of Plant Breeding in Los could be the solution to fast deteriorating abaca industry, particularly in central Mindanao.

Dr. Macapado A. Muslim, the MSU president, acknowledged the need for abaca growers to pursue agricultural modernization in Mindanao, which continues of to be plagued by deadly mosaic, bract mosaic and the bunchy-top viruses which had earlier crippled the Bicol region, which used to be country’s biggest abaca producer.

Initially, Muslim has proposed the setting up a of tissue culture laboratories to be hosted by the MSU system, to propagate the newly-developed biotech abaca variety.

Ilaga said that Mindanao can fast rehabilitate the dwindling abaca industry, with its vast areas suitable to abaca plantations to meet the country’s export demand.

While Bicol accounts for 66 per cent or 52,666 hectares of total abaca area mapped by the DA, it also reported a 27 per cent incidence of viral diseases prompting government to look at Eastern Visayas to augment the abaca needs of the country.

But Muslim noted that given the necessary funding for research and development, the MSU can promote truly Filipino biotechnology products starting with the virus –resistant abaca.

He offered to mobilize the 21 agriculture scientists of the MSU College of Agriculture in Marawi to step up government’s efforts in modernizing agriculture in the south. It was gathered that MSU has already submitted 36 project proposals for research and development projects to boost agriculture modernization in the south.

“Given the continuously increasing population in the country, biotechnology is an option” to meet the country’s food demands, Muslim said

Meanwhile, Ilaga said that DA Undersecretary Segefredo Serrano will meet with the MSU officials to map out possible collaboration efforts in promoting abaca and other biotechnology crops. (biolife news service)

Expert urges planting of smaller but more productive mango trees

DAVAO CITY -- Dr. Calixto M. Protacio, a leading plant breeder, has urged government to lead in the massive cultivation of smaller but more productive mango trees to raise yields and improve the country’s share in the expanding export market.

Dr. Protacio made the proposal when he delivered the David H. Murdock/Dole Asia professorial chair lecture on February 25 in a forum organized by the Initiative for Farm Advocacy and Resource Management (IFARM) and Croplife Philippines at the campus of University of the Philippines-Mindanao (UP-Min) here.

He stressed that reforming the mango industry is needed now to maintain the country’s position as the world’s second biggest mango exporter and possibly eat into the lead of Mexico.

Dr. Protacio explained that big mango trees are harder to manage and large plantations require more workers during harvest time.

Scientific advances also make it possible for more small fruit-bearing trees to occupy each hectare of land, he added, and the increase in yield will naturally skyrocket, he argued.

No less than 90 percent of the country’s mango exports are in the form of fresh fruits. The Philippines enjoys a 65 percent market share in Hong Kong and controls 24 percent of the Japan market, he added. The mango expert said South Korea is starting to become a major market like the United States.

A survey conducted by the Bureau of Agricultural Statistics (BAS) in 2007 showed that a total of 184,174 hectares of land are devoted to mango production. There are a total of 8,115,899 fruit-bearing mango trees all over the country.

Output-wise, the Philippines harvests an average of 913,000 metric tons of the fruit,
which makes it the eighth biggest player in the global market.

Only six percent of the total output is exported, Dr. Protacio revealed, and the country must increase its share of the export market by raising production and achieve inclusion in the list of countries that conform with the standards of Good Agricultural Practice (GAP), which is required if the Philippines wants to penetrate the big European Union (EU) market.

He noted the mango production system in the country is largely “parochial and is thus limited in range and scope.”

Dr. Protacio said the Philippines can cash in on smaller mango trees inasmuch as Thailand stopped its mango production from smaller mango trees two decades ago.

The expert stressed that big trees have canopy diameters of up to 20 meters and grow up to a height of buildings four storeys high.

Following current practice of planting a mango tree in a 20m by 20m square, only a total of 25 trees can be accommodated in one hectare, with the yield ranging from 400 kilos to 1,000 kilos per hectare.

Dr. Protacio also doubted the range of average mango yield from six to 10 tons per hectare, saying “it is probably an overestimate.”
He stressed that workers risk injury when climbing trees to harvest the fruit and spray the leaves with pesticides and nematicides. (iFARM)

Plant expert calls on DA to improve mango-production system

Leading plant expert Dr. Calixto M. Protacio says the country can raise its mango output by cultivating new varieties and planting smaller trees in 184,174 hectares of mango stands nationwide.

Dr. Protacio made the proposal in a lecture delivered last February 25 at a forum organized by the Initiative for Farm Advocacy and Resource Management (IFARM) and Croplife Philippines at the UP Mindanao campus in Davao City.

The expert stressed that with the massive planting of smaller mango trees with higher yields and better fruit quality, the country stands a good chance of narrowing the gap between the country’s output and that of Mexico, the world’s top mango exporter.

Dr. Protacio stressed that the country must also develop its food processing capability, noting that 90 percent of mango exports comes in the form of fresh fruits.

Thus far, the country has not yet been certified as conforming to the standards of Good Agricultural Practice (GAP), which is now a requirement of many importing countries.

Pointing out the disadvantages of large mango trees, Dr. Protacio said plantation workers are more likely to be injured in harvesting the fruits and spraying the leaves with a solution to protect the fruits from insects and pests.

“Big tree sizes constrain mango growers from implementing good agricultural practices,” he noted.

GAP, Dr. Protacio explained, covers the “collection of principles for on-farm production and post production process for safe and healthy food and non-food agricultural products considering economic, social and environmental sustainability.”

Any country that deals in food products and non-food agricultural commodities internationally are now required to possess GAP certification.

The European Union (EU) a stickler for GAP and no country can penetrate its member-nations unless they have certification.

For crop protection alone, big mango trees present workers with daunting tasks, getting wet when they spray the trees with solutions and making fruit bagging even more laborious.

They have to face risks when pruning the branches and are most likely to sustain latex burns and stain the fruits 30 seconds after picking the fruits, as a study in 2004 showed, Dr, Protacio said.

It is much easier to gain GAP certification with smaller trees cultivated under a high density planting system. Potential yields are also higher, he noted.

“Grafting should be done at the lowest height possible so that branching will start at a lower point than usual,” he explained as he credited Vir Loquias for developing the new low bark grafting method.

Scions can be induced to branch, he added, and pruning for a well-formed canopy can be done quickly under a system of smaller planting distances.

Existing orchards maintain the 10m by 10 m planting distance, compared to the Amrapali system at 2.5m by 2.5m with 1,600 plants per hectare recommended.

For Dasheri, a distance of 4m by 4 m is suggested while the Jain Irrigation Systems’ large scale high density planting (HDP) calling for 490 plants at 6m by 4.5m. At Jamnagar Reliance’s HDP of 102,000 trees, the distance is 5m by 3m and 6m by 2m spacing.

New plantations adopting HDP are planting trees at 6m by 4m, 5m by 5m, 5m by 3m and 6m by 2m spacing. (iFARM)

Experts tackle issues associated with aerial spraying of Davao banana plantations

Scientists took center stage last week in a forum at the College of Science and Mathematics (CSM) of the University of the Philippines-Mindanao (UP-Min) in Mintal, Davao City and discussed the future of a science-based Philippine agriculture.
The forum, entitled “Making Science Work for Us,” was held during CSM Week, which was celebrated as part of the UP-Min’s 14th foundation anniversary.
The lecture-forum featured, among others, a relaunch of UP Min’s Dr. Eufemio T. Rasco Jr.’s “The Unfolding Gene Revolution,” the Outstanding Book Awardee of the National Academy of Science and Technology (NAST) for 2008.
Attended by hundreds of students, faculty members, professionals and farmers, the lecture-forum was sponsored by CropLife Philippines and conducted by Initiative for Farm Advocacy and Resource Management (IFARM), a newly-organized non-government organization (NGO) promoting science-based agriculture.
Experts also discussed the issue of aerial spraying in large banana plantations in the Davao provinces and stressed the solutions used can be applied scientifically and diluted to such an extent that it can be harmless to human like over the counter (OTC) medicines.
Moreover, the solution used is effective in ridding the fruits of pests and viruses that have become the bane of Filipino banana exporters.
IFARM (www.ifarmpinas.com) is promoting the implementation of Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) in the farms as a mode of self-regulation and responsible profitability towards sustainable agriculture and the active protection of the environment.
CropLIfe Philippines is the local counterpart association of the global crop protection industry that is currently promoting Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) among its members.
With its current thrust of “more food on less land,” CropLife is embarking on disseminating plant science technology to help the local farmers achieve production targets even while promoting GAP and the proper use of farm inputs to ensure that all production is safe for the consuming public and not harmful to the environment.
Starting off with a presentation on “Towards a GAP-compliant Mango Production,” Dr. Calixto Protacio, professor of horticulture of UP Los Banos and chairman of IFARM, outlined his technical findings on mango production that revolved around the cultivation of smaller trees and continuous pruning to encourage fruit-bearing and more productive harvests.
Dr. Renato Labadan, a Ten Outstanding Young Men (TOYM) awardee like Dr. Rasco and author of the 2006 National Book Award of the Manila Critics’ Circle and Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas for his book “Coconut – The Philippine Money Tree,” enlightened the participants on the new high-value products that may be produced from the coconut such as coconut sugar, honey, toddy and others.
Dr. Dario Sabularse, deputy executive director of the Fertilizer and Pesticide Authority (FPA), the regulatory agency for the crop protection and enhancement industry, outlined the regulatory regimen enforced by the FPA on the local production and marketing of farm inputs.
Dr. Sabularse dwelled on the science and procedures the FPA implements to ensure that all agricultural products are safe and nutritious for the consuming market, emphasizing that all products that have been found to be harmful have actually been banned from local use.
Thus, the consuming public has no need to worry or be alarmed.
Nevertheless, he invited the public to report any abuse or misuse of such farm inputs, reporting himself that the FPA on its own conducts tests periodically and have found no infractions of any magnitude that should cause public concern.
On account of the questions arising from the aerial spraying of banana plantations in the Davao area, Dr. Emily Fabregar, head of the Technical Committee of the PBGEA, was asked to elucidate to the audience the new GPS and intelligent spray control technologies that the plantations are implementing.
Dr. Fabregar said with these new technologies being used in farms, all members of the population are benefiting from their proper and responsible use, ensuring that only adequate amounts and mixtures are sprayed on bananas.
These mixtures are as harmless as any above-the-counter medications currently available for unrestricted public use, she added.
The forum was capped off by Dr. Rasco’s presentation of his award-winning book “The Unfolding Gene Revolution.”
Using layman’s terms and spiced with humor, the books shows how the new science of biotechnology was developed and how its findings are helping in the quest for adequate production to feed the growing population.
In closing, Sim Cuyson, executive director of CropLife Philippines, outlined his association’s commitment to continue the dialogue between science and the general public so as to allay fears about the use of “risky” farm inputs.
Cuyson said his group is now working to correct the wrong information being peddled to justify the ban on aerial spraying.
What is important is for farmers and consumers to know more about the scientific methods of spraying to prevent the spread of plant diseases.CropLife said it is ready to help in disseminating scientific information to correct the impression of some people about the need to ban aerial spraying. (iFARM)

DA Exec Pushes Overhaul of RP's Aggie Sector

Agriculture Undersecretary Segfredo R. Serrano, who also chairs the Department of Agriculture-Biotech Program Steering Committee, says the DA Biotechnology Program Office is bent on transforming Philippine agriculture from a resource-based sector to a technology-based sector.
“We are developing and promoting biotechnologies that can ensure increased yields, low production cost, and high-value products so that we can maximize the use of limited resources available for agriculture,” Serrano stresses.
DA-BPO is also striving to improve the quality of crops and vegetables and give them resistance against diseases and pests.
A significant achievement in this regard is the successful introduction and commercialization of Bacillus thuringiensis corn. Bt corn has proven that biotechnology-based agriculture can expand production, with this type of corn gaining a unit yield of 37 percent, which translates to an additional profit of P10,000 per hectare. Pesticide expenses are also slashed by up to 60 percent.
The Philippines has also been using both traditional and modern biotechnologies in extracting high-value products from traditional agricultural commodities.
For instance, coconut is now being the used as source of sugar, honey, vinegar, biofuel, virgin coconut oil, industrial feedstock and health drink.
Abaca is now better known for non-fiber byproducts like surfboards, car accessories and insulation material.
Rice husks, bran and other milling byproducts are now utilized as energy source, medicines and health supplement. Seaweeds are also being tapped for high-value products like health supplements, medicines and cosmetics.
There have been also studies on various plants and herbs like malunggay, banaba, rice, papaya, banana, mango, pineapple, duhat, astuete, seaweeds/carrageenan, and marine bioactives.
Through modern and traditional biotechnology, the natural ingredients derived from these plants like essential oils and active pharmaceutical ingredients are extracted for various industrial applications.
biolife news service

'Biotechnology is Key to Food Security'

In the Philippines, 40 percent of our people have experienced the pangs of hunger and more are about to suffer the same unless the government, the private sector, the religious, professionals, the academic community and workers and peasants do something about it.
Higher food prices that have caused so much pain to many nations in the last two years, abetted no doubt by expensive oil, forces the nation to work double-time to increase food production.
Unwieldy population growth and diminishing agricultural lands also conspired to create a regime of high food prices, which are the bane of any concerted effort to mitigate hunger worldwide.
Agriculture Undersecretary Segfredo R. Serrano, who also chairs the Department of Agriculture-Biotech Program Steering Committee, believes that modern farm technologies, particularly biotechnology, are the key to solving the country’s food security program.
“We are utilizing biotechnology safely and responsibly to increase the supply and stability as well as improve the nutritional quality of food in the market,” says Serrano.
There are new biotechnologically enhanced rice varieties that can provide the country with adequate supply of the staple.
Not only that, he adds, improved wagwag has been commercialized to make it tungro-resistant, saline-tolerant and capable of producing yields higher than 5 tons per hectare.
Moreover, the DA official claims, Tubigan 7 (NSIC Rc142) and Tubigan 11 (NSIC Rc154), two strains developed by the Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) are resistant to bacterial leaf blight. This pest is the bane of Filipino farmers during the wet season.
Tubigan 7 yields 7.4 tons per hectare, nearly double the current national yield. Research and development on drought-tolerant, saline-tolerant, and flood-tolerant rice varieties is also being done as strategic responses to the country’s erratic climatic conditions.
Government scientists are also developing Golden Rice to help curb Vitamin A deficiency among children and pregnant women, arming them with nutrients that battle blindness. The genes of the Golden Rice are being incorporated into local varieties that are resistant to tungro and bacterial blight.
“In attaining food sufficiency, we do have high hopes in biotechnology to make our food production system efficient,” Serrano reveals.
biolife news service

Pampanga Gov Says Biotech Can Reduce Exodus of Filipinos Seeking Jobs Overseas

Pampanga Governor Ed Panlilio says biotechnology can help the country generate more jobs and consequently reduce substantially the exodus of Filipinos seeking jobs overseas.
Panlilio also credited the Department of Agriculture-Biotechnology Program Office and director Alicia Ilaga for promoting the use of biotechnology to develop more products from the lowly malunggay.
Malunggay seeds are a good source of biofuel while its fruits and leaves possess substantial amounts of vitamin A, iron, calcium, potassium and other micronutrients.
Its roots are a good source of anti-cancer agents while its trunk may be harnessed for the production of ethanol from cellulose.
Panlilio said that biotechnology is a "means of expression and improvement" to uplift our economy and resolve problems in migration and political bickerings.
The governor made the statement during a recent Seminar-Workshop on Economic Opportunities for Pampanga.
"We could develop biotechnology, like (its use on) malunggay. The Philippines is very rich in terms of resources, if we could only improve our natural and human resources, the Filipino will stay and not migrate," he stressed.
Panlilio said Pampanga is open to biotechnology and supports its use in agriculture, as long as it is safe and benefits the populace.
Pampanga was among the first to plant Bacillus thuringiensis corn and a farmer there who planted Bt corn on 1.3 hectares of land harvested 13 metric tons of the crop. Panlilio declared that Pampanga is open to biotechnology.
A priest of the Catholic Church, which has its reservations regarding the use of genetically modified organisms, he expressed his views regarding the use of GMOs.
"I am not an agriculturist, but is the use of GMO harmful or benficial?" he said.
"When it is beneficial, like this moringa, which is a good and affordable source of nutrients and already has a market for its products, we promote this kind of practice for our people," the governor continued.
Panlillio's constituents agree with him. They want the malunggay industry to thrive in Pampanga.
Provincial agriculturist Dr. Mario Mangiliman reiterated the governor's statement that Pampanga is open to the use of biotechnology and the province's Farm and Resource Management Department is now focusing on malunggay cultivation.
Mangiliman emphasized that they are pushing for malunggay planting to fight malnutrition.
He praised the governor for the support he has given to the Pampanga's agriculture and his efforts to help the province's farming sector through biotechnology.
Mangiliman added the provincial government has allotted P74 million to purchase a shredder for the farmers to be able to manufacture their own bioorganic fertilizers.
Many fear that Pampanga's industrialization might result to the sacrifice of agricultural lands. Panlilio pointed out that the provincial government implements a policy that limits the size of land that can be used for industrialization for the land area for planting not to be diminished.
"We cannot treat agriculture with no importance because without agriculture, industrialization cannot be a possibility. We should maintain it. We at the provincial government support the initiatives of the agriculture department," the governor concluded.
biolife news service

Expert Says Biotech Seeds Can Win Battle Against Hunger and Poverty

A noted Filipino agriculture scientist says the country's salvation from hunger comes in the form of the lowly seed.
In an article to be published later this month, Dr. Calixto M. Protacio, a US-trained professor of agronomy at the University of the Philippines Los Baños, argued that "biotech crops are the ultimate products of science-based agriculture. The development of biotech crops harnessed almost every scientific discipline from the crop sciences to genetics, biochemistry and even computer science. It will be hard to conjure a more visible product of the sciences in agriculture other than the biotech crops."
Protacio adds the biotech seed is a weapon that reaches the farmer and does not need to be trained on improved technology to benefit from the crops grown through genetically improvement.
He noted that it has been the bane of many countries that improved technology seldom reaches the intended targets and that extension workers are not trained appropriately to impart the new knowledge.
"Biotechnology's potential is to bring science to the countryside even without extension workers. How? Just by giving the farmer improved seed! If we can incorporate into a seed all that science has to offer, then the fruits of science (actually a seed) would have reached the farmer. This scheme fits in the natural cycle of agriculture where a farmer will secure the best seed he can get," Protacio stressed.
Apart from these seeds, he adds that the biotech product may also be a tissue-cultured plantlet.
"But even if produced by tissue culture, especially if by somatic embryogenesis, synthetic seeds can also be produced by encapsulating the somatic embryo in a suitable gel-like medium usually along with everything that the embryo will need- just like a natural seed," he explained.
"So far the promise of biotechnology has only been realized commercially in corn, albeit partly at that. Bacillus thuringiensis corn's built-in crop protection capability has reduced the chemical-related expenses for growing the crop and the farmers seem to find it cost effective. The herbicide resistance also incorporated in corn is also relevant to our aging farmers as less labor is required to weed the extensive corn fields," Protacio said.
While there has been enormous success in propagating Bt corn in the country, commercial seeds developed by biotechnology still have to make their mark in the rice farms and coconut plantations, he lamented.
"The reason for this is that the private industry invested heavily in corn biotechnology research unlike in the two other crops. Biotech research in rice and coconut are primarily publicly funded. However, the fact that public money is spent on this crops promises that the crop eventually developed will be more relevant to the farmers and the general population," Protacio admitted.
The biotech expert bared that government has been working hard to develop Golden Rice, which have genes that carry vitamin A, to enable more and more poor communities to benefit from the nutrients.
Vitamin A is crucial in battling blindness.
Nonetheless, experts are still arguing over the practical impact of Golden Rice since vitamin A levels in the variety are still and research has to be done to boost the capability of the strain to harbor a bigger amount of the nutrient.
biolife news service

UPLB Develops Biofertilizer that Builds "Nitrogen Factory"

A biofertilizer developed by the National Institute on Molecular Biology and Biotechnology in UP Los Banos has been proven to be virtually a nitrogen factory in the soil.
This biofertillizer, called Nitro Plus, was the product of a comprised of Dr. Erlinda Paterno, Ms. Fe Torres and Dr. Ma. Lourdes Sison.
According to Sison, when Biotech was just starting, among the key biotechnology programs was biofertilizers, specifically nitrogen fixation and mychorriza, and research was concentrated on nitrogen fixation by food legumes.
Sison studied Soil Science at UPLB and got her Master's degree in Soil Chemistry at UPLB's College of Agriculture. She also has a M Ed. and Ph.D in Soil Microbiology and had been with the institute since 1981.
She described Nitro Plus as a legume inoculant. She was quick to point out that Dr. Paterno has been doing research on Nitro Plus even before she joined them in 1981.
"Nitro-plus contains a bacterium called rhizobia which fixes nitrogen from the atmosphere so that it could be utilized by the plant," Sison said.
"This is for legumes specifically, because the rhizobia is specific, it enters the root of the legume and there exists a symbiotic relationship. The plant benefits from the bacteria, the bacteria benefits from the plant. Nitrogen fixation, it is the process of utilizing the nitrogen from the air so that it could be made available to the plant," she added.
"Nitrogen from the air is gas and cannot be absorbed by the plant. It has to be made in the available form, which is ammonium or nitrate. The process is called nitrogen fixation, biological nitrogen fixation, because there is also chemical nitrogen fixation," Sison explained further.
Through nitrogen fixation, the plant needs little or no fertilizer at all. The presence of rhizobia causes the symbiotic relationship and it creates something that resembles a nitrogen factory in the soil.
Asked why they chose legumes, she said: "Very specific because the organism involved is rhizobia."
She added that they chose to isolate it because it is the best.
On soybean, Sison said that the plant could thrive on Nitro Plus alone. She said that the plant grows "even better than when you use fertilizer."
"And, besides, if you add fertilizer together with the inoculant, the plant will be lazy to do the fixation," emphasized Sison.
In other countries, Sison said, there are also products like Nitro Plus and rhizobia that are popular in Australia, Brazil, the United States and even Thailand. Australia has the most advanced product so far.
Sison said that our Nitro Plus is at par with the products of other countries.
"It is competitive. It depends on the local conditions. We all have our best strains. It depends on the location, the soil and also the climate," she added.
Sison said that Nitro Plus is "almost ready for commercialization if there is a private taker."
She pointed out that there are many orders but it is only they who manufacture Nitro Plus because of the absence of a private taker. She said that their research work has been smooth. Now, she said that they have even developed liquid carriers.
"The carrier is very well studied, the performance in the field very well studied, the survival in the soil, the persistence, very well studied," Sison concluded.
biolife news service

UPLB Experts Recommend Biofertilizer

Experts at UP Los Baños are urging farmers reeling from the high costs of petroleum-based fertilizers to use Biogroe, a biofertilizer developed by the National Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology.
Biogroe is a solid-based microbial plant-growth promoter that contains plant growth promoting bacteria that is effective in boosting palay growth.
PGPB is a root-associated bacteria which influence root growth by producing plant hormones and provide nutrients in soluble form.
Lilia Fernando, a university research associate at UPLB-Biotech, says Biogroe already enjoys brisk demand and has been used in rubber, black pepper and sugarcane plantations.
"Sa sugarcane, mataas yung cane yield saka sugar yield niya," she said.
Fernando started working as a chemist at Biotech in 2001 and done much work on plant hormones and plant growth promotion.
She stressed that it was actually Dr. Erlinda Paterno, a professor and microbiologist, who discovered the technology involved in Biogroe.
The bacteria in Biogroe was isolated way back in the 1970s, and the technology and packaging started in 2000.
Fernando said that Biogroe's PGPB contents serve as an alternative to rooting hormones like hormex for ornamental and flowering plants.
"Parang vitamins din po ng tao. Vitamins for plants. Parang ganoon po. For all crops po yan, may vegetables, may ornamentals, mga plantation crops, sa rice. Marami po siyang gamit, parang vitamins nga po yan ng tao na kailangan nating lahat. Ganoon din po sa plants," she stressed.
She described how their research process went. "So una po muna sa laboratory stage yan. Inalam namin if nagpo-produce po siya ng mga hormones na ito, tapos to what level, tapos test po sa crops."
"Nag-try muna kami sa lab scale sa growth room. Sinubukan namin yung crops like seed pepper, tomato, nakita namin ano talaga, in terms nung growth ng plants, compared doon sa mga uninoculated crops or plants, mas mataas yung plant height. Nag-test din kami sa greenhouse then sa field, using the same crops. Convincing po ang yield," she continued.
She said that they also employ the so-called farmers' practice.
"Tine-train po naming yung farmers' practice. Yung full-recommended rate ng fertilizers niya, tapos naglagay kami ng Biogroe plus full recommended, saka may half ng recommended rate. May three-fold increase sa ampalaya, in terms of yield, doon sa Biogroe plus half ng fertilizer rate. So nare-reduce yung fertilizer application."
"Kapag full Biogroe, walang significant difference doon sa farmers' practice. Halos pareho lang. Tapos, ano po, di ba yung mga farmers ginagawa niyan seedling muna then ita-transplant sa field. Nakita namin na earlier yung seedling growth kapag inoculated ng Biogroe, so parang one week earlier pwede na nilang i-transplant sa field yung seedlings."
In ornamentals, she said that they have observed that rooting is faster when inoculated with Biogroe.
According to Fernando, so far UPLB-Biotech has been the sole promoter of Biogroe. Like Nitro Plus, Biogroe still does not have a prívate taker.
She added that they still want to test Biogroe on other crops because the formulation differs for every crop.
"Kasi may four formulations po kami for Biogroe. Iba-iba po yung laman niyang plant hormones, parang iba-iba yung composition. Bawat crop iba-iba yung amount ng plant hormones na kailangan niya. So may, iba-iba kaming formulation. Tapos tine-test din namin sa crops kung ano ba talaga yung mas effective. Tapos tumitingin din kami ng, halimbawa po sa iba-ibang soils. Ano ba yung mas effective na formulation?"
Fernando likens the improvement of their product to a powdered detergent brand. "Parang Tide Ultra, ini-improve din naming yung product."
Fernando said that the Philippines still uses imported synthetic materials for Biogroe, and she explains why.
"Mas mura actually kapag isi-synthesize siya ng lab than ipo-produce siya. Kasi karamihan po ng mga plant hormones na ito ay ini-extract nila from plants. Mas matrabaho po iyon mas magastos. So, usually yung mga chemist from foreign labs mas madali kung synthetic na. Tayo bibilhin natin kasi wala naman tayong facilities."
Asked if they still intend to develop a synthetic variety, she answered: "Hindi na po. Ang gagawin natin environment-friendly pa siya."
She said that the success rate would be comparable to the synthetic kind. "Wala naman pong gaanong difference tingin ko in terms of rooting, sa hormex, except na cheaper, syempre hindi tayo mag-i-import." biolife news service

DA holds 4th National Biotechnology Week

Department of Agriculture announced the celebration of the 4th National Biotechnology Week from November 23 to 29 Institute for Small Scale Industries at the University of the Philippines in Diliman, Quezon City.
DA, which chairs the committee preparing for this year's celebration, said many activities have been scheduled under the theme "Making Biotechnology Work for You."
A key event for the celebration involves the unveiling of 17 biotechnological products that the various scientists and researchers from UP Los Banos, UP Diliman, Central Luzon State University, Philippine Coconut Authority, Philippine Rice Research Institute, Philippine Carabao Center, and the Department of Science and Technology have been working on.
DoST said the scientists responsible for these advances will discuss their work, which have applications for food, biofuels, agriculture and the environment and an exhibit will be mounted to allow the public a peek into the economic benefits derived from biotechnology.
Among these are biofertilizers, ethanol production-inducing bacteria, micronutrient enhancement, improved crops like corn, abaca, rice, sugarcane and coconut, abaca and vegetables.
All of these biotechnology products will be open for private investments.
An International Symposium on Biocontrol and Biotechnology hosted by the Central Luzon State University will also be conducted from November 26 to 28 at the Philippine Carabao Center, Science City of Munoz, Nueva Ecija.
A parallel celebration will also be observed at the University of the Philippines-Los Baños, where work on molecular biology and biotechnology has led to the production of biofertilizers and enhanced crop yields.
An investor's forum will also be conducted to encourage entrepreneurs to travel through the "biotechnology highway," DA said. Stakeholders, local government officials, farmers and educators are expected to participate in the forum.
One of the highlights of the celebration will be the Moringa Congress on November 24.
This will gather private sector players engaged in the malunggay business, as well as prospective entrepreneurs who want to enter into marketing moringa byproducts and malunggay planters and growers who want to market their produce.
Malunggay is the source of moringa oil, a biofuel, which is in high demand in the United States, Japan and South Korea.
Speaker for this event will be Sen. Loren Legarda, who is advocating malunggay planting throughout the country to combat malnutrition and promote a greener country.
The 2nd National Biotechnology Information and Organization Network Congress on November 25 will gather biotechnology advocates, farmers, entrepreneurs, businessmen, educators, local government units and other stakeholders interested in learning how biotechnology can strengthen the economy.
Trade Secretary Peter Favila will give keynote the Congress.
Honoring the great newsman-turned-farmer Jose Burgos, Jr., the Jose G. Burgos Awards for Biotechnology Journalism will be held on November 27.
The annual award recognizes outstanding newsmen who have written extensively about biotechnology. Winners will receive plaques and cash prizes. Newspapers publishing the most number of news stories and features about biotechnology will also be given institutional awards.
The event was institutionalized last year through Presidential Decree 1414, which proclaimed the last week of November as the National Biotechnology Week.
The celebration is also sponsored by the Department of Health, Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), Department of Education (DepEd), Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR). biolife news service

Winners of Biotech Journalism Award Out on November 27

The 4th Jose G. Burgos Awards for Biotech Journalism will honor the winners during ceremonies scheduled from noon to 2 p.m. on November 27, 2008 at the Institute of Small-Scale Industries of the University of the Philippines in Diliman, Quezon City.

Organizers said the awards will recognize reporters who wrote outstanding news stories and feature stories in national dailies from August 2007 to July 2008.

The first prize winner for news and features will bring home P30,000 while the second placer will pocket P20,000. The third price winner will receive P10,000. All three winners will also receive plaques.

Institutional awards will also be given to three newspapers that published the most number of news stories and feature articles.

The board of judges for this year’s awards is comprised of the following: Dr. Patricio Faylon, executive director of the Philippine Council for Agriculture, Forestry and Natural Resources, the panel chairman; Dr. Gaudencio Petalcorin Jr., national president of Biotechnology Information and Organization Network; Dr. Saturnina Halos, chairperson of the Department of Agriculture Biotechnology Advisory Team; Rolly Estabillo, vice president for corporate communications of Philippine Airlines; and Angelo Palmones, president of Philippine Science Journalists Association Inc.

The articles which qualified in the awards were collected from among those monitored by the Biotechnology Media and Advocacy Resource Center, a consortium that promotes the government’s biotech program. BMARC has been conducting the awards to help motivate and sustain interest of media practitioners in disseminating biotech information.

BMARC is composed of the Department of Agriculture-Biotechnology Program Office, Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture, Biotech Coalition of the Philippines (BCP), Philippine Council for Agriculture, Forestry and Natural Resources Development (PCARRD-DOST) and the J. Burgos Media Services Inc. (biolife news service)

DA Office Joins Group in Conducting Report Writing Course for Biotechnologists

The International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications and the Department of Agriculture-Biotechnology Program Office have collaborated in conducting a training seminar on technical report writing for scientists working on applied biotechnology.

ISAAA and DA-BPO stressed the seminar, which started on October 20, 2008 at the Hotel La Corona de Pagsanjan in Pagsanjan, Laguna will end on October 24.

The seminar, organizers said, aims to develop technical writing skills among scientists and improve the quality of their papers and reports on applied biotechnology.

Dr. Ofelia K. Bautista, a professor at the Department of Horticulture of the University of the Philippines in Los Baños, is the main lecturer for the seminar.

She stressed in her lecture that scientific papers and reports can be made more exciting and interesting if the writers are imbued with a sense of mission, which is to propagate knowledge about the benefits of applied biotechnology.

Bautista explained that all scientific papers should be published, adding that unpublished researches can be categorized as incomplete. In writing these reports and papers, she said authors should be careful, particularly in the use of scientific terms and mathematical or statistical processes, in order to reach a larger public.

"The products of our researchers' studies can help feed our stomachs. Their published studies will certainly feed our minds," said DA-BPO director Alicia Ilaga.

She attended the opening of the seminar to give the opening message, which stressed the importance of research and scientific work in governments' strategic aim of attaining food security.

The seminar was attended by selected scientists and researchers from the different science agencies of DA.

Practically all the participants conduct agricultural researches and studies with funding from the DA and ISAAA.

Bautista gave the participants an overview of technical research writing.

She also cited the guidelines of the Institute of Scientific Information (now Thomson Reuters) in publishing researches and theses.

ISI maintains a large collection of bibliographic and indexing data for scientific literature and measures the impact and influence of published research.

To date, hundreds of researches and studies funded by the government are being conducted but only a handful actually end up being published in international publications.

One reason for this low publication output, Bautista revealed, is the fact that Filipinos are not native English speakers and they find it difficult to write on scientific matters using a borrowed language.

To remedy the situation, she stressed constant training and writing is needed to broaden not only their linguistic horizon but also to deepen their knowledge and technical skills on scientific syntax. (biolife news service)

DA Pushes Central Luzon as Aggie Biotech Hub

The Department of Agriculture-Biotechnology Program Office is eyeing to develop Central Luzon as a hub for agricultural biotechnology products and has conducted a series of seminars in the region to promote the cultivation of crops with many byproducts to raise rural incomes and improve nutrition.

Zambales Governor Amor Deloso and Bataan Vice Governor Serafin Roman attended the seminars in their provinces.

These seminars were attended by farmers, educators, businessmen, non-government organizations and representatives of local government units.

Malunggay production was a key topic in the seminars since the versatile tree has proven to be a major source of iron, Vitamin A, zinc and other micronutrients crucial to the improvement of health among children and adults alike.

DA-BPO officials led by Director Alicia Ilaga have been crisscrossing the country to expand the hectarage devoted to malunggay cultivation and in the process have increased the business opportunities offered by the lowly malunggay (scientific name Moringa oleifera Lmk).

Malunggay has also been known to increase the motility of sperm and improve lactation among nursing mothers, which is a boost to children who need to suckle their mothers in order to avoid contracting primary complex, which leads to lung diseases in adulthood.

Other studies conducted in India and other countries showed that the roots of malunggay have anti-cancer agents that can be isolated and used profitably by the global pharmaceutical industry.

Moreover, LGUs interested in joining the biofuel bandwagon also have a ready energy source in malunggay since its trunk can be used to produce ethanol while its seeds are a fount of biodiesel.

Central Luzon is known is the primary rice producer of the Philippines, with 525,700 hectares of land devoted to the staple. Nueva Ecija alone produces about 8 percent of the total national production of palay.

The total hectarage for rice comprises 41 percent of the region's total territory.

Other agricultural products in the region are sugarcane, corn, mango, and cutflowers.

In Zambales alone, 25,412 hectares are utilized for rice production.

On the other hand, Bataan has 29,938 hectares earmarked for rice cultivation.

In the seminars conducted by DA-BPO, participants were shown malunggay's potential as a commodity that has various applications and even bakeries, pastry shops and noodle manufacturers are now using malunggay leaves as ingredients for their products, some of which have already penetrated the international market.

Secura International president Engr. Danilo Manayaga also joined the seminars and discussed how how Moringa oil can be profitable for malunggay growers.

He further said that as the world market shifts to biofuel as a primary energy source, the demand for Moringa oil will rise tremedously.

In an interview, Vice Governor Roman said Bataan is now ready to make malunggay a primary product.

"Bataan is a mountainous area, so maraming upland farming, ang malunggay ay hindi nangangailangan ng maraming tubig, kaya kung upland farming, suitable ang lugar para sa pagtatanim ng malunggay," he adds.

When asked on the province's stand on biotechnology, he said Bataan has been cultivating Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) corn to help the farmers gain more profit. Corn is a prime crop in Bataan.

Roman added other crops like coconut and cassava are open to enhancement through biotechnology.

While the land devoted to farming is small, the people of Bataan are very keen on intensifying agricultural production through the efficient use of farms.

Lagundi, another plant that has gained fame for its medicinal properties, is cultivated in Bataan. A pharmaceutical company in Bagac is planting it and manufacturing various preparations from the active ingredient derived from the plant.

There is also a plan to set up a malunggay nursery in the province to help boost the growing malunggay industry. This, he said, will be realized through the collaborationn of the LGUs and the DA-BPO.

Biotechnology is a major part of Gov. Deloso's vision to develop Zambales as a key agricultural producer.

His long term plan for Zambales is to create a community that can stand on its own. Biotechnology should play the role of realizing the industrialization of the province as well.

Deloso said that while the province is undergoing industrialization, biotechnology should take care of the food and nutrition needs of the people of Zambales.

"Napapabayaan," this was his answer when asked on the status of malunggay farming in the province. "Hindi talaga tinutuunan ng pansin. Pero kung mayroon talagang magbibigay ng primary concern diyan, lalaki kasi we can easily adapt to malunggay."

He also revealed the provincial government's plan to buy malunggay seedlings and distribute it to his constituents.

Zambales is also working on a project to build a biogas plant, where waste generated by Zambales, including Olongapo, will be used to produce butane.

Aside from Bataan and Zambales, a malunggay nursery has been put up in Tarlac earlier in this year.

This was done through the initiative of BIONet-Pilipinas, an organization that aims to help farmers and stakeholders reach their products to the market, DA-BPO and the LGU. (biolife news service)