FEDERATION OF FREE FARMERS

FEDERATION OF FREE FARMERS 41 Highland Drive, Blue Ridge, 1109 Quezon City, Philippines

Tel.: (02) 647 1093 | Fax: (02) 647 1451 | E-mail: [email protected] | Web: www.freefarm.org

Taon 3, Sipi Blg. 12 FFF BioFarming Network December 2012

Pagbisita ng kinatawan ng Agriterra Isulan, Sultan Kudarat, November 9, 2012

Coconut Processing Seminar Cavinti, Laguna, November 30, 2012

Pagbisita ng kinatawan ng Agriterra Esperanza, Koronadal, South Cotabato

November 9, 2012


Tel: (02) 647 1093 | Fax: (02) 647 1451 | E-mail: [email protected] | Web: www.freefarm.org



Pictorials from Regional Meetings for Luzon, Visayas, and, Mindanao Clusters p.83



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Make tree planting a habit, Paje tells public (The Philippine Star) | December 30, 2012

MANILA, Philippines - Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Ramon J. P. Pa-je is urging the public to develop the habit of planting trees, saying it is the “perfect way of giving what we have extracted from Mother Earth.” “Tree-planting is not only a rewarding expe-rience but also a great step toward improving and protecting our environment,” Paje said, as he announced the plan of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) to intensify its reforestation efforts in 2013 through the National Greening Pro-gram of the Aquino administration. The DENR chief said everyone is welcome to take part in the program which aims to plant trees covering about 1.5 million hectares from 2011 until 2016. Since the program was launched last year, the DENR has already planted seed-lings on more than 232,000 hectares all over the country. “One does not have to be part of the government or an environmental group to make a positive impact on his surroundings,” Paje pointed out, adding, “Filipinos from all walks of life are encouraged to do their part in sustaining the environment by planting trees.” Paje elaborated that planting a tree is like investing in the future given the “environmental rewards” that trees provide. As an essential part of the ecosystem, he said, trees not only provide homes and food for humans and wildlife, but also produce much of the earth’s oxygen, help reduce noise and air pollution, and prevent soil erosion. Paje said trees could lessen the impact of global warming due to carbon dioxide emissions. “Planting trees not only greens and beautifies the areas in which they are plant-ed; it is also one of the ways of offsetting our carbon emissions,” he explained. According to studies, trees inhale carbon dioxide – one of the major contrib-uting elements to the greenhouse effect which causes climate change – and ex-hale oxygen that is needed by humans and other living organisms.

President Aquino (left) and Environment Secretary Ramon Paje (center, leaning) lead a tree planting ceremony during the launch of the National Greening Program.

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The decimation of rainforests and mass consumption of trees destroy what ex-perts call the “carbon sinks.” Paje lauded recently the Department of Education (DepEd) and thanked DepEd Secretary Armin Luistro for requiring all public schools in Metro Manila to plant at least five species of native trees within their campuses. The DepEd project, Paje said, would complement the urban greening compo-nent of the National Greening Program which, together with the Aquino govern-ment’s total log ban policy and three other categories, received a perfect score of 100 percent in the 2012 Environmental Performance Index (EPI) of the World. Because of the perfect score garnered by the administration’s twin forest policies, the Philippine ranking had improved eight notches to No. 42 in 2012 from No. 50 in 2010 among the 132 countries evaluated by four respected international institutions. The Philippines outranked countries like South Korea (43rd), Australia (48th), United States (49th), Singapore (52nd) and Israel (61st). EPI is an evaluation of the sustainability of the environmental programs and pol-icies of the countries concerned. The evaluation was made by Yale University, Columbia University, the World Economic Forum and the Joint Research Center of the European Commission.

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Vetiver grass seen to prevent soil erosion By Eva Visperas (The Philippine Star) | Updated December 30, 2012

MANGALDAN, Pangasinan, Philippines – The adoption of Vetiver Grass Technolo-gy (VGT) through the initiative of Pangasinan fourth district Rep. Gina de Venecia was launched here last week to prevent soil erosion along riverbanks.

De Venecia, who was a guest during the second World Summit on Ecological Safe-ty held this month in Bali, Indonesia, said the use of VGT is timely as the problem of global warming is serious.

She said planting of vetiver grass to prevent soil erosion has been successfully test-ed in Vietnam, Nigeria, Venezuela, Australia and China.

De Venecia said vetiver grass would be planted in Mangaldan to strengthen the river banks and earth dikes in 12 barangays where Angalacan River passes through, namely Guesang, Landas, Navaluan, Osiem, Nibaliw, Tebag, Salaan, Po-go, Palua, Macayug, Inlambo and Embarcadero.

Municipal agricultural officer Roberto Tamondong will take charge of the adoption of the technology.

De Venecia said the VGT has long been used as a bio-engineering tool for erosion control and slope stabilization. “The VGT was first developed by the World Bank for soil and water conservation in farmlands,” she said.

De Venecia said, “ According to a study by the Queensland Department of Natural Resources, vetiver grass has an extensive and thick root system that binds the soil, and at the same time makes it very difficult to be dislodged under high velocity flows of water.”

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She added that the grass could also withstand prolonged submergence in flood wa-ter, and more importantly, its vertical root system, with very little lateral root growth, ensures that, when intercropped, it does not compete with cash crops for nutrients.

In October 1999, some 50 hectares of agricultural land and 29 houses along the Bued river in Binday, San Fabian were literally swept away by the rampaging flood water.

A similar devastation happened in Sitio Pontok in Bonuan Binloc in 2010, when a hectare of land was washed away by the overflowing Cayanga River due to a season-al typhoon.

To prevent the recurrence of these destructive calamities, De Venecia prioritized the construction of the P36 million spur dikes in Binday in San Fabian town and the P20 million spur dikes in Sitio Pontok, Dagupan City.

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MANILA, Philippines - The Department of Agriculture (DA) is pursuing the devel-opment of organic farming of upland rice in the province of Bicol.

The Bureau of Agricultural Research (BAR) said P6 million is being allotted for the two-and-a-half year project which would use drought-tolerant native rice varieties in the province.

The organic rice farming project in Bicol aims to increase the province’s contribu-tion to the country’s rice output.

The province once contributed 20 percent to the country’s annual paddy rice pro-duction.

According the BAR findings, Bicol’s upland varieties outperform some modern rice varieties because of higher yield and drought tolerance.

Upland rice varieties generally have an average yield of only one to two metric tons (MT) per hectare, but the selected Bicol varieties could exceed such yield average.

In the 1960s, a total of 63,699 hectares of upland areas in Bicol actively produced rice.

The productive upland rice area dropped to 53,480 hectares in the 1970s. BAR said all of these lands could be revived.

“Our development of upland rice is very timely as these varieties have the potential to withstand higher temperature and less water supply which is what we really need amid the threatening climate change,” said BAR director Nicomedes P. Eleazar.

DA pursues organic farming of upland rice

in Bicol By Czeriza Valencia (The Philippine Star) | Updated December 30, 2012

Documented 56 strains of indigenous rice varieties in the Bicol region.

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The project is focused on popularizing upland organic farming, specifically in the river basin towns of Baao and Nabua in Camarines Sur.

The profitability target is 20 percent above prevailing income in the covered up-lands.

Allocated BAR funding is P4.998 million, while a separate counterpart funding of P1 million would be provided by stakeholders.

“Some upland rice cultivars in Bicol such as Palawan, Gayang-gang white, Kina-rabao, and Magdami were found to have higher grain yield than PSB Rc9 (check va-riety),” according to the Bicolandia Greenfields Development Organization Inc. (Bigfis), project partner.

The tallest upland rice strain evaluated was Sinalapi with 113 centimeter (cm) height. The rice plant with the longest panicle was recorded with Palawan white with 73.88 cm.

Other notable rice cultivars are Bursege, Bolibod Red, and Gios which have the highest number of productive tillers – 15.53, 12.93, and 12.87 tillers.

“The upland rice strain with the heaviest 100-seed weight was recorded with Kabring with 3.8 grams. This was followed by Kinalansing with 3.6 grams. Palawan Red had the highest number of grains per panicle followed by Gayang-gang, Pala-wan white, and Magdami with 226, 221, and 188 grains per panicle,” said Bigfis.

Also part of the project is intercropping of upland rice varieties with vegetables or legumes.

“The intercrops will act as live mulch in between the rows of upland rice. This will prevent weed infestation in the plantation. Expenses for labor on weeding can also be saved by adapting technology,” said Bigfis.

Eyed for intercropping with rice are peanuts. A study showed that the return on in-vestment (ROI) of a mixture of one row of upland rice plus two rows of peanut was 34.64 percent, better than sole rice cropping.

Other potential intercrops with rice are bush sitao, corn, mungbean, soybeans, to-mato, eggplant, leafy vegetables, and okra.

BAR said the use of chicken manure as organic fertilizer for upland rice has been proven to have the highest ROI with 53.38 percent especially when compared to commercial organic fertilizer.

Bigfis said that a study of upland rice chicken manure fertilization with peanut in-tercrop generated a net income of P29,589 per hectare.

This is much higher than the P12,838 per hectare net income from the same crops with inorganic fertilizer.

Biodegradable wastes like rice husks are being turned into compost fertilizer through a production facility.

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MANILA, Philippines - The government should carry out more technology

demonstrations that will help uplift farmers’ livelihood.

This year’s Gawad Saka awardee, Ricarte Corpuz, first learned of hybrid rice in

2002 through a Department of Agriculture (DA) hybrid rice program in Laoag

City.

Gawad Saka is a banner national program led by the Department of Agriculture

(DA) and is awarded by the Office of the President. Selection involves a rigorous

screening by municipal, provincial, and regional government.

Following a techno demo by SL Agritech Corporation , Corpuz saw for him-

self the potential yield that hybrid rice could bring him.

In 2011, from his three-hectare farm planted mainly to hybrid rice, he attained a

record harvest of more than 34 metric tons or 685 cavans (of 50 kilos each) of pa-

lay (paddy rice) per hectare.

This came from three croppings – 240 cavans for the first crop, 245 cavans for

the second, and 200

Corpuz attests, “I have been a user of hybrid rice for nine years now. It increased

my income by almost 30 percent compared to inbred rice.”

SL Agritech Corp. chairman Henry Lim Bon Liong said SL-8H, since its release

to the market in 2001, has provided a high yield to many farmers, some even

reaching close to 350 cavans per hectare.

“We’re happy that a Gawad Saka awardee of the government has benefited from

SL-8H seeds. Our aim is to help make the country attain not only self-sufficiency

in rice, but become a net rice exporter too,” said Lim.

Corpuz noted that an important advantage he gets from the use of SL-8H hybrid

rice seeds is its tolerance to bacterial leaf blight.

“Damage may reach 40 percent of the harvest (using conventional rice seeds).

There’s no problem with BLB if I use SL-8,” he said.

There are many government interventions that have been significant in helping

raise farmers’ income based on Corpuz’s experience.

DA’s intensive training on technology like hybrid rice is just one of them. It is re-

ally one of the most important success factors in farming.

Techno demos help uplift farmers’ livelihood (The Philippine Star) | Updated December 23, 2012

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A top assistance is from the Laoag City municipal government itself – the grant of

two sacks of 7-14 fertilizer and two sacks of organic fertilizer.

Another help is the National Food Authority’s (NFA) procurement program which

enables farmers to sell rice at higher price by P1 per kilo compared to traders’ buy-

ing price given good quality palay.

Corpuz transports the rice through his own truck or through commercial hauling

services. Still, NFA’s price makes up for the hauling costs. Of his total harvest, 50

percent is sold through the NFA.

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Oriental Mindoro to boost production of

giant mud crabs for export (The Philippine Star) | Updated December 23, 2012

MANILA, Philippines - A giant Zamboanga-native mud crab will be massively

propagated under a P1.5-million community farmers’ program in Oriental Min-

doro which could potentially raise the country’s $60-million mud crab export.

After a year of field trial, a Community-based Participatory Action Research

(CPAR) for the giant mud crab achieved a successful survival program in Oriental

Mindoro.

The crabs grew to a weight of 350 grams per piece or three pieces to a kilo, mak-

ing it attractive for the export market.

A highly-esteemed gourmet seafood, mud crabs – especially females that have

fat or “aligue”– are exported by the Philippines to Hongkong, Taiwan, Malaysia,

Singapore, China, and Japan.

The program is being advanced to a second phase. It will involve natural breeding

of the giant mud crab through cross-breeding with native mud crabs in Oriental

Mindoro to assure their long-term survival and increased population.

The CPAR program was derived from the Bureau of Agricultural Research’s

(BAR) system where participation of the community is crucial to its success as

part of government’s poverty reduction and livelihood objectives.

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“BAR had a CPAR project in Magsaysay, Occidental Mindoro. We now have com-munity participation here in Oriental Mindoro,” said Roberto R. Abrera, manag-er of the Regional Fisheries Research and Development Center-Bureau of Fisher-ies and Aquatic Resources (BFAR Region IV-B MIMAROPA). According to Abrera, “We’re looking at stocking of gravid crabs in mangrove are-as, adopting the sea ranching concept from the harvest we had in January (which will complete Phase 1).” The cross breeding between the giant mud crabs from Zamboanga Sibugay and the native crab of Mindoro is necessary to ensure sustainability in a full life cycle production, according to Daisy F. Ladra, aquaculturist, a BFAR mud crab special-ist. Crabs should produce seedstocks in order to complete the life cycle. This should be repeated many times over. It is a usual process in a breeding program to start an aquaculture industry. Ladra added, “The purpose of CPAR is to demonstrate to the community its via-bility. There should be natural breeding which will enable fishpond operators to sustain their mud crab production.” Aside from the mud crab project, Abrera said, milkfish is also a forthcoming fish commodity that could become an important food business in Mindoro under a similar CPAR program. “We will seek approval from BAR maybe for P1 million for another CPAR program which is for small pond operators of half a hectare to one hectare where they will venture on bangus fry to fingerling production that can then be sold to supply the requirement of bangus growers until marketable size. It will build capability of farmers and raise livelihood for them,” he said. Since BAR has adopted a community-based approach to research through CPAR, government has helped more farmers to see for themselves the difference in their income from adopting a technology, according to BAR director Nicomedes P. Eleazar. “CPAR is a proven way for farmers in poverty-stricken areas to become aware of new techniques in growing crops and fishery products. They themselves become convinced on adopting a technology because they are part of the program to change their lives,” said director Eleazar. The CPAR program in Oriental Mindoro was inspired by the success of a 93-hectare CPAR program in Magsaysay, Occidental Mindoro. The Santacati Small Fishpond Farmers Multi-purpose Cooperative now grows milkfish and crab in a formerly unproductive area. Partnering in the mud crab project are some 100 members of the Farmers Organi-zation for the Rural Upliftment of Mindoro (FORUM). Members’ contribution to the project is the fishpond and labor equity, while government provides technical assistance and inputs (crablets and feeds).

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The project cooperators are from Bongabong and nearby towns in Oriental Mindo-ro. The livelihood program of FORUM could become big since it also involves crops, livestock, fisheries, and environmental projects, among others.

Mud crab income

The country produced 15,730 metric tons of mud crab in 2011. Mud crabs can yield 1,200 kilos per hectare per cropping of five months. At P400 per kilo, it can give an additional income to farmers of P480,000 per cropping or P960,000 for two croppings a year.

Environment-friendly crab growing

Growing mud crabs is an environment-friendly way to produce food. Fishponds in mangroves, which are of brackishwater (freshwater and sea water combination), are tapped as grow-out areas.

Crabs do not need manufactured feeds. There are natural feeds – chopped trash fish, animal hide, and snails.

Oriental Mindoro Rep. Reynaldo V. Umali is ever supportive of fisheries and agri-cultural development. Last Dec. 12, 2012, massive mangrove planting took place in the province after the Unified Tree of Life (UTOL) program, an advocacy of Gov-ernor Alfonso V. Umali, Jr. and Rep. Umali was launched.

UTOL aims to plant 12 millions trees from the highlands to the coastal are-as. Through the technical assistance of BFAR, Rep. Umali has put up his own man-grove nursery where almost 50,000 mangrove seedlings are produced and planted to denuded mangrove areas.

The activity will expand and sustain mangrove seedling production.

“We want to regenerate crab population in the mangrove area. Once the trees are planted, more crabs can be raised,” said Abrera.

Researchers noted that there are areas in Mindoro island that are natural spawning ground for crabs. This gives the province high potential for long term crab indus-try growth.

Intensifying fish production

Crab growing is just a component of the CPAR program in Mindoro. There is also a program to grow milkfish, mullet, siganid, and spadefish, and possibly other or-ganic fish species.

“The program is quite successful, and we want to diversify to other species since Bongabong is being promoted to be the organic capital of Oriental Mindoro. Si-ganid for example is an herbivore,” said Abrera.

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These fishes that may rely mainly on “lumot” and “lab-lab” as feeds, are thus con-sidered as organically grown. Agriculture planners have conceptualized fishery as a major program in Oriental Mindoro to reduce the province’s dependence on other islands for fishery supply. While there is a time when harvest is plenty, the fish ponds become empty during bangus fry off-season. Bangus fingerlings have to be sourced outside. Oriental Mindoro should intensify food production to meet the demand for its tourism sector as it hosts top Philippine tourist destination Puerto Galera. Unfortunately, there’s no known fish processing industry in Mindoro. “There is no boneless bangus here. Boneless bangus still come from the out-side,”said Abrera.

Top livelihood generating industry Growing mud crabs and other fish species is envisioned to be a major agriculture program since the Philippines is among the world’s biggest fishery producers. In 2006, it ranked sixth among global producers with total production of 5.08 million MT of fishes, crustaceans (which includes mud crabs), and mollusks (shells). The fishery sector employs 1.614 million fishing operators nationwide, of which 1.371 million are small municipal fishers. Closing life cycle A second phase of the project is eyed to move from just growth and survival, to de-veloping a sustainable aquaculture industry. “You have to complete the life cycle. Then you could say you had a successful intro-duction. Tilapia is not endemic in the Philippines. It was just introduced here,” said Ladra. This is the way to go since importing seedstocks from other places, from Minda-nao may introduce disease such as the white spot syndrome virus in the local species. Since they come from the wild and not from a hatchery, the crablets released in Mindoro had different sizes. Knife fish abundant in Laguna Lake was used to feed the crablets. Giant crabs well comply with a government fishery order mandating that only crabs 200 grams and above should be harvested for export. This ensures quality of the export product and also assures that the crabs are sexually mature and are able to lay more eggs since the bigger the size, the more eggs it is capable of producing.

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Thanks to MNLF

The giant crabs were obtained by BFAR through generous collaborators in Minda-nao particularly the Moro National Liberation Front or MNLF. “These were compliments of MNLF. Rebels allowed us, through our contacts, to collect crablets for our experiments,” said Ladra. Zamboanga also offered the cheapest rate of P15 to P17 per piece. In Surigao where giant crabs also grow, this costs P20 to P21. The giant crabs are also found in La-nao del Norte, Capiz, and Misamis Occidental. The crabs have a distinct large size compared to other species, bringing bigger profit. The crab weight just started at 55 to 65 grams. But they grow at a fast pace of 2.3 grams per day. At about six months, they already weight 350 grams or more for three pieces a kilo. Close to 5,000 pieces has been stocked in Oriental Mindoro. Ideal stocking rate is 5,000 pieces per hectare. Mortality reached 778 pieces, but these were replaced with thin crabs (blue crabs) for fattening. Thin crabs fatten for harvest in around one month. A hatchery has already been put up in Mindoro. It is under a tie-up of BFAR with the former MINSCAT (Mindoro State College of Agriculture and Technology – which is now a state university) for a multi-purpose hatchery. BFAR also has a fry bank where stocks of milkfish, tilapia, and other fish species are stored. “We need to have breeder stocks to lay eggs in order to establish a popula-tion. Although there’s a natural population of mud crab in Mindoro, it’s not enough to start an industry,” said Ladra.

Food safety

To ensure the quality of export goods, food safety will also be a major considera-tion in the project. The project aims to observe best aquaculture practices. Some best practices include construction of a fence made of bamboo in a mud crab pond. This requires invest-ment.

T U E S D A Y , O C T O B E R 2 3 , 2 0 1 2

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MANILA, Philippines — An attached agency of the Depart-ment of Agriculture (DA) has re-imposed a temporary ban on the importation of poultry and related products from Taiwan following an outbreak of avian influenza, commonly referred to as bird flu. The Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) is imple-menting the reimposition of the ban. In an order, Agriculture Secretary Proceso J. Alcala directed veterinary inspectors to suspend the processing and evalua-tion of the application and issuance of clearances on the im-portation of poultry products from the territory. This covers domestic and wild birds — including poultry meat, day-old chicks, eggs, and semen — originating from Taiwan.

In a copy of Memorandum Order 36, Alcala also mandated the DA’s veterinary quarantine officers or inspectors in all major ports to halt and confiscate all ship-ments of poultry and poultry products (with the exception of heat treated products) from Taiwan. This, Alcala said, would protect the Philippines’ local poultry population, as well as human health. Just last month, BAI had lifted the ban following confirmation by global animal health authorities that Taiwan was already free from bird flu virus. In a report submitted to the Office International des Epizooties (OIE), Dr. Kwo-Ching Huang, chief veterinary official and deputy director general of Taiwan’s Bu-reau of Animal and Plant Inspection Quarantine Council of Agriculture said that the H5N2 highly pathogenic avian influenza event in the country was resolved in August 14, 2012. Huang said the disinfection of affected premises was completed in May 2012, adding that no further cases had been reported in Chinese Taipei. The official also said that appropriate surveillance has been completed to demonstrate that the outbreak of HPAI in chickens has been contained and eradicated. In Memorandum Order No.32-2012, Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala ordered the immediate lifting of the ban on the importation of domestic and wild birds and their products – including poultry meat, day old chicks, eggs and semen – originat-ing from Taiwan. Alcala said that all import transactions of such products should be in accordance with the existing rules and regulations of the BAI and the National Meat Inspection Service.

DA unit re-imposes chicken ban on Taiwan Riza T. Olchondra, Philippine Daily Inquirer

8:30 pm | Thursday, December 20th, 2012

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MANILA, Philippines - GMA Network has always encouraged its employees to give back to society. To help make this possible, the company provides various oppor-tunities for volunteerism both in and out of the workplace. Just recently, members of GMA Network’s employee-volunteer group GMA G.I.V.E.S. (Guide, Interact, Volunteer, Educate, Serve) participated in two separate activities that highlight the network’s commitment to corporate social responsibil-ity. Last Nov. 24, GMA G.I.V.E.S. volunteers together with personnel from the Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) planted 1,500 seedlings along the stretch of Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway (SCTEX) in Mabalacat, Pampanga. The activity was part of BCDA’s Greening SCTEX program in partnership with GMA’s environmental awareness and conservation program called Kapuso ng Kalikasan. Greening SCTEX aims to plant 50,000 trees along the expressway in five years. On Dec. 1, the network’s employee-volunteers and the GMA Kapuso Foundation, through its Give-A-Gift project, served food and distributed gifts to 408 children of incarcerated women at the Correctional Institute for Women in Mandaluyong.

GMA Network: Planting seeds of volunteerism (The Philippine Star) | Updated December 16, 2012

From left: project manager Joshua M. Bingcang of SCTEX services department, Peter Paul Andrew T. Flores (BCDA head

executive assistant of the Office of the President and CEO), Teresa L. Pacis (GMA Network AVP for corporate affairs), and

Leilani Barlongay-Macasaet (BCDA public affairs department manager).

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Cooking for a small family using calamansi involves slicing the fruit, squeezing the juice out then straining the juice to remove the seeds. Cooking large batches for a party could make this tedious chore a nightmare. D-Lite Ingredients and Chemicals, a company established in 2011, is pushing pow-dered calamansi as an alternative to the squeezing and the mess involved with han-dling the fresh fruit. The firm’s sales manager, Francis Ciabal, was at the recent Biotechnology Week ex-hibit held by the Department of Science and Technology (DOST). D-Lite is a member of the Chamber of Herbal Industries of the Philippines Inc., which participated in the exhibit. D-Lite’s mother company, Global Partners Inc. (GPI), formulates powdered fruit and vegetable juices for other firms which then market the products under their own la-bel; for hotels and restaurants; and for manufacturers of products that use the cala-mansi juice. Among their products which are exported are powdered banana, pineapple, moringa and ampalaya. D-Lite was founded by GPI owners Dale and Patricia Bandalan, now in their 60s, to market GPI’s products locally under the Juan brand for household consumers. The brand is already out in the United States. “Our first product, powdered calamansi, it’s already out in the market. That’s it for now, but we have other powdered preparations of fruits and vegetables in the pipe-line,” Ciabal said. He added that D-Lite would also come out with “the first ever” green mango powder. “Before, every time you go to a fancy restaurant, you order a green mango shake. That is seasonal. Because we have green mango powder, it will be available all year round,” Ciabal said. At the exhibit, one box containing 48 two-gram sachets sold for P40. Two grams of powdered calamansi, according to GPI’s website, is equivalent to the juice of seven fruits. The price of a kilo of calamansi in the market fluctuates between P20 to as high as P60.

Powdered calamansi anyone? By Dulce Sanchez (The Philippine Star) | Updated December 16, 2012

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Ciabal said their product’s only competitor is bottled calamansi puree, available under several brands. “They’re very expensive, at P80 to P100 per bottle. They’re also full of preserva-tives and sugar, which mask the natural taste of calamansi. Their shelf life is four to six months, and will only last a week once the bottle is opened,” he said. He said Juan’s calamansi powder can be stored for about 24 months. According to Ciabal, D-Lite has distributors who sell the calamansi powder locally to small restaurants, eateries, mini-groceries and selected neighborhood stores. “Hopefully, by the first quarter of 2013, it will be available in leading groceries and supermarkets,” he said. Ciabal said one bartender found that two sachets of calamansi powder could be added to light beer to make a shandy, while another bar uses the powder for sisig.

Powdering process Ciabal revealed that Bandalan is actually a chemical engineer while his wife, Patri-cia, is a chemist. “When he retired, (it was) as president of Zesto. Fruits are his forte,” he said, adding that Bandalan turned to spray drying to produce fruit and vegetable powders. He goes on to explain that spray drying is the same technology used in making powdered milk formula. “What it does is it evaporates the liquid part of the juice and what is left is the powdered particles of fruit. The flavor is encapsulated. When mixed with water, the aroma, the taste come alive,” Ciabal said. He described the spray-drying machine as a tank that is about three to five stories high. Using pressure and steam, the puree is rendered into powder. Ciabal said D-Lite’s trade secret is the temperature used in the process, which he claims makes Juan’s calamansi powder retain more of the nutrients from the fruit. “Other spray-dried products lose more of their nutritional content,” he said, noting that the same powdered juice, produced by two firms, would have different tex-tures or tastes because of the temperature used to make it. Ciabal said that as much as possible, they try to get fruits from organic plantations and farmers, though “it is rather difficult. We really screen our suppliers.”

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CEBU, Philippines - Sixth district Rep. Luis Gabriel Quisumbing sponsored last Monday a seminar on organic vegetable production at the Norkis Park in barangay Looc, Mandaue City. Raymond Rubia of the Agri-Aqua Network International, a private company in Que-zon City, conducted the seminar on vermi composting for 350 persons from the towns of Consolacion and Cordova and Mandaue City. The seminar is part of Quisumbing’s livelihood program. P5 million has been allot-ted for the program. During the seminar, the participants were given free kits which included “one half kilo of vermin (earthworms), a manual on vegetable production, a livelihood book, and eight packets of seeds. Each packet could generate at least P20,000 per harvest. Rubia had encourages participants who were mostly farmers to switch to local ferti-lizers rather than continuing to use chemical fertilizers. He said it is now high time for Filipino farmers to switch to organic fertilizer pro-duction through vermi composting as it is much cheaper than chemical fertilizers. In vermi composting, earthworms produce fertilizers for organic farming. Rubia said although organic farming is not being practiced in the country. Statistics show only 12 percent of farmers are into it but he believes that the prac-tice is now picking up as big companies in the country have started to switch to pro-ducing organic products. (FREEMAN)

Luigi sets aside P5 million for organic vegetable production By Flor Z. Perolina (The Freeman) | Updated December 14, 2012

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CEBU, Philippines - The Municipality of Bantayan in Cebu is eyeing a seat for the agricultural sectoral representative in the Sangguniang Bayan. Mayor Ian Christopher Escario approved an ordinance passed by the municipal council creating the seat as provided under Section 457(B) of the Local Government Code of 1991. The law provides that there shall be an additional three sectoral representatives in the sanggunian, one each from women, agricultural or industrial workers and from urban poor, indigenous communities or disabled persons. The ordinance, however, is still subject for review and approval of the Provincial Board after it was submitted last November 15, 2012. The Municipality of Bantayan is an island municipality and derives its livelihood mostly from agriculture like fishing, farming, poultry and hog raising. It is also famous for its dried fish products like the incomparable danggit, aside from the fact that their poultry farms are one of the top producers of eggs in the country. This prompted the municipal officials to create the position, seeing the need to in-stall an agricultural sectoral representatives to the sanggunian. The representatives shall initiate legislative measures for better programs, regula-tions, preservation activities and development of the agriculture sector in the mu-nicipality as well as the island of Bantayan. To be nominated to the position, the organization that seeks to be selected must be in existence for at least three years prior to the selection, accredited by the local gov-ernment unit, has at least 25 members residing in the locality and has proof in ac-tive involvement in addressing sectoral and community issues. The ordinance provides that the first selection shall be held 30 days after posting of list of qualified sectoral organizations. There shall be a selection committee to be composed of the representatives of the Local Development Councils, academe, Department of Interior and Local; Govern-ment, offices of the mayor and vice mayor, legal officer and SB. The succeeding selections shall be held every first Monday of October after the local elections. The term of office of the selected representatives shall be co-terminous with the term of office of the regular members of the sanggunian bayan. —/JPM (FREEMAN)

Bantayan creates council seat for agriculture sector By Gregg M. Rubio (The Freeman) | Updated December 10, 2012

20

MANILA, Philippines - Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala said Saturday that the damage to agriculture brought by typhoon “Pablo” has reached P8.5 billion, with the already troubled banana industry sustaining the bulk of losses. In an interview with radio station dwIZ, Alcala said the typhoon, which ravaged Min-danao, also inflicted considerable damage on rice, corn and coconut farms. However, he said the extent of damage would not cause any shortage of supply for do-mestic consumption or have a huge impact on coconut oil exports. The production damage to rice was valued at over P177 million; corn, over P245 mil-lion; and coconut, over P766 million. Damage to fisheries was placed at more than P28 million; livestock and poultry, over P393 million; fisheries infrastructure, over P24 million; post-harvest equipment, P1.2 million; irrigation facilities, more than P1 million; rice buffer stock, almost P20 mil-lion; and banana plantations, almost P6 billion. Alcala said the figures might still go up upon completion of damage assessment in Re-gion 4-A, particularly in Occidental Mindoro and Palawan.

Raymond Rubia in front of Agri-Kapihan attendees.

Agriculture damage from ‘Pablo’ hits P8.5 billion By Czeriza Valencia (The Philippine Star) | Updated December 10, 2012

A rare cloud formation is seen amidst destroyed banana plantation four days after typhoon "Pablo" (international name Bo-pha) left hundreds of people killed and rendered extensive damage to agriculture at Montevista township, Compostela Valley in southern Philippines Saturday.(AP Photo/Bullit Marquez)

21

BACOLOD City, Philippines – The Department of Agriculture (DA) will allocate P900 million to promote the sustainable organic agriculture program next year, Agri-culture Secretary Proceso Alcala said.

In a message read by Agriculture Undersecretary Bernadette Romulo Puyat on his behalf at the opening of the 5th Negros Organic Farmers’ Festival at the provincial capitol last Thursday, Alcala said the fund – the biggest the department has set so far for this purpose – is part of the National Organic Program under Republic Act 10068 or the Organic Agriculture Act.

Alcala, principal author of RA 10068 when he was a congressman, said the organic agriculture industry is expected to flourish because of the growing demand of con-sumers for safe and nutritious food.

Alcala said the advocacy on organic agriculture becomes stronger, wider, and faster as the law supports it.

Last month, Alcala signed the implementing rules and regulations of RA 10068 that paved the way for “institutionalized funding” for organic agriculture.

The new law will also involve an intensified campaign to educate both farmers and consumers on the benefits of organic farming and its products, secure more fund sources to support the expansion of organic farms, and hasten the delivery of appro-priate assistance to stakeholders, Alcala said.

In the Philippines, an estimated 0.12 percent of agricultural lands are devoted to or-ganic farming. For example, if the country has 13 million hectares of farmlands, 1.56 hectares is being used for organic farming, mostly for organic rice, Alcala said.

In 2000, the country’s organic agriculture industry had an output of about P250 mil-lion: P100 million in domestic production and P150 million in imports, he said.

The DA assured Negrenses that it would continue to push for the entry of organ-ic muscovado sugar in the international market, as it believes in its export potential, Alcala said.

Alcala said they expect Negros Island, composed of Negros Occidental and Negros Oriental, to “solidify its niche as the country’s leading producer of organic farm prod-ucts” and as “Asia’s emerging organic bowl.”

“And this is one opportunity that we want Filipino producers, processors, and export-ers to take advantage of,” he said.

Manila Water also aspires that through these awards, employees will be motivated to do their share in ensuring safety in workplace.

DA to allocate P900 M for organic farming By Danny Dangcalan | Updated December 5, 2010

22

Workplace safety, often taken for granted, is actually one of the most important obligations of employers to its workers. Manila Water goes to great lengths to make safety its priority. The milestone awards are testament to the company’s fulfilment of its duties to care for its employees which, in turn, results to operational efficiency and quality project implementa-tion, in service of its stakeholders. In his address during the opening session of the 9th Session of the WCPFC in Manila, Alcala argued that by extending the country’s fishing access in the high seas, overfishing of juvenile tuna population within the Philippine exclusive economic zone would be prevented. Alcala assured that the country could ensure that fishing vessels operating in high seas Pocket 1 would comply with the guidelines set by the commission. The Philippines was granted a special four-month access to high seas Pocket 1 from Oct. 2012 to Feb. 2013 on the condition that it would implement conservation measures estab-lished by the WCPFC. The WCPFC banned tuna fishing in certain pockets of the Pacific Ocean to protect the popu-lation of the yellow fin and big-eye tuna. The ban was enforced from Jan. 1, 2010, and ex-pired on Dec. 31, 2011. During the closure of the high seas, Filipino fishermen resorted to catching juvenile tuna within Philippine waters. Of the 36 catcher vessels allowed to operate in the high seas pocket, only 11 have been sent by the Philippine government to the high seas because the remaining vessels still have to comply with the requirements set by the WCPFC. The high seas catch is expected to boost the country’s fish production which contracted in the first nine months of the year. The fisheries subsector, which accounted for 19.37 percent of the total agricultural produc-tion, suffered a 2.57 percent contraction during the first nine months of the year because of the sardine fishing ban implemented in the Zamboanga Peninsula from Dec. 1, 2011 to Feb. 28, 2012, and the closure of the high seas.

23

IRRI Super Bags reduce losses incurred after harvest that usually stem from poor storage conditions – helping prevent physical post-harvest losses that can be around 15 percent. On top of these losses, farmers also experi-ence loss in quality. Developed by the International Rice Re-search Institute (IRRI)’s postharvest experts in collaboration with GrainPro Inc., the IRRI Super Bag is meant for small-scale rice farm-ers to protect the viability and quality of rice stored in their homes. The IRRI Super Bag is manufactured by GrainPro Inc. and is marketed as Super-Grainbag. IRRI, through its national part-

nerships, has verified the benefits of the IRRI Super Bag with tens of thousands of farmers throughout Asia, but acknowledges it is a challenge to bring the bags to mil-lions of farmers in a commercial way. Philippine farmer Manuel Luzentales Jr. has always wondered how to deal with rats and weevils gnawing their way into his paddy (unmilled rice) stored in ordinary sacks in his house. After attending a seminar in a nearby town introducing the IRRI Super Bags to farmers in the Philippine Bicol region, he decided to test them. “Before, a seven-month storage caused my rice grains to break from moisture and pest infestations,” Luzentales recalls. “I tested the IRRI Super Bags on my harvest for the second planting season of 2010. After keeping my harvest in the IRRI Super Bags for 10 months, the seeds were 100 percent viable, and none were wasted.” Engr. Martin Gummert, head of the IRRI postharvest unit, said that the rolling out of economically viable rice postharvest technologies in the Philippines and South-east Asia involves partners in the public and private sectors. “The IRRI Super Bag is one of the technologies in the front line of this effort,” he explains. For this purpose, IRRI has initiated and is facilitating national Postharvest Learning Alliances that embrace public and private stakeholders who have an interest in and mandate to establish local supply chains for technologies. Through this Postharvest Learning Alliance, IRRI is assisting in setting up and training local distributors for technologies such as the IRRI Super Bag. Farmers’ investment is protected by keeping stored rice grains viable, and kept away from destructive pests and other causes of physical losses like moisture.

IRRI Super Bags to reduce rice wastage By International Rice ReseARch Institute (The Philippine Star) | Updated December 2, 2012

24

“The rollout of the IRRI Super Bag would have been difficult without the help of the

Philippines Postharvest Learning Alliance,” explains Gummert. “These alliances allow

cross-sector actors to share information, foster learning, and better address a range of

technical and market support needs.”

IRRI has established national Postharvest Learning Alliances in Cambodia, Vietnam,

and the Philippines.

The IRRI Super Bag works by blocking the flow of both oxygen and water vapor from

the outside to the grain. When the bag is properly sealed, farmers can safely store their

seeds for nine to 12 months without reducing germination rates.

IRRI Super Bags also keep away insects and rats without using chemicals and improve

the percentage of whole rice grains recovered after milling by around 10 percent.

Tom de Bruin, GrainPro`s president and CEO, said that a national retail network with

close to 200 outlets would be involved to enable availability of the bags to farmers.

“The SuperGrainbag is already selling widely used in three continents and is used for

storage in an array of other commodities.”

In the Philippines, the key partners are Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice)

and other Postharvest Learning Alliance members, Catholic Relief Services with its lo-

cal NGO partners, and the Department of Agriculture’s regional offices in Agusan, Bi-

col, and Bohol provinces.

Other members are local government units in the three provinces, farmer coopera-

tives, and other NGO partners.

This work is funded by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Swiss Agency for

Development and Cooperation (SDC)-funded Irrigated Rice Research Consortium

(IRRC).

The Super Bags can be bought in Pacifica Agrivet branches nationwide.

25

Department of Agriculture lifts ban on Taiwan poultry By Czeriza Valencia (The Philippine Star) | Updated November 29, 2012

MANILA, Philippines - The Department of Agriculture (DA) has lifted the temporary

ban on the importation of poultry and other poultry products from Taiwan after

global animal health authorities confirmed that Taiwan is now free from bird flu con-

tamination.

Through DA memorandum order No.32-2012, Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala

ordered the immediate lifting of the ban on the importation of domestic and wild

birds and their products – including poultry meat, day old chicks, eggs and semen –

from Taiwan.

Importation of such products, however, should be in accordance with the existing

rules and regulations of the Bureau of Animal Industry and the National Meat In-

spection Service.

Meanwhile, in a report submitted to the Office Internationale des Epizooties (OIE),

Dr. Kwo-Ching Huang, chief veterinary official and deputy director general of Tai-

wan’s Bureau of Animal and Plant Inspection Quarantine Council of Agriculture,

said that the H5N2 highly pathogenic avian influenza infection in Taiwan has been

resolved as Aug. 14, 2012.

Proper surveillance has also been completed to determine that the outbreak of bird

flu in Taiwan had been contained.

Huang said the disinfection of affected premises was completed in May 2012.

No further cases have been reported in Chinese Taipei.

“In compliance with the terrestrial animal health code of OIE, Taiwan is now free

from HPAI,” Huang said.

26

NESTOR ACOSTA, an outstanding diversified farmer from Bacarra, Ilocos Norte,

has an unusual way of controlling whitefly in tomatoes and other crops using a non

-chemical spray.

The spray is the extract from the partially digested feed found in the abomasum of

ruminants such as cattle, carabao, goats, sheep and others. He collects from a

slaughterhouse in his hometown the partially digested feed in the abomasum of the

slaughtered animals. He gets one pail of the material (called "papaitan" in Ilocano)

and an equal amount of water is added. He then extracts the liquid and uses that

for spraying against the whiteflies.

Acosta swears that the spray is very effective. Whitefly is a pesky pest of tomatoes,

eggplant and even ornamentals such as poinsettias.

The abomasum, by the way, is the fourth compartment of the animal's stomach

where the feed is partially digested before it proceeds to the small intestines where

it is further digested and absorbed in the blood.

Non-chemical Spray Against Whitefly www.agrizaccess.com SATURDAY, DECEMBER 1, 2012

Onion Is Also Profitable in Pampanga www.agrizaccess.com SATURDAY, DECEMBER 1, 2012 PAMPANGA is not a traditional onion growing province. But it can be profitable to

grow in the province as proven by limited plantings earlier in 2011-2012.

Fidel David, chairman and founder of Bangon San Matias Multi-Purpose Coopera-

tive in Sta. Rita town, said that a 60-square meter patch planted to Red Pinoy vari-

ety yielded 200 kilos that was sold at P35 per kilo or P7,000 for the whole harvest.

A member of the co-op, the owner of Kitch Farm in Bacolor, planted Red Pinoy on

one hectare. The farm was drip-irrigated so the yield was high. Gross sales from

that one hectare, according to David, was P1.5 million.

Red Pinoy is the best-selling variety of East-West Seed Company. It is a red creole

type that is claimed to be tolerant to common onion diseases. The bulbs also have

excellent keeping quality.

27

Teodulo Pili with the Duku and

Longkong lanzones that he bought re-

cently from the Teresa Orchard & Nurse-

ry in Teresa, Rizal.TEODULO PILI, 62,

who teaches at the Don Servillano Platon

Memorial High School in Tinambac,

Camarines Sur, has been preparing for

his retirement.

He is developing a three-hectare farm in

his hometown by planting exotic fruit

trees. A few years back, he planted latex-

less jackfruit from the Teresa Orchard &

Nursery which has been bearing excel-

lent fruit.

This time, he is adding Duku and

Longkong lanzones to his farm. He re-

cently bought his planting materials at

the Teresa Orchard & Nursery in Teresa,

Rizal.

People like Teodulo are admirable because they know how to prepare for their re-

tirement. Upon their retirement, they will already have fruiting trees that could give

them some income.

If one is enterprising, he can buy superior mother trees which he can eventually

propagate for sale to other fruit tree enthusiasts.

Preparing For His Retirement www.agrizaccess.com WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2012

Teodulo Pili with the Duku and Longkong lanzones that he bought recently from the Teresa Orchard & Nursery in Tere-sa, Rizal.

28

FRANCIS CHING of Cada, Mankayan, Benguet, produces strawberries under greenhouse year-round. He plants the Festival variety imported from the United States which is claimed to be highly suitable for planting in higher elevations of at least 1,000 meters above sea level. Fruits of Festival strawberry are big, juicy and sweet. On top of that, they have better shipping quality than the Sweet Charlie that is usually grown in La Trinidad. His greenhouses for growing strawberry cover 7,000 square meters. His strawberries are or-ganically grown so that they command a high price, especially during the off-season, which could P300 to P400 per kilo.

Photo shows Bethzaida Bustamante of the Department of Agriculture during a visit to Ching's farm recently.

Year-Round Strawberry Under Greenhouse www.agrizaccess.com WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2012

Bethzaida Bustamante showing fruits of Festival.

The General's Prolific Longkong Tree www.agrizaccess.com WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2012 This prolific 8-year-old longkong tree is

one of 150 trees belonging to Gen.

Recaredo Sarmiento II, former chief of

the Philippine National Police.

He is growing his exotic fruit trees in the

family farm resort, Ouans Worth Farm, in

Lucena City.

His trees have been bearing fruits twice a

year, something he attributes to his appli-

cation of a lot of organic manure as well as Alfonso G. Puyat's formulations of

growth enhancers (Power Grower Combo and Heavy Weight Harvest). A total of 60

out of the 150 trees are heavy with fruit and will be harvestable in early January this

coming year.

Photo shows Gen. Sarmiento's grandchildren enjoying posing with the ripening

fruits that were harvested last June. By early September, the trees bore flowers

again and these will be harvestable early next year.

The Sarmiento grandchildren and prolific longkong tree..

29

Organic Romaine Lettuce Under Greenhouse www.agrizaccess.com TUESDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2012

MARITESS MADERA of the Department of

Agriculture shows newly harvested organic Ro-

maine lettuce produced under greenhouse at

the three-hectare farm of Francis Ching in Ca-

da, Mankayan, Benguet, during a recent visit.

Ching harvests five tons of lettuce a week

which he sells to high-end markets in Manila

through his partners like Dole-Asia, Purehar-

vest Food Processing and Kentucky Fried

Chicken.

By using greenhouses, Ching successfully pro-

duces high-value vegetables and strawberries

year-round without using chemical pesticides.

Ching was conferred the 2011 Gawad Saka

award for high-value commercial crops.

Maritess Madera shows newly harvested organic Romaine

lettuce from Francis Ching's Farm in Benguet. (Melpha

Abello photo)

Tissue-Cultured Mama Sita Banana www.agrizaccess.com THURSDAY, DECEMBER 20, 2012

A VERY limited number of tissue-cultured Mama Sita banana is now available at

the Teresa Orchard & Nursery in Teresa, Rizal. We are making this announcement

because so many have previously asked if the seedlings are now available. They are,

but just about 150 pieces.

Mama Sita banana has now become a favorite. It does not grow very tall and has a

huge pseudostem so it does not topple down easily. It produces big bunch of fruit

which is very sweet when ripe.

Those interested may call Rose at 0915-434-4216.

30

Bright Prospects In Sugar Industry www.agrizaccess.com TUESDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2012 There are a number of developments that point to a rosy future for the local sugar

industry. These were cited by a top executive of a leading company engaged in the

sugar industry.

He is Archimedes B. Amarra, vice president of Roxas Holdings, Inc. for marketing,

trading, corporate planning and corporate strategy. He also served as a board mem-

ber of the Sugar Regulatory Administration, and in other capacities in a number of

foundations or agencies involved in the sugar industry.

One recent significant development was the ability of the country to diversify the

foreign market for Philippine sugar. Another was the effective curtailment of smug-

gled or unauthorized entry of sugar from outside sources.

Amarra cited that in crop year 2010/11 sugar production reached 2.4 million tons

which was a significant increase from the previous year’s production of 1.97 million

metric tons. To prevent the undue drop in price for locally produced sugar, the SRA

was aggressive enough to look for markets abroad. SRA was able to negotiate with

the US for additional purchases. The Philippines originally had an allocation of

138,000 tons for 2011-2012, but the shipment from Sept. 3, 2011 to July 5, 2012

had increased to 163,900 tons.

In addition to the increased shipment to the US, the SRA’s marketing efforts result-

ed in the shipment of 361,663 tons (D sugar) to Japan, China and Indonesia in the

same period.

Amarra said that SRA’s efforts were an effective market diversification move to

meet a potentially problematic overflow of production carryover from the previous

year.

The Bureau of Customs’ efforts in curbing sugar smuggling also contributed to the

stabilized price range for domestic raw sugar (millgate) in the vicinity of P1,300 per

Lkg (50-kg sugar) in the first half of crop year 2011/12. Official data from Thailand

reported that the volume of sugar exported to the Philippines was about 126,829

metric tons for the period of November 2010 to October 2011 while the reports

from the SRA indicated that the agency allowed the importation of 117,000 metric

tons for the same period. This is a very significant reduction from previous esti-

mates of 200,000 to 300,000 tons of illegal or unauthorized entry of sugar each

year.

31

Amarra cites one more indication pointing to the bright prospects of the sugar in-

dustry. This is the positive market response to the relisting of Victorias Milling

Company at the Philippine Stock Exchange, which means that the sugar industry is

getting a serious second look from the business sector. He cites reports in media

that the Metro Pacific group of Manuel V. Pangilinan is keen in getting into the sug-

ar business.

Amarra considers as the foremost challenge to the sugar industry the decelerating

rate of AFTA tariff on sugar imports from 38% in 2011 to 18 percent in January

2013, down to 10% in January 2014 and then 5% in January 2015.

He is optimistic, however, that the local sugarcane farmers can meet the challenge.

He said that since 2010, the industry embarked on the implementation of the mas-

ter plan for the sugar industry in conjunction with the SRA Road Map. The twin ob-

jectives of cost competitiveness and profitability were set. A cost of US 14 cents per

pound (or about P750 per LKg was set as the bottom line. At this level, producing

sugar in the country should provide sufficient returns to both farm and industrial

sectors despite competition from the expected imports come 2015.

The targets, Mr. Amarra says, are an acknowledgment that fluctuating world prices

(and therefore import prices) cannot be accurately forcasted nor influenced by the

local industry. As of the middle of 2012, nine sugarcane producing areas or districts

have reported average costs of production at about or below the mark mentioned

above. Many more areas, however, need to shape and are forecasted to catch up

with the implementation of more projects to support efforts at the farms and the

factories.

32

Honeybees In Mario Rabang's Farm www.agrizaccess.com MONDAY, DECEMBER 3, 2012

Mario Rabang, a Manila businessman and

his better half, Dr. Perla Rabang, have in-

cluded bee culture in their farm in the roll-

ing hills of Abucay, Bataan.

The farm which covers more than 30 hec-

tares is in the process of development alt-

hough there are already mango trees of

fruiting age, guyabano, papayas, cacao,

pummelo and many other crops. Mush-

room culture is also being included as a

special project of Dr. Rabang, a practicing

dentist in Manila.

The farm was the venue of the monthly

meeting last December 2 of the members of

the Aani Mango Industry Network (AMIN)

Foundation headed by Tony S. Rola. Aside

from the talk on mango technologies, a

honeybee expert from Baguio, Florida La-

bon, was invited to demonstrate how to

take care of the bees as well as how to ex-

tract the honey from the honeycomb.

Pol Rubia, on the other hand, conducted a

demonstration on mushroom culture.

The Rabangs prepared an overflow of food

that included two native lechon, seafoods

like crabs, shrimps, seabass, tilapia and

other goodies.

The filled frames are being readied for extraction. At left is Mario Rabang while at right is Tony Rola.

That's me, Zac B. Sarian,showing a frame filled with honey. Flor Labon later demonstrated how to extract the honey with an extractor.

Flor Labon, the bee expert with veil, showing to the visitors the frame being filled with honey by the bees. The bees don't on-ly produce honey, they also pollinate the mangoes. Second from right is Mario Rabang.

33

East-West Founders Persevered and Won www.agrizaccess.com FRIDAY, DECEMBER 14, 2012

The great success that the East-West Seed is enjoy-

ing today is the result of dogged perseverance and

the strong belief that a good and reliable seed could

have more lasting impact on our farmers than the

billions of aid money from well-meaning donor na-

tions and NGOs.

That could be very true because the impact of a good

seed is directly felt not only by the small but also the

big-time farmers. Countless farmers are continuing

to benefit year after year from not just one seed but a

series of improved seeds that the company’s re-

searchers are churning out every year.

While East-West is considered the leading vegetable

seed company in the Philippines today, achieving

success was far from easy. The early years, starting 1982 when it was established by

Simon N. Groot of the Netherlands and Benito M. Domingo of the Philippines, were

particularly rough years.

Mr. Groot recalls during talks over lunch at the

company’s 30th anniversary that it took them 10

years to reach the first $1-million mark in sales. Af-

ter their first building was put up, they were already

running out of money so that they had to buy se-

cond hand furniture for their offices. Up to this day,

the P200-second hand table that Mr. Groot used in

those difficult years is still kept at the East-West

headquarters in San Rafael.

After achieving the $1 million annual sale, however,

the sailing had become more smooth. Sister compa-

nies have since been established in Indonesia, Thai-

land, Vietnam, India and China.

Promoting the “pinakbet” type of vegetables was a smart tack that East-West took.

That’s because in “pinakbet” many kinds of vegetables are cooked together in one

dish. In the authentic Ilocano pinakbet, as many as 15 or even more vegetables, in-

cluding minor ones, are cooked together.

These include ampalaya fruit and shoot, eggplant, tomato, stringbeans, patani, rad-

ish fruits, alokon, paayap, sweet pepper, finger pepper, malunggay fruits, kadios

seeds, gabi tuber, patola, okra, katuray flowers and bataw. Cooked with “bagnet” or

Simon N. Groot at the 30th anniversary of East-West Seed.

Michelle Robel, E-W plant pathologist, poses with fruits of Emperor Sweet Pepper which is now making farmers rich.

34

broiled “dalag”, and just enough tomato sauce and water, the concoction could make a superb one-dish meal. Mr. Groot said, they thought of promoting the pinakbet type vegetables because at that time, it was the favorite dish of former President Marcos. He has tried to promote the same dish in Indonesia but has not suc-ceeded so far. The production of superior varieties is just one part of the cycle. What is equally im-portant is the dissemination of the varieties and the production techniques that go with the seeds. The company has been successful along this line. It has put up demo farms in vari-ous places, has conducted workshops and seminars, conducted what it calls road shows and many more. One project that has become successful is the Tanim Para Sa Kinabukasan project or TSK whereby the technicians of the compa-ny collaborate with school officials to put up a vegetable garden showcase right on the school campus. Here, the students par-

ticipate in putting up the garden, in sowing the seeds, transplanting them and then caring for them up to maturity. At the end of the cycle, a harvest festival is held. Parents of the children and other target groups are also invited to see the beautiful vegetables taken care of by the students and their mentors alike. So successful has the TSK program become that the Oh My Gulay project started by Sen. Edgardo Angara has been hitched to the TSK. Now, to cover more schools, the gardening-in-charge in interested educational institutions are sent to the East-West for training. East-West Seed is not only focused on the production of seed varieties. It is also fo-cused on other means of improving productivity. One example of late is the promo-tion of grafted ampalaya planting materials. This technique is increasing the pro-ductive life of the crop by an additional 10 harvests. Then it is promoting what is called permaculture farming, which we will delve into in another write up. At the 30th anniversary celebration of East-West last December 12, 30 outstanding vegetable farmers were honored for their exemplary achievements. Some of them have risen from poverty to become multi-millionaires because of the technologies they have adopted from East-West and other sources.

Ampalaya is a major interest of East-West plant breeders. They have developed several hybrids which are big money makers for a lot of farmers. These include Jade, Galaxy, Galactica and Bonito.

Simon Groot and Irene Sion reminisce the old days at East-West. Here she is showing Mr. Groot the improvised seed catalog which she used when selling seeds. Aside from plant breeding duties, she also sold seeds of the company.

35

Photo shows Dorie S. Bernabe, president of

the Cactus and Succulent Society of the Phil-

ippines, holding a fruit of the Pipinito cu-

cumber intercropped with sweet corn at the

Permaculture farming showcase at the East-

West Seed Company in San Rafael, Bulacan.

Planting sweet corn and the mini cucumber

together is a practical idea that could be

adopted by hobbyists and commercial plant-

ers alike. Usually, sweet corn is harvested 65

to 75 days after planting, depending on the

variety.

On the other hand, the mini cucumber starts

fruiting 35 days after planting. The farmer or

gardener, therefore, can start harvesting

from his farm or garden in just five weeks

from planting.

It is important that the sweet corn is planted one plant per hill and should be spaced

about two feet apart. This will let sunlight penetrate between the plants for the good

of the two crops.

Dorie Bernabe was one of the visitors at the EAst-West Seed on December 12 when

the company observed its 30th anniversary.

Sweet Corn And Pipinito Together www.agrizaccess.com THURSDAY, DECEMBER 13, 2012

DORIE S. BERNABE

36

IN PHOTO is a very healthy Tarragon grown in a

recycled car tire filled with vermicompost. It is

grown in the Permaculture Farming showcase at

the East-West Seed Company in San Rafael, Bulac-

an.

Many people find it difficult to grow healthy and

robust Tarragon. But the secret at East-West is the

use of organic growing medium

The Permaculture Farming team headed by Robert

Acosta produces vermicompost in cemented bins

covered with GI sheet.

The worms are fed with vegetable trimmings,

kitchen waste from the company's canteen and other biomass available at East-West.

By the way, Tarragon makes a very refreshing tea. Take about ten leaves, place them

in a cup of boiling water, and presto! You have a tea you won't easily forget.

Tarragon Makes Refreshing Tea www.agrizaccess.com WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 19, 2012

A very healthy Tarragon

Striped Snake Gourd www.agrizaccess.com TUESDAY, DECEMBER 18, 2012

The Snake Gourd usually seen in

the Philippines has pure white

fruits. However, the variety show-

cased at the demo farm of East-

West Seed during its 30th anni-

versary celebration has striped

fruits..

Snake Gourd is not yet popularly

consumed in the Philippines but it

is well liked in Thailand.

The striped fruits of the Snake

Gourd are very attractive.

Maybe, Filipinos should learn from Thailand how to prepare Snake Gourd dishes.

37

Here's one doable idea you can adopt in your farm or garden. You can grow your fa-vorite sweet corn together with your favorite leafy green - lettuce. Photo shows just how it is done at the Per-maculture Farming showcase at the head-quarters of East-West Seed Company in San Rafael, Bulacan. The sweet corn is planted at one seed per hill and distanced about 1.5 feet apart. In between the hills are lettuce which as are very healthy and robust as can be seen in the picture. The planting bed is mulched to prevent weed growth and to conserve moisture at the same time. During rainy days, the mulch prevents waterlogging.

No chemical pesticides and chemical fertilizers are used so the leafy greens are very safe to eat. To see for yourself, better visit the East-West headquarters one of these days.

Lettuce and Sweet Corn Together www.agrizaccess.com TUESDAY DECEMBER 18, 2012

Ampalaya Grown In Jute Sacks www.agrizaccess.com MONDAY, DECEMBER 17, 2012

In photo are ampalaya plants (bitter gourd) growing in medium size jute sacks filled with vermicompost as growing medium. The plants are very fruitful. Note the jute sacks perched on benches on both sides of the trellis. This is one of attention-getters at the Permaculture Farming showcase at the East-West Seed Company head-quarters in San Rafael, Bulacan. The plants are organically grown. No chemical pesticides and fertilizers. There's no fruitfly damage on the fruits.

38

The Purple Corn was one of the varie-

ties showcased at the demo farm during

the 30th anniversary celebration of

East-West Seed Company in San Ra-

fael, Bulacan.

The Purple Corn is claimed to be rich in

anthocyanin which may help stabilize

and protect capillaries and blood ves-

sels from damage by free radicals.

Anthocyanin has been shown to pro-

mote collagen formation (which is good

for our skin) and may improve blood

circulation.

Aside from the variety with purely pur-

ple kernels, there is also what is popu-

larly called Bicolor.The kernels are a

combination of purple and yellow, or

purple and white.

As boiled corn, the Purple and Bicolor

are nice to eat because they are waxy.

Purple Corn For Good Health www.agrizaccess.com MONDAY, DECEMBER 17, 2012

Purple Corn with kernels that are all purple.

Ric Reyes with Bicolor corn.

39

We got word from Toto Barcelona of Harbest Agribusiness that he is planning to or-

ganize an Agritourism Trip to Taiwan in 2013. He and his family are now vacationing

in Taiwan but will be back on January 4 in time for a dinner with Dr. William Dar,

director general of the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid

Tropics (ICRISAT).

What's good when Toto leads the Agritourism Trip is that he has close contacts with

the interesting farm tour destinations. He stayed in Taiwan for a long time and he

speaks the language. Moreover, he is the distributor of Known-You Seed from Tai-

wan. For sure, the facilities of Known-You will be part of the itinerary.

The date is not yet fixed but for sure you will know about developments through this

blog.

Taiwan Agritour Planned www.agrizaccess.com TUESDAY, DECEMBER 25, 2012

One seed company in Thailand has reportedly developed a papaya hybrid that tastes

like mango. The fruit is small, usually about a kilo or less. The company is said to be

reluctant to commercialize the hybrid because the flesh is yellow. Why? Well the

market in Thailand prefers red-fleshed papaya.

Papaya That Tastes Like Mango www.agrizaccess.com TUESDAY, DECEMBER 25, 2012

Dwarf Flowering Ornamentals www.agrizaccess.com MONDAY, DECEMBER 24, 2012 IN PHOTO is a showcase of dwarf flower-

ing ornamentals at the demo farm of East

-West Seed Company in San Rafael, Bu-

lacan.

These plants are in full bloom even if

their stems are just a couple of inches

above the ground. They are good for use

as bedding plants in landscaping pro-

jects. Or they could be grown as potted

flowering plants for sale in the market.

The plants include Celosia, Zinnia, Vinca and Marigold. Their flowers come in differ-

ent colors. The Marigold, for one. could be planted in between vegetable crops to re-

40

Too Much Money Can Be Dangerous, Too! www.agrizaccess.com SUNDAY, DECEMBER 30, 2012

In farming, too much money can be dangerous, too. We just came from a lunch date

with a friend who is successful in commercially producing organic fertilizer. He also

has his own farm where he produces hot pepper, black pepper, and a number of other

crops and farm animals.

He told us about the story of a young former congressman who planted six hectares

to hot chili after learning that the hot pepper sells for as much as P400 to P500 per

kilo. (Actually, though, the price could even escalate to more than a thousand pesos

per kilo when supply is very scarce.)

Because the ex-congressman had a lot of money, he did not mind spending big sums

of money in preparing the land, money to buy the seeds and the manpower to take

care of the plants, the fertilizers and pesticides. To the misfortune of the politician,

when he was already harvesting, the going price was only P15 per kilo, according to

our informant. At that price, it was a losing proposition. A big losing proposition.

When the price did not improve after quite sometime, the congressman was so frus-

trated. He just abandoned the project because if he would continue to spend for the

workers and other inputs, he surmised he would be incurring more losses, big losses.

THE LESSONS HERE - Just because you have a lot of money, don't just jump into an

agribusiness you have heard to be profitable. Make a careful study of the market, the

nature of the demand for the crop you choose to produce. And it is wise to start more

modestly, especially if one is new in the business. Six hectares for a hot chili is too big

for a neophyte hot chili farmer, especially if he has no arrangement with a sure buyer.

We think starting with a hectare would be more prudent. From there he could ex-

pand if his experience will warrant.

41

MALULUSOG NA RESIPE MALULUSOG NA RESIPE NG MGA ASIANONG MGA ASIANO

HEALTHY ASIAN RECIPESHEALTHY ASIAN RECIPES

Hango sa aklat na “Malulusog na Resipe ng mga Asiano” mula sa Racial and Ethnic Approaches to Community Health

42

Para sa 4 na katao

ENSALADANG AMPALAYA

Mga Sangkap:

4 na maliliit na ampalaya(mga 12 onsa/350 g), tinanggalan ng buto at hiniwa nang maninipis 1 kutsarang asin 5 sibuyas tagalog (shallots), hiniwa nang maninipi 1 kutsarang bagoong ala-mang 2 kamatis na katamtaman ang sukat, hiniwa nang maninipis 5 siling labuyo, hiniwa nang maninipis (kung nanaisin) 1 kutsarang katas ng kalamansi (o katas ng dayap o limon)

Mga Hakbang:

Budburan ng asin ang mga ampalaya at ilagay sa isang salaan ng 30 minute upang

kumatas ang tubig. Banlawan ang mga ampalaya upang matanggal ang mga asin at

dampian ng tisyu o papel na tuwalya upang matanggal ang pagkabasâ nito. Banl

wang mabuti ng maraming beses upang mabawasan ang dami ng asin.

Sa isang malaking mangkok, paghalu-haluin ang mga ampalaya at iba pang

sangkap. Hayaan ng 10 minuto upang lumabas ang lasa nito. Ihain.

PAALALA: Mabibili ang ampalaya sa sariwang seksiyon ng tindahan ng mga Asya-

no.

Hinango na may pahintulot mula sa "Authentic Recipes from the Philippines" na

sinulat ni Reynaldo G. Alejandro, Periplus Editions, www.tuttlepublishing.com.

Impormasyong Pangkalusugan:

40 kaloris, 1.5 gramo na protina, 9 gramo na karbohaydreyt, 2.4 gramo na hibla

43

SOPAS NA MANOK AT KALABASA

Para sa 5 na katao

Mga Hakbang:

Hugasan ang talbos ng kalabasa, hiwain nang pakwadrado na may sukat na 1 pul-

gada bawat piraso. Igisa ang sibuyas sa mantika.

Hiwain nang pakwadrado ang manok na may sukat na 1 pulgada bawat piraso at

isama sa sibuyas. Lutuin ng mga 10 minuto, huwag tatakpan. Lagyan ng tubig, ka-

tas ng limon, at asin. Pakuluin, hinaan ang apoy, takpan, at lutuin ng 15 minuto.

Isama ang kamatis, kalabasa, siling berde at talbos ng kalabasa. Lutuin ng 5 pang

minuto.

Ibuhos dito ang pinaghalong gata at gatas na walang taba. Kapag kumulo nang mu-

li, tanggalin sa apoy. Ihain nang mainit.


298 kaloris, 31 gramo na protina, 13 gramo na karbohaydreyt, 2 gramo na hibla, 14

gramo na kabuuang taba, 6 gramo na purong taba, 77 mg na kolesterol, 298 mg na

sodiyum

Mga Sangkap:

2 kutsarang langis ng kanola 1/3 tasang tinadtad na sibuyas 1 libra na pitso ng manok na tinangga-lan ng balat at buto 3-4 tasang tubig 2 kamatis na katamtaman ang sukat, tinadtad 4 tasang kalabasang binalatan at hiniwa nang maninipis 6 talbos ng kalabasa o espinats 1/2 tasang pangalawang gata + 1/2 tasang walang taba na gatas 1 siling berde, hiniwa nang maninipis 3 kutsarang katas ng limon asin bilang pampalasa

44

Para sa 4 na katao

SINIGANG MAASIM NA SOPAS

Mga Sangkap:

5 kamatis na katamtaman ang sukat, pinag-apat 2 pulgadang sukat ng luya, bi-nalatan at hiniwa nang maninipis 1 librang walang tinik na sariwang salmon, tinanggalan ng balat, hiniwa nang pakwadrado na may sukat na 1 pulgada bawat piraso 6 tasang tubig 3 tasang petsay baguio, hiniwa nang may lapad na 1 pulgada 2 kutsaritang pulbos ng sinigang na sampalok 3 kutsarang katas ng limon 1 kutsarang patis o nuoc nam (fish sauce)

Mga Hakbang:

Sa isang malaking kaserola, pakuluan ang luya at kamatis. Takpan at hayaang ku-

mulo ng 3 minuto.

Ihalo ang pulbos ng sinigang na sampalok, katas ng limon, at salmon. Huwag tatak-

pan, hayaang kumulo ng 5 minuto o hanggang maluto ang salmon. Patayin ang

apoy.

Timplahan ng patis, takpan, at hayaan ng 2-3 minuto upang maghalo-halo ang lasa.

Ihain, samahan ng pulang kanin kung nanaisin.

PAALALA: Mabibili ang pulbos ng sinigang na sampalok na naka-pakete. Ang si-

nigang na pulbos ng sampalok, patis at nuoc nam fish sauce ay matatagpuan sa

mga seksiyon ng tuyong sangkap ng mga tindahan ng mga Asyano.

Palitan ang salmon ng sugpo o iba pang lamang-dagat. Palitan ang petsay ng es-

pinats. Isama sa huling bahagi ng pagluluto, kasabay ng patis. Takpan ang kaserola

upang masingawan ang espinats.


206 kaloris, 25 gramo na protina, 9 gramo na karbohaydreyt, 2 gramo na hibla, 8

gramo na kabuuang taba, 1 gramo na purong taba, 62 gramo na kolesterol, 420 mg

na sodiyum.

45

PINASINGAWANG ISDA

Para sa 6 na katao

Mga Hakbang:

Budburan ng kaunting asin ang isda. Ipasok ang hiniwa-hiwang luya sa tiyan ng

isda.

Balutin ang isda ng aluminyo o dahon ng ti (ti leaves) na may sapat na laki upang

maitupi ang mga tabi nang may taas na 1 pulgada upang masalo ang mga katas h

bang pinasisingawan ang isda. Pigaan ng limon sa ibabaw ang isda.

Ipatong ang isda sa ibabaw ng sangkalan ng lutong pasingawan. Lagyan ang ilalim

ng tubig na may taas na mga 1 pulgada. Takpan at orasan hanggang sumingaw na

ang tubig. Pasingawan ng 10-15 minuto, at kung inaakalang tiyak na luto na ang

isda tusukin ng tinidor, kapag malambot na, tanggalin ang isda mula sa lutong

pasingawan at ilagay sa isang bandehado. Itabi ang sabaw.

Balatan ang luya at hiwain nang pahaba at maninipis, mga 1/2 pulgada ang haba.

Hiwain nang maninipis ang sibuyas na mura. Budburan ang luya at sibuyas ang

ibabaw ng isda.

Sa isang maliit na kaserola, painitin ang sabaw mula sa pinasingawang isda, haluan

ng toyo at langis ng linga. Ibuhos sa ibabaw ng isda. Ihain nang mainit.


206 kaloris, 30 gramo na protina, 2 gramo na karbohaydreyt, 8 gramo na ka-

buuang taba, 2 gramo na purong taba, 74 mg na kolesterol, 596 mg na sodiyum

Mga Sangkap:

2 libra o (1 katamtamang laking isda) tilapia, isnaper o bakalaw, buo, malinis na at kinaliskisan 1/4 kutsaritang asin 1/2 limon Tubig para sa pagpapasingaw 1 piraso ng luya na may laking 1 pulgada 3 tangkay ng sibuyas na mura 1/4 tasang toyo na may kaunting asin 1 kutsarang langis ng linga

46

Para sa 5-7 na katao

SOTANGHON NA MAY TOKWA

Mga Sangkap:

2 libra na Piniritong (siksik na tokwa o Tokwang Insik) na sariwang tokwa ½ tasang mani 10 tasang sotanghon lutô ½ libra toge, nalinisan 1 libra na litsugas na (romaine heart), nalinisan na at tinadtad ½ tasang wangsoy (cilantro) o kintsay, tinadtad ¼ tasang tuyong sibuyas, tinadtad 1 kutsarang langis ng oliba o kanola

Sangkap para sa Sarsa:

2 kutsarang patis 1 latang Diet 7-Up™ 2 maliit na pulang siling labuyo 4 butil ng bawang, binalatan ½ malaking limon

Mga Hakbang:

Hiwain ang piniritong tokwa sa lapad na ½ pulgada at sa habang 2 pulgada

Magpainit ng mantika sa isang hindi dumidikit (non-stick) na kawali. Igisa ang

mga sibuyas huwag tustahin. Tuloy-tuloy na haluin. Tanggalin ang kawali mula sa

apoy habang naggigisa upang hindi masunog ang sibuyas. Agad na ihalo ditto ang

mga hiniwang tokwa – bawasan ang init ng apoy at patagalin hanggang 5 minute.

Magtusta ng mani sa isang kawali o maliit na hurno hanggang pumula. Bahagyang

gilingin ang mga mani gamit ang kamay o almeres o sa gilingan ng pagkain. Kung

food processor ang gagamitin, huwag sobrahan sa paggiling dahil magiging peanut

butter ito. Ipasa-isang tabi.

Mga Hakbeng sa Paggawa ng Sarsa: Mabibili Hiwain nang maninipis ang sil-

ing labuyo. Kung nais ninyong maging maanghang ang sarsa, huwag tatanggalin

ang mga buto. Kapag tinanggal ang mga buto, mababawasan ang anghang nito.

Ilagay ang siling labuyo at ang binalatang bawang sa gilingan ng pagkain at gilingin

hanggang maging pino.

47

How to Make Cockroaches Leave Your Home with Pandan Leaves

48

How to Make Cockroaches Leave Your Home with Pandan Leaves http://www.wikihow.com

Determine the most likely hiding places of cockroaches. They are normally found on hard to reach areas and places with lots of clutter. There is no need to actually find them there just make a note of these places on your home.

11

49

Take some pots of "pandan" (botanical name: Pandanus odorus) and place them inside your home. Put as many as possible and place them near the places determined in the previous step. The more the better.

22

Another option is to bundle the mature leaves instead and place them on these hiding places. Leave it until it dries out then take them out and throw it way. That is it.

33

TIPS:

This tip only makes cockroaches leave and not eliminate them. In order not to entice cockroaches to come back, it is best to unclutter the place to eliminate possible hiding places. Do not leave left over food uncovered. Throw garbage daily, especially when it contains thrown away food.

50

Common Uses of Pandan Leaves Pandan is widely known for the many

uses it contributes to us. It is a very beneficial plant that provides many use-

ful things for our day to day life. The aroma of the pandan leaves is unique

very hard to describe. It is somewhat

nutty, similar to fresh hay which is eventually pleasant. You can also found

this kind of aroma in some varieties of rice that are grown in South East Asian

countries. A good example to that is the Thai Jasmin Rice. The distinct develop-

ment of the aroma of the said leaves is

best when it is wilting because the freshly picked pandan leaf is eventually odourless. But if you dry it, it would surely lose the aroma very quickly.

On the other hand, the flavour component of the said plant is still un-known. Some experts suggested that the aroma comes from a volatile

product of oxidation degragation of a yellow carotenoid pigment fround on the plant and forms only when the plant is withered. In that aspect, the

pandan leaves is also similar to rose and saffron which also has a carate-noid derived aroma compound that makes it smell extra good. Pandan

leaves are a very famous plant in some Asian countries. It contributes a

lot in many different ways but most distinctly to enhance the aroma of rice and other rice products, maybe because Pandan leaves has a hay-like

odour. There is also other usage of pandan leaves that would contribute a

lot to us. The following common usages of Pandan Leaves are as follows.

The most common use of pandan leaves, especially people in Asia, to add

a subtle flavour of pandan in your food. It contributes a very good smell

when added in the top of the rice so that, it will produce a good smell. It is very useful since it can add appetite to anyone who will eat the cooked

rice. People in Asian countries tend to enjoy eating that kind of rice. It is also best if you add coconut milk together with pandan leaves in the

cooked rice. That will result to a very special taste you could ever imag-ine. You could not compare its taste to anything. It is simply delicious that

you can forget it comes from pandan leaves.

Another useful thing you can produce through pandan leaves is that you

can create a paste out of it. This kind of paste can be use in several kinds of recipes. You just simply cut the leaves, 1 inch each leaves, then place it

in a pot at the stove. Add ½ cup of water to it and place as many leaves as long as it fits the pot. Boil the said mixture. Wait until the leaves are

soft. Allow some water to evaporate. Lastly, process the water and the in a food processor to create a paste. By following those simple steps, you

will be able to create something useful out of pandan leaves.

51

Ano ang inyong Ano ang inyong Ano ang inyong dapat malaman dapat malaman dapat malaman tungkol sa sakit tungkol sa sakit tungkol sa sakit na Diyabetis?na Diyabetis?na Diyabetis?

Hango sa aklat na “Malulusog na

Resipe ng mga Asiano” mula sa

Racial and Ethnic Approaches to

Community Health

52

Ano ang Diyabetis?

Ang diyabetis ay isang kondisyon ng katawan na hindi nakakagawa ng insulin o hindi maayos na nakakagamit ng insulin. Tinutulungan ng insulin ang ka-tawan na gamitin ang asukal (glucose) bilang pampalakas. Kung kayo ay may diyabetis, hindi nagagamit ng inyong katawan ang asukal kaya nananatili ito sa inyong dugo. Bunga nito, ang inyong dugo ay nagkakaroon ng maraming asukal. Pagsubaybay sa Antas ng Asukal sa Dugo

Dapat subaybayan ng mga diyabetiko sa kanilang mga tahanan ang kanilang antas ng asukal sa dugo upang matulungan silang maunawaan kung paano mapipigil ang diyabetis sa pamamagitan ng paghehersisyo at malusog na pagkain. Mahalagang pansinin ang antas ng asukal sa dugo upang maiwasan ang lubhang mataas (hyperglycemia) o lubhang mababang (hypoglycemia) antas ng asukal sa dugo. Sa pag-aalam ng inyong antas ng asukal sa dugo, higit na mapapadali ang inyong pagpapakonsulta sa doktor at pagpaplano ng lunas. Hindi maaaring magsilbing kapalit ng pagsusukat sa tahanan ng antas ng asukal sa dugo ang pagsusuring HbA1c na ginagawa bawat tatlong buwan. Lubhang mababa (Hypoglycemia) at Lubhang mataas

(Hyperglycemia) ang antas ng asukal sa dugo

Ang lubhang mababa (hypoglycemia) ay nangangahulugan na ang inyong antas ng asukal sa dugo ay lubhang mababa. Kabilang sa mga palatandaan ng lubhang mababa (hypoglycemia) ay ang pangangatog, pagkahilo, pagkagu-tom, pagpapawis, pagiging mainisin, pagiging balisa, at maging paglabo ng paningin. Maaring maging bunga nito ay ang labis na gamot o insulin, pagkain nang kaunti, o labis na paghehersisyo. Bago lunasan ang inaakalang mababang antas ng asukal sa dugo, marapat na suriin muna ang inyong dugo. Kung ang inyong antas ng asukal sa dugo ay 70 at pababa, dapat ninyong sundin ang tuntuning 15:15: ayon dito, dapat kayong kumain ng 15 gramo ng karbohaydreyt, maghintay ng 15 minuto, sukatin ang inyong antas ng asukal sa dugo, at ulitin ang paraan hanggang lumampas ang antas ng asukal sa dugo sa 80. Ang 15 gramo ng karbohaydreyt ay matatagpuan sa kalahating baso ng katas ng prutas (juice) o pangkaraniwang inumin na gaya ng soft drink, 3 tab-letang glukos (glucose), o isang tasang walang taba (nonfat) na gatas ng baka.

Ano ang inyong dapat malaman tungkol sa sakit na Diyabetis?

53

Ang lubhang mataas (hyperglycemia) ay nangangahulugan na ang inyong antas ng asukal sa dugo ay lubhang mataas. Kabilang sa mga palatandaan ng lubhang mataas (hyperglycemia) ay ang madalas na pag-ihi, lubos na pagkau-haw, pagiging antukin, pananakit ng ulo, at pagkagutom. Ang lubhang mataas (hyperglycemia) ay kadalasang bunga ng labis na pagkain, hindi sapat o ka-kaunting insulin o iba pang gamut para sa diyabetis, pagkakasakit, labis na pag-iisip o pag-aalala (stress). Kapag ilang araw nang nananatiling mataas ang inyong antas ng asukal sa dugo, tawagan ang inyong doktor o nars. Pagkakasakit at Labis na Pag-iisip o Pag-aalala (Stress)

Ang pagkakasakit ay maaaring maging sanhi ng abnormal na pagtaas o pagbaba ng inyong antas ng asukal sa dugo. Kung kayo ay may sakit, m halagang higit na madalas gawin ang pagsukat ng inyong antas ng asukal sa dugo at tawagan ang inyong doktor. Kung kayo ay nagsusuka at patuloy na hindi mapanatili ang pagbaba ng inyong pagkain at inumin, dapat ipagbigay alam agad ito sa inyong espesyalista. Huwag ititigil ang inyong gamot sa d yabetis nang walang paunang pakikipagkonsulta sa inyong doktor. Ang labis na pag-iisip o pag-aalala (stress) ay maaari ring makapagpataas ng inyong antas ng asukal sa dugo. Ito ay maaaring maging bunga ng mga prob-lema sa pamilya, trabaho, problema sa pera, kalungkutan, pagkamatay ng isang minamahal, diborsyo, at iba pang malaking pagbabago sa buhay. Ang malusog na pagkain at paghehersisyo ay maaaring makapagpagaan sa labis na pagiisip o pag-aalala (stress). Ang panlulungkot o labis na kalungkutan ay higit na pangkaraniwan sa mga diyabetiko kaysa sa karamihan. Ang labis na kalungkutan at pagkalungkot ay maaaring maging normal na bahagi ng buhay, subalit kung patuloy itong nagiging hadlang sa pakikitungo sa pamilya, tra-baho at mga kaibigan, importanteng humingi na ng tulong. Pamumuhay nang Mayroong Diyabetis: Pagkain at Gawaing Pisikal

Ang malusog na pagkain, paghehersisyo, at wastong timbang ay mah halagang paraan upang makontrol ang inyong diyabetis. Ang pananatili ng wastong timbang at malusog na pagkain ay maaari ring makatulong sa inyo sa pagkontrol ng inyong kolesterol (taba sa dugo) at sa pagpapababa ng inyong presyon.

54

Pagkain para sa Kalusugan:

Ang mga sumusunod ay mahahalagang gabay para sa malusog na pagkain: Kumain araw-araw ng iba’t ibang pagkain mula sa mga iba’t ibang grupo ng pagkain upang matiyak na nakakatanggap kayo ng mga bitam-ina at mineral na inyong kakailanganin sa kalusugan. Kumain nang hindi bababa sa 3 beses bawat araw. Kumain ng pare-parehong dami ng pagkain araw-araw. Kumain sa pare-parehong oras araw-araw. Subukang huwag magpapalipas ng gutom. Ang pagpapalipas ng gutom ay maaaring mauwi sa labis na pagkain. Maaari ring makapagpababa ng antas ang asukal sa dugo ang pagpapalipas ng gutom. Kung nais mong magbawas ng timbang, bawasan ang dami o bahagi ng pagkain. Kumain ng mga pagkaing mayaman sa hibla (fiber) tulad ng mga prutas, g lay at patani (beans). Bawasan ang paggamit ng karagdagang taba, asukal, at asin sa pagkain.

55

Subukang sundin ang:

Malusog na Pamamaraang Plato

“Healthy Plate Method” o ang Malusog na Pamamaraang Mangkok

“Healthy Bowl Method”

upang maayos ang sukat ng inyong pagkain.

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Kabilang sa mga pagkaing sagana sa protina ay mga karne ng baka, baboy, manok, at isda, patani (beans) at gulay na buto, itlog, tokwa at mga nuwes (nuts). Lutuin ang mga karne sa paraang mababa ang taba (low fat): pasinga-wan sa kumukulong tubig (steam), ihawin sa parilya (grill), igisa, ilitson, ihawin sa apoy/uling (broil), o iluto sa hurno (oven) ang mga karne. Tanggalin ang sobrang taba bago kainin. Ang mga patani (beans) at gulay na buto ay mababa sa taba at mayaman sa hibla (fiber) at mainam na ipampalit sa mga produktong pagkain na mayaman sa taba. Iwasan ang mga karneng mayaman sa taba tulad ng longganisa o tsoriso, pritong manok, at talaba. Gumamit lamang ng kaunting taba sa pagluluto. Gumamit ng langis ng oliba para sa pagluluto na may mahinang apoy at langis ng kanola para sa pagpipritong may malakas na apoy. Kabilang sa mga pagkaing sagana sa kalsiyum ay ang mga mababa ang taba (low fat) o walang taba (non-fat) na gatas ng baka o kambing, yogurt, at keso. Maliban sa gatas, ang iba pang mapagkukunan ng kalsiyum ay ang brokli, tokwa na may nakasaad sa impormasyon na “calcium-set” gatas na gawa sa balatong (soy) at bigas, at madahong gulay tulad ng kolard (collard), petsay, keyl (kale) at chard, at pinatuyong isda. Pagkaing sagana sa gawgaw: Ang mga pagkaing ito ang may pinaka-malaking epekto sa antas ng asukal sa dugo. Kabilang dito ang kanin, pansit o miki, tinapay, seryal, at mga gulay na mayaman sa gawgaw (starch) tulad ng patatas, tugî, kamote, mais at patani (beans). Hangga’t maaari, gumamit ng “whole grain” na tinapay, seryal at pansit o miki. Huwag masyadong kumain ng pagkaing mayaman sa taba at asukal tulad ng mga pastelerya (pastries), biskuwit, tsitsirya at iba pang piniritong pagkain. Ang langis na mabuti sa katawan ay ang mga langis mula sa oliba, kanola at mani. Pinangangalagaan ng mga taba mula sa langis na ito ang inyong puso at tinutulungang mapataas ang antas ng “mabuting” kolesterol, o HDL sa inyong katawan. Ngunit mayaman sa kaloris ang mga taba at langis, kaya’t mainam na bawasan ang dami ng inyong ginagamit sa pagluluto at pagkain. Ang mga gulay na walang gawgaw (starch ) tulad ng mga brokoli, karot, petsay, at iba pang mga madahong gulay ay mababa ang nilalamang karbo-haydreyt at asukal. Kumain ng iba’t ibang uri ng mga gulay na ito. Pasinga-wan sa kumukulong tubig o igisa upang hindi mawala ang mga bitamina. Kaunting langis lamang ang gamitin sa pagluluto.

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Ang asin at maaalat na mga pagkain ay maaaring magdulot ng alta presyon. Ang toyo, patis at sarsa ng talaba (oyster sauce) ay lubos na mayaman sa asin (sodium). Subukang unti-unting bawasan ang dami ng paggamit nito sa pag-luluto at pagpapalasa sa pagkain. Dagdagan ang paggamit ng mga pampa-lasang hindi maalat tulad ng luya at limón. Ang isang mahalagang bagay na dapat ninyong talakayin sa inyong doktor ay kung bawal sa inyo o ligtas kayong uminom ng alak kasabay ng pagkakaroon ng diyabetis.

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Panuntunan Patungkol sa Nutrisyong Pang-Diyabetis Sukat sa Pagkain

Ang impormasyong nutrisyon na nasa pakete ay nagsasabi ng sapat na dami ng pagkain at ito ay makikita ayon sa sukat. Ang sapat na dami na pipiliin upang kainin ay maaring higit na marami o kaunti ayon sa sinasabi ng sukat. Kung ang kakainin ay higit sa nakasaad na sukat, kakailanganin ang madoble ang dami ng nutrisyon at kaloris. At kung ha-hatiin ito sa kalahati, kailangan bawasan ang nutrisyon at kaloris na nakasaad sa impormasyon sa kalahati. Kaloris

Ang dami ng kaloris na dapat kainin ay depende sa idad, timbang at antas ng gawain. Kung nais na mabawasan ang timbang, gamitin ang impormasyon sa kaloris upang maihambing ang magkahalintulad na pagkain at piliin ang may kakaunting kaloris. Kaloris Mula sa Taba

Pumili ng mga uri ng pagkain na may higit na mababa ang bilang ng kaloris kaysa sa mga uri ng pagkain na may kaloris galing sa taba. Kabuuan ng Taba

Ang bilang na ito ay nagsasabi kung gaanong karaming taba meron sa bawat pagkain. Kabilang sa mga ito ang taba na mabuti sa katawan at tabang hindi mabuti sa katawan. Higit na marami ang kaloris ng taba kaysa sa protina at kar-bohaydreyt. Kung nais na mabawasan o mapanatili ang timbang, piliin ang mga pagkain na walang gaanong taba. Ang saturated at trans fats ay nagpap taas ng kolesterol sa dugo. Makabubuti ang bawasan ang pagkain ng mga ganitong taba sa higit kumulang na 20 gramo bawat isang araw. Kabuuan ng Karbohaydreyt

Ang karbohaydreyt ay may mataas na epekto sa antas ng asukal sa dugo. Sig-uraduhin ang gramo ng bilang ng karbohaydreyt, kaysa sa bilang ng gramo ng asukal. Ang kabuuan ng karbohaydreyt ay ang asukal, complex carbohydrate at hibla. Makabubuti sa tao ang pagkain ng 45-60 gramo ng karbohaydreyt bawat kain.

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Kung ang pagbabatayan ang bilang ng antas ng asukal, maaring iwasan ang mayayamang pagkain tulad ng prutas at gatas dahil sa mataas na taglay ng antas ng asukal nito. Ang labis na pagkain ng seryal at mga butil na pagkain na walang dagdag na asukal ay sadyang may taglay na natural na asukal dito, siksik din ang mga ito sa karbohaydreyt. Hibla

Ang hibla ay isang bahagi ng pagkaing halaman na hindi natutunaw. Kar mi-han sa tao ay mangangailangan ng 25-30 gramo nito sa bawat araw. Mainam pagkunan nito ang mga pagkain na hindi bababa sa 5 gramo ng hibla bawat kain. Kung ang pagkain ay may 5 gramo o higit pa, maaaring ibawas ito sa kabuuang bilang ng gramo ng karbohaydreyt Sodiyum o Asin sa Katawan

Ang sodiyum (sodium) ay hindi nakakaapekto sa antas ng asukal sa dugo pero maaaring makaapekto sa presyon ng dugo. Karamihan sa tao ay kailangan makakain lamang ng 2400 mg o mas mababa pa dito bawat araw. Kung may-roon ng alta presyon, makakatulong ang bawasan ng pagkain nito. Halaga ng Porsiyento sa Pang Diyetang Araw-araw (% Diet Volume)

Ipinapakita nito ang halaga ng sustanya ng bawat pagkain nararapat sa araw araw na magkaroon ng sapat na 2000 kaloris bawat araw. Ang pagkain ay isang mainam na pagkukuhanan ng sustansiya ng katawan kung ang pagkain ay makapagdudulot ng 10-19 halaga ng porsiyento sa pang araw-araw (% DV). Mas makabubuti kung ito ay makapagbibigay ng 20 porsiyento o higit pa. Sa pagkain ng mas masustansiyang mga pagkain, piliin ang mayroong mababang porsiyento ng DV (Diet Volume) sa taba, purong taba, kolesterol, at sodiyum. Ang mga pagkain na may 5 porsiyento (%) sustansiya lamang o hig-it na mababa pa ay maituturing na may mabababang sustansiya. Sikapin ang makakain sa bawat araw ng mga pagkain na makapagdudulot ng may 100 hal-aga ng porsiyento (% DV) sa hibla, bitamina at mineral.

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PARA SA MAY DIABETES: MGA PAGKAIN NA MABABA ANG GLYCEMIC INDEX

Ang glycemic index (GI) ay isang paraan upang sukatin ang abilidad ng isang pagkain na pataasin ang antas ng asukal sa dugo (blood sugar) pagkatapos kumain. Sapagkat ang ugat ng diabetes ay mataas na asukal sa dugo at ang ka-walan ng kakayanan ng ka-tawan na kontrolahin ito, rekomendado para sa mga may diabetes ang pagkain ng mga pagkain na mababa ang glycemic index. Ang glycemic index ay binubuo ng mga numero mula 0 hanggang 100. Itinuturing na mababa ang glycemic index ng isang pagkain kung ang grado nito ay mababa sa 55. Itinuturing naman na mataas ang glyce-mic index ng isang pagkain kung ang grado nito ay mataas sa 70. Heto ang listahan ng mga karaniwang pagkain na mababa ang glyce-mic index, ang rekomendado sa mga taong may diabetes. Subalit, tandaan na hindi lamang glycemic index ang konsiderasyon sa pagpili ng pagkain. Depende sa inyong kondisyon, dapat iwasan din ang mga pagkain na mataas ang kolesterol, uric acid, at iba pa. Isa pa, kahit anong pagkain, kung nasobrahan, ay nakakasama sa kalusugan.

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MGA PAGKAIN NA MABABA ANG GLYCEMIC INDEX

Brown rice (ang regular na kanin ay MATAAS ang GI) Pasta (spaghetti, ravioli, etc.) Gatas Yoghurt Kamoteng kahoy Nilagang gabe/ube ‘Oats’ na pang-umagahan; ‘Muesli’ Mani

MGA PRUTAS NA MABABA ANG GLYCEMIC INDEX

Buko Ubas (grapes) Mansanas (apple) Orange Dalandan Suha Hilaw na manga

MGA GULAY NA MABABA ANG GLYCEMIC INDEX

Mga ‘beans’ gaya ng sitaw, bataw, patani kamatis Repolyo (cabbage) Lettuce Red pepper (sili) Bawang Sibuyas Talong Carrots

BAKIT ANG MGA KARNE AT ISDA AY HINDI KASAMA DITO? Ang glycemic index ay sukat ng asukal sa mga pagkain na nagbibigay ng ‘carbohydrates’. Ang mga karne, isda, at iba pa ay pinagmumulan ng protina, hindi ng carbohydrates, kaya hindi sila masusukat ng glyce-mic index. Subalit ang prinsipyo ng pagkain ng sapat lamang na karne, ang pag-iwas sa mga taba at sobrang pagkain, ay dapat isakatuparan.

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MGA PAGKAIN, PRUTAS, AT GULAY NA MATAAS SA FIBER Ang sumusunod ay listahan ng mga iba’t ibang pagkain na mataas sa fiber, hango sa iba’t ibang datos gaya ng website ng Mayo Clinic. Mga prutas na mataas ang fiber:

Mga ‘citrus’ gaya ng suha o pomelo at orange Mansanas at peras (apples and pears) Pasas (raisins) saging na hinog (ripe banana) – kapag hilaw at naparami, maaari ring magdulot ng pagtitibi ang saging

Mga gulay na mataas ang fiber:

Green peas Sitaw, bataw, patani Broccoli Cabbage Saluyot Malunggay Carrot Spinach

Mga pagkain na mataas ang fiber:

Pasta (yung nasa spaghetti) Cereals Oatmeal Brown rice

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MAS DELIKADO ANG ALAK KAYSA SA BAWAL NG GAMOT? Ayon sa isang pagsusuri na nailahad sa journal na The Lancet at sinu-portahan ng British Centre for Crime and Justice Studies, ang alak daw ay mas delikado pa sa mga bawal na gamot tulad ng heroin at crack co-caine. Gumawa ang mga dalubhasa ng bagong systema na kung tawagin ay “Multicriteria Decision Analysis” kung saan nilalagyan ng “score” (0 yung walang masamang epekto at 100 yung pinakamasama) kung gaano kadelikado ang bawal na gamot base sa epekto nito sa kalusugan ng ta-ong gumagamit, epekto sa kanyang kasamahan, karagdagang gastos dahil sa masamang epekto, atbp. RANGKO NG MASAMANG EPEKTO

Alak (Alcohol) – 72 Heroin – 55 Crack – 54 Shabu (Crystal Meth) – 33 Cocaine – 27 Sigarilyo / Tabako – 26 Shabu (Amphetamine) – 23 Juts / Marijuana – 20 GHB – 18 Benzodiazepines – 15 Ketamine – 15 Methadone – 14 Mephedrone – 13 Butane – 10 Khat – 9 Ecstacy – 9 Anabolic Steroids – 9 LSD – 7 Buprenorphine – 5 Mushrooms – 5

ANG DELIKADO, HINDI NANGANGAHULUGANG NAKA-MAMATAY LAMANG Bagamat ang alak ang pinakadelikado sa sarili at sa kapwa tao, ang hero-in, crack cocaine, and metamphetamine (shabu) ang pinakanakamama-tay sa taong gumagamit. Dahil sa laganap ang pag-inom alak, mas mada-las ito nagiging kasabwat o sanhi ng mga kaguluhan. Ang pag-inom ng napakaraming alak araw-araw, tulad ng mga ginagawa ng mga lasengo ay nakasisira sa halos lahat ng parte ng katawan, lalo na ang atay.

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KUNG GANUN, BAKIT HINDI IPAGBAWAL ANG ALAK? Ayon kay Dr. Leslie King, na isa sa mga dalubhasang nagsagawa ng pag-susuri, hindi praktikal na ipagbawal ang alak. Masyado na kasi ito naging malaking bahagi ng ating kultura. Ang tamang pamamaraan ay sikaping mabawasan ang mga taong may problema sa pagiging lasengo sa halip na ipagbawal ito sa lahat. Kung gayon, dapat ay gawin natin ang ating tungkulin na mas ipaalam ang tunay na peligro ng pag-inom ng alak lalo na sa nagiging alipin dito. Reference: David J Nutt, Leslie A King, Lawrence D Phillips. Drug harms in the UK: a multicriteria decision analysis. The Lancet, 2010; DOI: 10.1016/S0140-6736(10)61462-6

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