Agriculture.ph Blog

In these challenging times, what farmers need are bright ideas that could make production more efficient, more economical and more sustainable. One doable idea that a Los Baños graduate has suggested is the watering of mature coconuts with sea water.

He pointed out that the Philippine Coconut Authority has been promoting the fertilization of mature coconuts with at least two kilos of ordinary salt. This has been proven to increase yields as well as improve the quality of the coconut meat.

Our friend said that in places where it is possible to haul sea water for use in watering coconuts, it might be much more economical than applying salt. It could become a money-making business for some enterprising people who have transport facilities.

Another fellow has come up with a plan to produce tanglad (Cimbopogon citratus) in commercial scale not only for the traditional uses such as using in cooking lechon and in cooking soup dishes. Instead, he wants to really grow tanglad commercially for use as anti-cancer drink.

He thought of this idea after reading our item in this column whereby we cited the information related to us by Mrs. Nena Frondoso. She said she got the results of a research in Israel that tanglad is indeed anti-cancer. And she cited the case of a teacher in the school run by Mrs. Frondoso who had breast cancer. The teacher boiled a small bundle of leaves and petioles of tanglad and drank a glassful of the water every morning. In six months, Mrs. Frondoso reported, the cancer had vanished.

Another friend of ours in the free-range chicken business has come up with a bright idea. She vacuum-packs her dressed chickens, and since then she has been attracting a lot of customers, especially in the weekend market where she sells her product. Quality, she stresses, is what the upscale market is looking for.

Indeed, in these trying times, there are many opportunities to be made. One only has to have creative ideas.

Written by: By Zac B. Sarian