Agriculture.ph Blog

Agribusiness success story

One successful agribusiness venture that continues to surge is Harbest Agribusiness Corporation owned by our good friend Arsenio ‘Toto’ Barcelona. This company started in 1997 with the introduction into the local market of the hybrid seeds of Known-You Seed Company of Taiwan. Years before, another company tried to introduce the same but the venture did not last long.

It took a very determined Toto Barcelona to make Known-You Seeds become a byword among progressive Filipino farmers. At first, Toto had to contend with the high cost of the hybrid seeds that he was promoting. Many farmers complained that unsprouted seeds of hybrid ampalaya were costing as much as P5 apiece. But that did not discourage Toto to promote Known-You Seeds. He just had to show that by planting hybrid seeds, yield could be multiplied many times and in the end the farmers will make more income.

For a start, he had to buy initial seeds which were first planted in trials at UP Los Baños with the help of Dr. Diosdado Castro, former staff of the Asian Vegetable Research and Development Center (AVRDC) in Taiwan. As expected, the trials were successful and that gave him confidence to make the business an honest-to-goodness business. He also had to conduct field demonstrations in the provinces.

Among the seeds that have now become bestsellers are Red Lady papaya, Bright Jean sweet corn, Phoenix squash, seedless and other varieties of watermelon, honeydew melons, ampalaya, tomatoes, eggplant, various sweet and hot pepper varieties, patola, upo and others.

He had made collaborations with local government units as well as the SM Foundation in training farmers on the production of high-value crops.

How did he get the Taiwan connection? Well after graduation, he was hired by a friend to manage a donut factory in Taipei. The posting led to one business after another, including organizing farm tours in Taiwan for agribusinessmen from the Philippines. That eventually led him to recognize the potentials of Known-You Seeds. Today, aside from seeds, Harbest Agribusiness also distributes various farming inputs, including small tractors for land preparation in vegetable farms. The operation is now nationwide. A new office in Bicol was inaugurated just recently.

Written by Zac Sarian

Source: Manila Bulletin

Paterio “Pat” O. de Guzman: Veteran Mango Grower Uses Home-Grown Technologies

At first glance, Mr. Paterio or “Pat” O. de Guzman hardly fits the farmer stereotype. With his meztizo features and charming demeanor, he can pass for a veteran actor straight from the movies. But Mr. De Guzman is more a veteran in growing mangoes.

He and his wife Marcelina own an 18 ha mango farm in Brgy. Julo, San Antonio, Nueva Ecija.They have been in the mango business since 1969, after trying their luck in poultry. Marcelina handles the marketing aspects, while he manages the activities in the farm. They first planted 100 trees with 20 x 20 m planting distance, and have continued to plant every year. Now they have 1,700 ‘Carabao’ trees, of which 800 are bearing and 900 non-bearing. Bearing trees are approximately 20-30 years old while non-bearing trees are about 3-6 years old. Over the last five years, they have been able to produce an average of 40 tons per season.

Mr. De Guzman used to grow crops in between the trees, like watermelon, corn, tomatoes, nuts, and monggo, but since the trees have grown big, he stopped growing intercrops and concentrated on his mangoes. Aside from mangoes though, the business-minded couple also tends sheep and makes homemade ice cream.

He learned about mangoes not from school but from attending seminars, reading books and other information materials, and from experiences shared by fellow mango growers. As he hires Cebuano baggers to wrap his fruits yearly, he has also picked up some indigenous technologies from them, such as the “ug-og method”, and using a “damba” for chemical spraying.

In the “ug-og” method, trees are shook gently so that leafhopper and their excreta would fall off the tree and not cause sooty mold, a fungal disease. They also use the “ug-og” method to selectively thin out rotten flowers and small, inferior fruits.

The “damba” is a tripod made of two 14 ft bamboo stems and a 20 ft stem placed underneath the bamboo canopy. This is a common practice in Cebu where instead of spraying insecticide from the bottom of the tree, the sprayer can use the “damba” and climb to the top of the canopy and spray from there. Thus, he will not be soaked in chemicals.

One of the tips that he adopted from peers is leaving three superior flowers out of five or more in a panicle. This way, the tree’s nutrients will be shared by less flowers and have greater chances of becoming mangoes of large and even extra large sizes, which are ideal for export.

He encourages others to try bagging, also a Cebu-rooted practice, because eversince he started bagging, sales have gone up. Even export rejects are sold at a high price in the local market.

Aside from bagging, he also does pruning. Mr. De Guzman believes a healthy mango tree only has a few branches and sunlight can pass through.

When asked about his expertise in mango production, he politely refuses to call himself an expert. As he said, he may be a little ahead than his colleagues, but that is due to long years of toil and experience. He is also not selfish when giving out mango-growing tips to other growers, as long as he can help them. (February 13, 2002)

Source: PCARRD

Ampalaya makes life sweeter for land reform beneficiary

He left his hometown to seek better pay in other towns. But after doing odd and low-paying jobs elsewhere, Claurencio Casiño realized life could be sweeter back home. And he was right.

After marrying Marie, Lenciong swore that he would do anything to give his family the comfort and education he didn’t get when he was growing up.

Thus in 1997, armed with just fortitude and hope, the newlyweds went back to Dibul, Saguday, a town in Quirino province, to start a new life out of the farmland awarded to Lenciong by the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR). Making the most out of what he had, Lenciong studied the land’s terrain and visualized what could be done to make a livelihood out of it.

A portion that could be sustained by rainwater later became a riceland. The half-hectare portion near the water source was converted into a vegetable farm while yellow corn was grown on the rest of the land.

The love for their children and their determination to change their economic status were the main driving force for the couple to persevere in farming.

Three years after, the DAR included Quirino as one of the beneficiaries of the Agrarian Reform Communities Project (ARCP) which introduced the production of off-season vegetables, one of the first agribusiness projects implemented in the province.

Through the project, the East-West Seed Company in San Rafael, Bulacan, trained Lenciong together with fellow agrarian reform beneficiaries on modern methods of vegetable production. After the training, they put up their own demo farms in their respective communities using the technology they acquired from their training.

Believing in the adage, “strike while the iron is hot,” Lenciong attended other DAR trainings such as organic farming technology and simple entrepreneurial courses. Before he knew it, he became one of the enterprising farmers in their community, ensuring ample supply of ampalaya, patola and upo in the market.

Sensing bigger profit from these vegetables, he continued planting and even leased another half hectare near his farm which he made as alternate site for his ampalaya production.

The highest gross income from his vegetable farm was recorded last year with ampalaya giving him the highest income of P120,000. After deducting the cost of production, he made a net income of P70,800. Patola, on the other hand gave him a net income of P9,450 while upo netted him P4,477.

Looking back, Lenciong could only smile knowing that he and his wife made the right decision when they left his job in Tarlac and began farming again in Quirino. The income from farming now sustains the family and ensures the education of their two children, Marie Clarence and Tyrone.

With a steady income from the farm, Lenciong was able to acquire farm implements such as a power sprayer, water pump and hand tractor. He also bought three cattle, two of which are used for breeding. In addition he also bought 22 goats, four of them for breeding. Aside from a bull, Lenciong also takes care of a carabao which he uses for land preparation.

Marie is also grateful that the house where they used to stay has now been renovated. It is now comfortable with more space to move around.

But the most fulfilling, according to Lenciong, is the feeling that they could help by providing jobs for their neighbors.

Despite his busy schedule in the farm, Lenciong still finds time to be involved in the affairs of the community. At present, he is a member of the board of directors of the Dibul Farmers Cooperative and treasurer of the newly organized group of vegetable growers, the Quirino Fruits & Vegetable
Producers Association(QFVPA).

Written by Venilyn Mabunga

Source: Manla Bulletin

A novel tree planting scheme

Our long time friend Dave DeppnA novel tree planting schemeer always has an interesting story to tell whenever he comes to the Philippines and gives us a visit. Dave was a former Peace Corps volunteer in the Philippines, got a wife from Pangasinan, and then put up Trees for the Future, an NGO which is promoting planting of trees, both forest and not forest, for sustainable agriculture development in no less than 65 countries now.

When we met him last week, he was excited to tell us about the very successful tree planting scheme in Ethiopia. In 2005, he sold the idea to the Ethiopian Airlines that the company sponsor a tree planting project in that country.

He proposed that his organization will do the planting for the company. Under the scheme, Ethiopian Airlines sponsors the planting of one tree for every passenger it carries at a cost of only 10 US cents per tree. The airline was also excited about the novel idea and since then has been supporting the project. According to Dave, no less than 7.5 million trees have been planted so far under the project.

Under the program, they plant a wide range of trees. The only tree they don’t plant is eucalyptus which Dave says is bad for the environment. It depletes the soil moisture and kills other vegetation around. They plant trees that are sources of food, fuel wood, livestock feed, organic fertilizer and construction material.

He says that they are also planting a lot of malunggay in Ethiopia. They have a variety with short pods but bigger leaves than those in the Philippines.

Globally, Trees for the Future has planted so far no less than 90 million trees in 65 countries in the last 20 years.

Written by Zac Sarian

Source: Manila Bulletin

A hobby goes big time

MANILA, Philippines – Fe Mejia-Vidal started her now popular CBN Bonuan Boneless Bangus products 14 years ago with only 20 pieces of bangus (milkfish) and P500 capital. CBN are the initials of the names of her three children.

At the start, people knew about her products only by word-of-mouth, but over the years, her fame has spread far and wide, from the province of Pangasinan to different parts of the Philippines and even to other countries. Her products can now be found in malls, restaurants, hotels all over the country.

One day, she recalled, during a convention of certified public accountants at the mayor’s office, she hung a streamer in front of her residence upon the prodding of her friend who believed in the potential of her product.

To her surprise, convention delegates stopped by to taste her delicacies, and bought her products.

When she would accompany her children to school, she would tell her fellow mothers she had bangus products. She brought samples and they sold out immediately.

From an initial 20 pieces of bangus, Kagawad Fe – as her neighbors call her, since she was a former barangay kagawad (councilor) – is now the biggest producer of boneless products, with average daily production of 30 banyeras (tubs), each tub containing 120 pieces of bangus.

During peak season starting September, CBN produces daily as much as 50 to 60 banyeras of boneless products like daing, tinapa, belly, relleno, lumpia, kilawen, longganisa, nuggets, burger, and siomai.

She used to have a Taiwanese client who brought her products to Hong Kong and Singapore and ordered one ton of boneless bangus twice a month.

Balibayans are among her loyal clients who bring her products to different countries.

Dagupan City’s biggest mall CSI, which has many branches in the province of Pangasinan as well as in La Union and Candon in Ilocos Sur, sells boneless bangus products made by CBN.

Vidal, a former teacher, employs 40 workers who help her meet the rising demand for her products. During peak season, she hires more helpers. Her workers process the fish manually, but they are certified hygienic, she shared.

While competition is tight in this business, she said she has the edge because of the quality of bangus she uses – only the best and the freshest, and only those that are grown and harvested in Pangasinan.

Looking back, Vidal said she and her husband Renato are blessed with their business and are able to give their three children a good education. They were also able to acquire several properties through their hard work.

She is thankful to their products’ official carriers, Victory Liner and Dagupan Bus, for helping them deliver their products promptly to their clients, who pick up the boxes and crates of their bangus at bus terminals in various parts of the country.

“In this business, trust is very important, and I maintain this with my clients,” she said.

Asked why she does not put a brand on her products that will make people identify the producer, Vidal said,” So that my clients who sell our products will also have the chance to earn, otherwise people will go straight to us.”

“In this life, it is important to share your luck and blessings with others,” she added.

Written By Eva Visperas

Source: Philippine Star

Cops spearhead malunggay enterprise

MANILA, Philippines – The local police of Sta. Barbara, Pangasinan have found a new role.

In coordination with local government and the Gawad Kalinga community, the law enforcers launched an economic program aimed at helping residents find additional sources of income.

Sta. Barbara Police Chief Superintendent Eric Noble said the program, dubbed as “Kalayaan ng Kababaihan sa Kahirapan” (KKK), has started a malunggay enterprise as part of the Independence Day celeb-ration in the town.

“We have been making malunggay pasta ever since our training at the police station last April.  We have been using malunggay noodles and pasta for our feeding program,” explained PO3 Ruth Poserio, officer-in-charge of the local PNP Integrated Transformation Program (ITP) and officer of the KKK group.

Noble said the KKK group received three sets of pasta maker and blender bought from funds raised during a golf tournament hosted by the local police earlier this year.

A group of 40 women mostly from the Gawad Kalinga community in Brgy. Leet are determined to improve their household income through the malunggay noodle-making enterprise.

“Our women have found a very meaningful and practical way of celebrating Independence Day – through this pursuit of freedom from hunger, malnutrition, ignorance and poverty,” said Velasco, who vowed to continue to support this innovative fight against poverty.

Baby Montemayor, head trainer of KKK and Kagawad of Brgy. Leet, said they continue to offer training in the different barangays and are organizing communities to plant malunggay.

“We are also preparing to manufacture malunggay noodles commercially,” Montemayor added.

The initiative is part of citizen empowering activities under the ITP under the leadership of PNP chief Director General Jesus Verzosa and in pursuit of environmental and economic livelihood programs.

Written By Cecille Suerte Felipe

Source: Philippine Star

Sister Mary, ube maker

BAGUIO CITY, Philippines – For Baguio City, which celebrated its centennial yesterday, the color of a hundred years is purple, like the ube jam whose recipe was perfected by a Good Shepherd nun older than this city.

Sister Mary Assumption Ocampo (Avelina Ocampo) of the Religious of the Good Shepherd (RGS), a pioneer at the Mountain Maid Training Center (MMTC), has fostered a culture of caring by helping send Cordillera girls to school through treats produced by the convent’s kitchen.

Sr. Mary Assumption turns 102 on Oct. 26, a centennial awardee of the city known for ube jam, strawberry preserves and candies, among other things.

“The MMTC was more than money-making,” Tuguegarao, Cagayan-native RGS Sister Guadalupe Bautista, the older nun’s ward, said.

Sr. Mary Assumption’s dream was for 5,000 students from poor families in the Cordillera to earn a degree through the work-study program. “The great returns (of the products) were only incidental,” she explained.

It was Sr. Mary Assumption’s gung-ho attitude that typified MMTC’s determination to make the best products for the children’s education.

A native of San Fernando, Pampanga, Sr. Mary Assumption joined the RGS in 1935 in France where the Mother House of the congregation was established.

Before entering the novitiate in Angers, France, she was a Math professor at the University of Sto Tomas for four years. “It was her calling,” Sr. Guadalupe readily answered on her behalf, refusing any more interviews as the 102-year-old religious could barely speak.

The first Filipina admitted to the RGS, established in 1912, she adopted the name Sr. Mary Assumption. Then came a stream of more Filipinas to the congregation.

When Sr. Mary Assumption returned to the Philippines, she was assigned as a teacher and eventually a principal at the St. Bridget’s Academy in Batangas where, for 25 years, she “prodded, challenged, and encouraged” young RGS sisters to study for their educational ministry.

“That is really her,” said Sr. Guada. “She never stops innovating, thinking of improvements – all for serving the poor and the Mission.”

Sr. Mary Assumption was called for mission work in Caracas, Venezuela for 10 years to work with women prisoners. She eventually became a prison administrator.

Home, however, was calling. Sr. Mary Assumption came back to the country in 1975 and was sent to Baguio City.

“To be at home for Sr. Mary Assumption,” said Sr. Guadalupe, “is to be in love, to be creative, committed, enthusiastic, single-minded in laboring for the Lord in any capacity.”

Ube jam beginnings

From a small rolling store, the RGS-run MMTC became one of Baguio’s signature places.

The ube jam was first introduced by Sr. Fidelis Atienza, said Sr. Guadalupe. But it was Sr. Mary Assumption that perfected it.

It is Sr. Mary Assumption’s value of perseverance “all in the name of helping poor girls go to school” that pushed everyone to make the best ube jam and products in town. “The overriding principle was never to make money, but to send the worker-students (in the work-study program) to school.”

In the 1980s when sugar became scarce, it was Sr. Mary Assumption who invented recipes with less sugar. Sweet and sour pickles, sayote pickles, chutney (similar to papaya atsara), santol champoy and local fruit candies – guyabano, guava and strawberries – soon filled the Good Shepherd convent shelves.

The 1990 killer quake that devastated the city, including the RGS compound along Gibraltar barangay here, did not faze Sr. Mary Assumption. “Amidst these, she keeps on innovating, creating, learning, and pushing everyone to excel,” the sister said.

At the RGS convent, the former house of American governor Cameron Forbes built in 1908 at Topside, Sr. Mary Assumption remains an icon of selflessness, hard work, dignity of labor, discipline and trustworthiness.

In 1991, Ateneo de Manila University honored her with the “Bukas Palad Award” in memory of Fr. Manuel Peypoch, SJ: “Because the Love she professed never said, Enough!”

At present, there are 300 worker-students at the MMTC emulating the life of Sr. Mary Assumption – “a living culture of caring.”

Written By Artemio Dumlao

Source: Philippine Star

Retired soldier takes on farming tour of duty

Retired general Alexander Bellen is still on duty – but now it’s on his sheep farm where he is marshaling various technologies for sheep breeder stock production and deploying these technologies successfully.

During the field day on July 16 at his Science and Technology-based Farm (STBF) in Naguilian, Isabela, the former soldier was in fighting form when he shared his experiences and best practices as a Magsasaka Siyentista (MS) of the Cagayan Valley Agriculture and Resources Research and Development Consortium (CVARRD).  Specifically, MS Bellen showcased 40 forage species, separate grass production areas, grass-legume feed mixture and growing food-feed crops, among other technologies and practices.

Gen. Bellen shared that he grows around 40 forage species in his nursery.  This thriving collection is aggregated from the materials obtained from the provincial Bureau of Soils, Isabela Breeding Station, Small Ruminant Center at the Central Luzon State University, Philippine Carabao Center, Animal and Dairy Science Cluster at University of the Philippines at Los Baños, and other farms that he has visited.

According to Bellen, he separated the paddocks from the area for grass production and devoted one hectare of land solely for this purpose.  He used additional forage and trees as fence materials.  To cut on costs, he encouraged farmers to start planting fence posts for enclosure and to make sure these are already established before letting the goats graze in the area.   He recommended providing animals with a mix of grass and legume forage because of the nutrient contents and observing which species the animals prefer so that more of these could be planted.

Gen. Bellen’s strategy includes growing food-feed crops – those that can be used as food for people and feed for livestock – such as corn, a crop suitable in Isabela.  He encouraged the farmers to read reference materials on the recent technological developments and to attend seminars and agriculture fairs.

Meanwhile, Mr. Sergio Darang from the local Farmers’ Information Technology Services (FITS) Center presented the results of his group’s comparative analysis of the native vegetation versus improved forage (Humidicola) in Gen. Bellen’s farm. Based on the calculations, a 1-ha pasture with native grass can sustain only 16 ewes, while the same area planted with Humidicola can sufficiently feed 41.

Dr. Geronima Ludan, Livestock Division Chief from the Department of Agriculture Regional Field Unit-2, acknowledged the contribution of Gen. Bellen to the advancement of sheep breeder production through his role as MS.  She also mentioned the potential of Region II in becoming the country’s top goat and sheep producer, because of the large volume of crop by-products and the vast areas of land that can be used for pasture and forage production.

Dr. Arturo Argañosa from the Technology Outreach and Promotion Division of PCARRD noted the importance of pasture development in raising ruminants.  He also stressed the role of PCARRD in bringing together various sectors to test and promote technologies aimed at improving people’s livelihoods.

FITS centers, which offer information and technology services to farmers, and MS with STBF are two components of the Techno Gabay Program, one of the banner programs of PCARRD.

Written by I.V. Domingo, S&T Media Service

Source: Pcarrd

Pag-asa Farms: A haven amid banana farms

FAST becoming a famous landmark in the municipality of Kapalong and in Davao del Norte is Pag-asa Farms, an experience of nature conveniently located amidst lush banana plantations just 10 minutes ride away from the town center.

The ranch features a five-hectare orchid garden of varied species, different trees and shrubs, a mini-zoo boasting of exotic birds and animals.

The Cabana function hall, an open building allowing the cool breeze to carry in the sweet fragrance of flowers, can accommodate at least 100 people and is ideal for seminars and conferences.

Pag-asa Farms boasts three classy rooms good for three persons each available for overnight accommodations. A very affordable price of P750 per room includes free breakfast which includes their specialties like lechon de leche, spare ribs and other mouth-watering cuisine depending on the client’s choices.

If you’re lucky, you might be fortunate to dine on ostrich meat and eggs.

Evelyn Mercado, sister of Toy Mercado who owns and manages Pag-asa Farms, said they are targetting Cabana to be complete and fully operational by November in time to accommodate the holiday visitors. It is presently undergoing renovation.

Pag-asa Farms is also home to the largest of all the bird species in the world, the ostrich. There are about 48 ostriches here and an ostrich egg incubator.

Alfonso Biñan Jr., one of the staff of Pag-asa Farms, explains that an ostrich can lay as many as 30 eggs in a year and it hatches within 42 days in an incubator.

Survival rate however, is only around 50 percent of the eggs.

The price of ostrich meat hovers from P900 to P1,000 per kilo while an ostrich egg can fetch a market price from P600 to P800 each.

“You can cook ostrich meat with recipes like steak, salpicao with mushrooms, adobo, and other ways of cooking it and it is fat-free, definitely no cholesterol,” Ms. Pardo said.

An ostrich egg, which is equivalent to ten or 11 chicken eggs weighs about 1.5 kgs. Hard boiling an ostrich egg though, will take more than three hours as the shell is very hard. An ostrich egg omelet would be enough to feed 8 men or 10 women, Ms. Parcon said.

Pag-asa Farms is worth a visit, a place ideal for agro-forestry educational tours, fieldtrips and visits. In fact, a trip to Kapalong will not be complete without dropping by. To get there, one has board an hour’s trip in a jeep from Tagum City to Kapalong. From there, get in touch with the Kapalong tourism office at tel. nos. (084) 371-0703 or (084) 371-0661 and contact Edna Bernardino-Parcon.

Written By Raquel C. Bagnol

Source: Sun Star

Ingenious Cebu veggie growers

Try to visit the upland farmers in Cebu City and other towns in the province and you will be amazed at their ingenuity and resourcefulness. The soil is generally poor but then they are able to make their poor soil productive. If you visit Sitio Satohan in Sudlon II, a barangay some 45 kilometers from the heart of Cebu City, you will most likely meet Agapito Boizer, 36, who has been farming since he was 16 years old.

Of course you will be amazed to see how he produces heading lettuce in between big rocks in a portion of the farm that he cultivates. Of course it should not be surprising that he is so resourceful. After all, he is one of the products of the Farmer-Scientists Training Program that Dr. Romulo G. Davide started some 15 years ago. Under this training program, the ordinary farmers are trained to become more scientific in their approach to farming. They dare to experiment to find out what can be done to improve their productivity.

One of the most admirable farmers we met in Sudlon II is a lady by the name of Arlene Montejo. She cultivates just one hectare but makes a gross sale P24,000 a week for her heading lettuce. She has been supplying a major food chain with 400 kilos of heading lettuce a week at a price of P65 per kilo. The price is fixed at P65 throughout the year, a condition she and the food chain like very much. She has been selling her harvest to the same buyer for the last four years now and she has never failed to deliver. If her own harvest is short for one reason or another, she can always get from neighboring growers.

You will also admire these farmer-scientists because they can make money even from the most ordinary crop. Just like Edgardo Daogdaog of Brgy. Ubaob in Argao, Cebu. His favorite crop is camote and although the price is just P10 to P15 per kilo, he produces more than enough to sustain his family. In fact, he was able to buy a brand new multicab truck from the sale of his camote. Farmers like him are not just taught to produce a good crop, they are also taught to market what they produce.

Written by: Zac Sarian

Source: Manila Bulletin