DA agency, private firms ink agreement to develop coco peat dryer

Photo shows (from left to right) Noel T. Florido, FilCoco president, Ricardo L. Cachuela, PHilMech Director, Victoriano B. Ocon, Suki Trading Corporation president and Manolito C. Bulaong, PHilMech director for research and development show the copy of signed MOA. (Mindanao Examiner Photo - Erwin Embuscado)

MANILA, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Sept. 7, 2010) - The Philippine Center for Postharvest Development and Mechanization of the Department of Agriculture signed a memorandum of agreement with private sectors to develop a drying system for export quality coco peat, in a simple ceremony, here.

The coco peat is also known as coir fiber pith or coir dust. This high value powder is the by-product when the coconut husks are processed.

The raw coconuts are washed and heat-treated before being processed into coco peat products. These are used for horticultural and agricultural applications.

Among the private firms who partnered with PHilMech are the FilCoco Ventures Inc., a private corporation engaged in the production and exportation of coco peat and the Suki Trading Corporation, a Cebu-based machinery manufacturer.

Manolito C. Bulaong, PHilMech director for research and development said the coco peat is used as a growing medium and soil conditioner. It is also widely used by vegetable growers using hydroponics.

One of the critical factors in making coco peat is the moisture content. “The moisture content should be 20 percent so that it will be easily compressed to form into slabs,” Bulaong said.

Meanwhile, Noel T. Florido, president of FilCoco Ventures Inc., said the country has abundant resources. However, they need drying facilities to supply the requirement of the world market.

According to Florido, the United States and European markets need thousand of containers of coco peat annually.

“The industry has a great export potential. We are far behind India and Sri Lanka, when in fact we can also be competitive,” Florido said.

Based on the agreement, PHilMech will design a drying system for export quality coco peat in collaboration with the Suki Trading Corporation. PHilMech and Suki Trading will also be responsible on the performance testing and evaluation of the prototype design.

Prior to this, PHilMech already set-up a flatbed dryer with biomass furnace for drying coco coir at the FilCoco processing plant in Alabat, Quezon.

FilCoco also plan to promote corporate farming to help the coconut growers in the area by giving them the opportunity to market their products. Thus, giving them added income.

Florido sees this move as a way to help the families in the island uplift their socio-economic status. “It pains me to see children who are working while their parents are just playing cards,” he said.

He also said, “Our venture into this business is a noble project because this will help alleviate poverty. There is future in the coconut industry.”

Signing the agreement for the project “Development of a Drying System for Export Quality

Coco peat” were PHilMech Director Ricardo L. Cachuela, Manolito C. Bulaong, Noel T. Florido and Victoriano B. Ocon of Suki Trading Corporation. (Erwin Embuscado)

Another Scandal Rocks Arroyo Govt

MANILA, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / September 15, 2008) – Scandals after scandals, the Arroyo administration is once more entangled in another anomaly, this time involving millions of pesos in farm subsidies and rice programs for farmers, reports said Monday.

The Commission on Audit has uncovered alleged fake signatures on the list of beneficiaries of the Ginintuang Masaganang Ani (GMA) program of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.

It said more than 100 recipients of the P218 million expenditure of the Department of Agriculture said they received little or not farm subsidies at all for hybrid rice, farm inputs, fertilizers and seeds in Luzon and Visayas.

Several lawmakers have already called for an investigation of the GMA program.

The Department of Agriculture in the past had been dragged into the controversial fertilizer program after one of its deputy secretaries Jocelyn Bolante allegedly diverted more than P700 million to Arroyo's election campaign.

Bolante escaped the Philippines and fled to the United States after the opposition uncovered the anomaly. He was arrested in the US after the Philippine Senate canceled his visa. Arroyo, who was implicated also by the opposition to poll fraud in 2004, denied any involvement in the scandals.

Last week, noted lawyer Harry Roque Roque said he uncovered a controversial $1-billion mining deal between the Arroyo government and China’s ZTE Corporation in Mt. Diwalwal. Government spokesmen insisted the deal did not push through.

GMA Program Launched In Sarangani Province

A truck loaded with sacks of wooden coal is heading to General Santos City from Maasim town in Sarangani Province. Coal production from trees cut from the mountains of Sarangani is prevalent in the province. Unabated production of coal from trees contributes to the slow denudation of mountains of Sarangani. The Department of Agriculture also announced that it would release animals to at least 7 villages in Sarangani as part of the government program to mitigiate hunger. (Mindanao Examiner Photo/Gandhi C. Kinjiyo)

SARANGANI, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Feb. 02, 2008) - In its goal to mitigate hunger by providing additional income among the poorest of the poor, the Department of Agriculture Region 12 is dispersing animals among qualified beneficiaries in the province.

“This is in line with the ‘hunger mitigation program’ of President Arroyo,” Dr Joselito B. Gleyo, Provincial Veterinarian of Sarangani said in an interview during the Animal Health Care Seminar conducted recently at the provincial gymnasium here.

“With this, we will be able to help the poorest of the poor in the less developed barangays (villages) of the province,” he said.

Gleyo said some 445 heads of chicken and 159 goats will be dispersed to chosen villages in the seven municipalities of Sarangani.

To ensure that the project will be sustained, the provincial government will sign a Memorandum of Agreement with village councils that would help monitor the progress of the project.

Gleyo said that each beneficiary would receive either one goat or 5 heads of chicken, mostly Sasso and Kabir. He said the beneficiaries would follow a mechanism to ensure that the animals will reach succeeding beneficiaries.

“The goat or chicken will remain under the ownership of the Municipal Agriculturist Office until they return what were given to them,” he said, explaining that the beneficiaries will sign an affidavit of undertaking citing their commitment to take care of the animals and return one 3-month old of female kid to those who would avail the animals.

The Municipal Agriculture Office and the Barangay Council will be in-charge in identifying succeeding beneficiaries.

He stressed that the beneficiaries should undergo Animal Health Care seminar for them to have knowledge on animal nutrition, common diseases and prevention. Beneficiaries will receive the farm animals after undergoing animal health care seminar.

Sarangani is known to be the 4th poorest province in the country. The provincial government, with the help of other institutions, is keen in providing the constituents of the province with the basic services like potable water.

The provincial government also prioritize improving farm to market road to increase the income of farmers. Agriculture and fishing are the two major economic activities of the people of Sarangani.

Among the institutions and organizations that supported the projects are the Growth with Equity in Mindanao, Japan International Cooperation Agency, United Nations Development Program, United Nations Children Educational Fund, Food and Agriculture Organization, Peace with Equity Foundation and local non-government organizations.

Governor Miguel Rene A. Dominguez expressed optimism about the program and other projects in the province. He said it would bring about economic stability and provide basic needs to people, quality education, enterprise development, peaceful communities and investments. (Gandhi C. Kinjiyo)

Food Terminals To Rise In Zamboanga City

ZAMBOANGA CITY (Mindanao Examiner / 12 Jul) – At least three government food terminals partly funded by Japan are to rise in the southern Filipino port city of Zamboanga.

The project called “Barangay Food Terminal” in Zamboanga City will be the first in Western Mindanao.

These BFTs are partly funded by the Japan Grant Assistance for Underprivileged Farmers. It aims to benefit Filipino farmers living below the poverty line, according to the Department of Agriculture, which is implementing the project.

For this year alone, the agency said it is targeting about two million beneficiaries and is also putting up BFTs in Metro Manila and other regions, including in economic zones across the country.

The local government is already finalizing two of three BFT -- one in Sangali village in the eastern coast and the other in Ayala village on the other side of the city.

Delia Navales, Agri-Business chief, said village officials of Sangali and Ayala have formalized their participation in the establishment of the BFT by providing lot for its location as their counterpart. Vitali is the third village considering the establishment of BFT.

The BFT directly links farm producers in the countryside to small markets in urban centers and eliminating unnecessary trading layers that unduly raise prices of agricultural produce and cut profits for small farmers and fishermen, according to the Philippine Information Agency in Zamboanga City.

“The DA has been putting up the BFT in sync with its five-point program for Philippine agriculture, which is designed to open up more markets for our farmers and fisher folk both here and abroad, and to provide consumers with cheaper but good quality farm and fishery products,” Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap said.

“All our efforts to increase production of farm and fishery products will be for naught if food prices remain high and unaffordable, and farmers and fishers do not earn enough profits from their labor.” (Mimi Edaga)

Mindanao Is Still Top Coffee Producer

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY - The Department of Agriculture (DA) is taking aggressive moves to keep Mindanao as the country's top producer of coffee, the Philippine News Agency said on Tuesday.

Enriqueto Natividad, DA cluster officer for Mindanao, said contrary to common beliefs that coffee is produced in Batangas, Cavite or Bulacan, Sultan Kudarat is the Philippines' largest coffee producer.

He said Mindanao's annual coffee production is over 60 percent of the country's total output.

In Davao Region, Laak town in Davao del Norte province is the biggest coffee producer. It was also learned that because of the large annual coffee output of the region, one of the country's biggest coffee manufacturers has put up a research farm in Davao del Norte.

Another large coffee producer in Mindanao is Bukidnon and Lanao del Sur provinces where an unusually large coffee production is being recorded annually. Both provinces cultivate high-grade coffee varieties that include Arabica, Robusta and Excelsa.

In fact, a group of monks in Bukidnon’s Malaybalay City started producing commercial quantity of a special blend of coffee derived mainly from the Arabica strain, which is commonly known as the "Miarayon coffee," because it is largely cultivated in the Miarayon region of Talakag, Bukidnon.

Moreover, Natividad said DA is gearing for the self-sufficiency of the Philippine coffee industry by 2010.

He added in spite of Mindanao's coffee production, the country currently continues to import over 50 percent of its coffee consumption.

One of the aggressive actions being undertaken by the DA is to propagate coffee plants.
In the previous year, the DA has released over 400,000 planting materials to various farms in Mindanao, as it expanded the area planted to coffee by over 1,200 hectares.

Aside from being self sufficient, DA also hopes to establish Mindanao as the dominant coffee producing area in the country.

Modern Corn Post-Harvest Facilities To Rise In Zamboanga Del Norte

ZAMBOANGA CITY (Darwin Wee / 03 Nov) – To help boost white corn production in southern Philippines, the Department of Agriculture on Friday said it will put up a P27-million modern post-harvest facilities in Zamboanga Del Norte province early next year.

"The project would be put up in the town of Sergio Osmena and probably within the first quarter," DA chief of operation Sammy M. Simbajon told the Mindanao Examiner.

He said the project is a joint effort between the DA, the National Agribusiness Corporation, an attached agency, and the town of Sergio Osmena and the provincial government.

"The one-hectare, post-harvest processing plant will soon rise in the municipality of Sergio Osmena in Zamboanga del Norte and this will benefit many farmers and help boost white corn production in southern Philippines," he said.

The integrated plant, Simbajon said, will consist of three processing, warehousing and trading centers, including a marketing area.

"The funding for the project will come from collaborative efforts of the DA, the National Agribusiness Corporation and Sergio Osmena town and the provincial government. The DA will provide at least P17-million, while the municipal government and Zamboanga del Norte will provide P 10 million," he said.

Aside from the post-harvest facilities, the DA said it will also develop at least 560-ha. for corn production. Zamboanga Peninsula produces some 100,000 tons of corns annually. "This project alone will cost us about P2 million," he said.

Zamboanga Peninsula has more than 185,000-ha. planted to corn. And Simbajon said the region still has some 200,000-ha. for potential areas for corn production.

Simbajon expressed confident that local corn farmers in the region can supply the processing plant's average daily requirements of 136 tons of corn. The facility, he said, will be operated using mostly corn cobs to help conserve fuel.

The processing plant is expected to earn some P2 million every harvest season, Simbajon said.

"The project is inline with President Gloria Arroyo's food security program," Simbahon said, noting that corn is the staple food of at least 35% of the country's total population and is source of livelihood for some 220,000 upland farmers in Zamboanga Peninsula.

"These modern post-harvest processing facilities would reduce the cost of corn processing and ultimately benefit small farmers and even small and medium scale corn-based enterprises. Our objectives here are to assure direct market for corn farmers in the region and reduce perennial post harvest losses, and to really guarantee a minimum net income of P12,500 per hectare to local farmers," he said. (Mindanao Examiner)