Milyon-milyong piso nawawala taun-taon sa naaaksayang bigas

Ni JOH DUNGCAPinuri kamakailan ni dating food minister Jesus T. Tanchanco Sr. ang Department of Agriculture (DA) at National Food Author-ity (NFA) sa paglulunsad ng rice conservation program para maiwasan ang napakalaking halaga ng bigas na nawawala dahil na rin sa maraming maling kaparaanan – mula sa pag-aani ng palay hanggang ito ay nasa hapag na ng kainan.

“Milyon-milyong piso taun-taon na halaga ng bigas ang nawalala o nasasayang dahil na rin sa maraming maling ka-paraanan katulad sa pag-aani o harvesting, pagpapatuyo (drying) pag-giling (milling), pag-iimbak (storage) at maging sa ating mal-ing mamaraan ng pagkain,” ayon kay Tanchanco.

Ayon sa pag-aaral na ginawa kamakailan ng Bureau of Agri-cultural Statistics (BAS) at Food and Nutrition Research Insti-tute (FNRI), isa sa 88 milyong Filipino na kumakain ng bigas ay nakakapag-aksaya ng mahigit 14 gramo o isang kutsarang kanin

Milyon-milyong piso nawawalataun-taon sa naaaksayang bigas

BIGAS DONA MARIA

JASPONICAMasayang itinaas ni Sen. Mar Roxas ang isang sako ng bigas na Doña Maria Jasponica bilang pag-indorso sa nasabing produkto. Si Roxas ang naging panguna-hing tagapagsalita sa na-karaang First Bulacan Business Conference na ginanap kamakailan sa Hiyas Convention Center sa Malolos, Bulacan. Ang bigas na Doña Maria Jasponica ay produkto ng SL Agritech Corp. Kasama ni Sen. Roxas sina Bulacan Gov. Jo-selito Mendoza (kaliwa) at dating food minister Jesus Tanchanco Sr.

MARSO-ABRIL2008

isang araw na kung pagsasama-samahin ay umaabot sa 24,805 sako na may kabuuang halagang P22 milyon isang araw o P264 milyon sa isang taon.

“Obserbahan ninyo sa mga restauran ang karamihan mata-pos silang kumain. Mapapansin ninyo na mraming kanin ang na-titira sa kanilang mga plato. Ito ay nangyayari rin sa atin-ating mga bahay. Katulad ng mga tutong na karamihan sa atin ay hindi na natin kinakain o kundi man, ilan pa ring butil ng kanin ang naiiwan sa ating mga pinggan,” ani Tan-chanco na naging administrador din ng NFA.

Sinabi rin ni Tanchanco na consultant ngayon ng SL Agritech Corp., pangunahing producer ng SL-8H hybrid rice seeds, na bil-yong piso naman taun-taon ang nagagasta ng bayan “ dahil na rin sa walang tigil nating pag-aangkat ng bigas sa ibang bansa.”

(Sundan sa pahina 10) (Sundan sa pahina 11)

Nakatakdang bisitahin sa April 4 ng mga opisyales ng Philip-pine Agricultural Journalists (PAJ) ang hybrid rice research center ng SL Agritech Corp. sa Barangay Oogong sa Sta. Cruz, Laguna.

Bibisitahin ng grupo ang nasabing lugar matapos itong dumalo sa ikalawang-taong anibersaryo ng PAJ-Calabarzon sa UP Los Banos, Laguna, kung saan gaganapin din ang planning conference ng PAJ Board.

“Para isang lakaran na lang. Pagkatapos nating umatend sa anibersaryo ng PAJ-Calabarzon sa umaga, magkakaroon tayo ng planning conference at tuloy na tayo sa SL Agritech at doon

Opisyales ng PAJ, takdang bumisitasa hybrid rice farm ng SL Agritech

vOL. 2 NO. 11 INILALATHALA TUwINg IKALAwANg BUwAN Ng SL AgRITecH cORp. MAR. - ApR. 2008

Agriculture is sole engine of RP

economic growthPage 2

IRRI official tackles

food securityPage 5

PAJ holds Binhi Awards Night

Page 7

Book on RP rice industry cited

Page 9

(Turn to page 3)

(Turn to page 6) (Turn to page 2)

By SANNY GALVEZ

SL Agritech Corporation is increasing the production of its SL-8H hybrid rice seeds variety to cope with the demand of farmers.

Henry Lim, chairman and chief executive officer (CEO) of SL Agritech Corp., the country’s top hybrid rice producer, noted in the past months the “growing demand of our seeds by farmers all over the country.”

“Many farmers are planting the hybrid rice seeds because they are now convinced that, indeed, it has substantially increased their production and income,” Lim said.

SL Agritech Corp. manages a 40-hectare hybrid rice research center in Barangay Oogong in Sta. Cruz, Laguna, and a 700-hectare hybrid rice seed production area in Lupon, Davao Oriental.

“We have also developed over 100 hectares of

SL Agritech hiking productionof SL-8H hybrid rice seeds

BECAUSE OF THE GROWING DEMAND BY FARMERS

Senator Edgardo J. Angara said despite the apparent government neglect, agricul-ture is still registering growth only because of the ingenuity and industriousness of our Filipino farmers.

Speaking before the members of the Philippine Agricultural Journalists (PAJ) during its 2007 Binhi Awards Night last Dec. 14, at Hotel Rembrandt in Quezon City, Angara, who is chairman of the Sen-ate Committee on Agriculture, said “this neglect is the primary reason why we have

Sen. Angara citesagriculture growth

ANGARA

Nueva Ecija may soon be-come the hybrid rice capital of the country as more and more farmers in the province are now planting the hybrid rice variety and using an integrated farming scheme “which has maximized their rice yield and income.”

This is according to Henry Lim, following a visit recently at a Nueva Ecija hybrid rice farm with Dr. Zhang Zhaodong, a Chinese

NUEVA ECIJAMAKES BID TO BECOME RP’S HYBRID RICE CAPITAL

rice scientist who is executive vice president for research and development of his firm.

“Hamak laki ng kanilang inaani ngayon than before when they were planting the traditional rice variety and were not work-ing as a group. But now, under a cluster system, their harvest has not only increased tremendously but their income as well,” Lim

THE CONCERTED efforts of the government and the farmers for increased rice production are bearing fruit as more and more farmers are now planting the high-yielding SL-8H hybrid rice seeds variety. In several provinces in Central and Northern Luzon, as well as in Visayas and

Mindanao, most farmers have now shifted to hybrid rice production as their harvest and their previous incomes have increased. Shown above are farmers in San Jose, Nueva Ecija, carrying bags of SL-8H hybrid rice seeds which they had just bought from a parked SL Agritech delivery truck.

GINTONG BUTIL MAR. - ApR. 20082

editorial

STAFF

SANNY GALVEZEditor-in-Chief

JOSEPHINE E. DUNGCA Managing Editor

Contributing Editors:Rudy A. Fernandez

Dr. Sosimo Ma. Pablico

Viktor Penas Carlo CaluagPhotographers

Carmina Cruz Jivin Relato

Graphic ArtistsGintong Butil is published every two months by SL Agritech Corp.,

a division of Sterling Group of Companies, with editorial andbusiness offices at 2302 Sterling Place, Pasong Tamo Ext.,

Makati City. Telefax No. 810-1604

goldengrain

sanny galvez

NUEVA ECIJAsaid.

He said the Bagong Bu-hay Multi-Purpose Coopera-tive (BBMPC) in Mabini in Sto. Domingo in Nueva Ecija, a cluster of 200 hectares, “is one example where working together as a group or common sharing of resources, will have tremendous effect especially as regards food production.”

BBMPC has been named by the DA as a “model hybrid rice cluster” as its farmer-members

ang dry harvest season, nakapag-ani ako ng 246 cavanes kada ektarya. Ang average ani ng aking mga kasama sa kooperatiba ay 200 cabanes kada ektarya. Paano kami aani ng ganito kalaki kung imbred rice variety ang aming itatanim at hindi kami sama-sama na magtatrabaho sa bukid? he asked, adding that the members of his group are using modern farm methods and technologies.

Lim at the same time com-mended the members of the

(From page 1)

have been posting an average har-vest of 180 cavans or 10.09 metric tons (MT) per hectare using the SL-8H hybrid rice variety.

Felino “Jojo” Garcia Jr., BBMPC chairman, said during a recent interview with members of the Philippine Agricultural Journalists (PAJ) that using the clustering approach, farmers will greatly benefit as they will maximized their rice yield and income.

“Ako na lang, noong nakara-

BBMPC who, he said, “are re-ceptive in adopting modern farm technologies and practices.”

He said that while “we are all aware of the important role played by technology in our mas-sive food production efforts, there is the apparent need for all of us to keep abreast with the various technological approaches and to continuously be in search of new and better systems towards increased productivity.”

Ang Hybrid Rice Commercialization Program na ini-implementa sa buong bansa ng Department of Agriculture (DA), ay marami ng beses na napatunayan ng nasabing ahensya na ang pagtatanim ng hybrid rice ay hindi lamang nakapagpapalaki ng ani ng mga magsasaka kundi gayuyndin ng kanilang kita o income.

Sa isang magkahiwalay na survey na ginawa noong nakaraang taon ng Bureau of Agricultural Statistics (BAS) sa lalawigan ng Leyte, Davao del Norte at Isabela, lumabas sa kanilang record na ang mga magsasaka doon na nagtatanim ng hybrid rice ay nakapag-aani ng mahigit doble sa dati nilang inaani at dahil nga dito, lumaki rin ng todo ang kanilang kita,

-o0o-Sinabi ni Henry Lim na dapat din na ang pamahalaan

ay maglunsad ng malawakang pagtatanim ng hybrid rice sa Visaya at Mindanao.

Alam ng marami na ang Visaya at Mindanao ay kapwa corn-producing region pero hindi katulad ng inbred rice seeds, ang high-yielding hybrid rice ay puewedeng itanim doon ng malawakan.

Isang halimbawa ang binigay ni Mr. Lim nang minsan kaming magkausap over cups of coffee. Sabi niya: “If there is a shortage in rice production in Northern and Central Luzon, these provinces (Visayas and Mindanao) which will be produc-ing the said rice variety, will become our saving grace.”

Kung baga sa sasakyan, kailangang may reserbang gulong kung sakaling maplatan.

-o0o-Maganda rin ang sinabi ni dating food minister at NFA

Administrator Jesus Tanchanco tungkol sa ikauunlad ng agri-kultura sa ating bansa. Ang sabi niya ang Pilipinas daw will never prosper unless we give agriculture the highest priority in our national economic agenda.

-o0o-Dugtong pa niya: “There is still much to be done in the area of

agriculture. Kailangang mabigyan ng ating pamahalaan ng malaki at kaukulang pansin ang ating agrikultura which is the sole engine of our economic growth.”

-o0o-When the Arroyo administration embarked on the production

of hybrid rice in 2001, the goal was to reduce the country’s increasing importation of the cereal and save on precious dol-lars, generate jobs in the countryside, improve farmers’ income through higher yields and attain self-sufficiency in rice.

Ang tanong: Has the program made an impact in the Philip-pine economy since its implementation in 2001?

Sad to say, malayo tayo sa ating inaasahan because the government has not decidedly or aggressively finance the program. We are spending almost P28 billion a year in rice importation pero sa rice production, ang sabi nga ng mga magsasaka, “katitik lang.”

Agriculture is sole engineof RP’s economic growth

Farmers in Sto. Domingo Nueva, Ecija led by Jojo Garcia (4th from left, standing) pose with Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap (center) during a re-cent SL-8H hybrid rice harvest festival sponsored by SL Agritech Corp.

GINTONG BUTILMAR. - ApR. 2008 11

Opisyales ng PAJ, takdang bumisitasa hybrid rice farm ng SL Agritech

makikita natin ang 40-hectare hybrid rice seeds farm ng SL Agritech,” sinabi ni Noel Reyes ng Department of Agriculture (DA) na vice president for inter-nal affairs ng PAJ.

Handang sumalubong sa grupo si Henry Lim, chairman and chief executive officer (CEO) ng SL Agritech Corp. at iba pang opisyales ng tanggapan.

Ang SL Agritech ay tinutu-ring na pinakamalaking prody-user sa bansa ng hybrid rice seeds at ang pinaka-tanyag sa mga ito ay ang kanilang SL-8H variety na nakakapag-ani ang isang magsa-saka ng hanggang 250 cavanes kada isang ektarya.

Ang SL Agritech ay mayroon ding 700-hectare hybrid rice seed production farm sa Lupon, Davao

Oriental. Sa Tabuk, Kalinga, 100 ektarya ang dinebelop ng SL sa pagtatanim ng hybrid rice seeds, na ayon kay Mr. Lim, ay “para matustusan ang malaking pan-gangailangan o demand ng mga magsasaka sa buong bansa.

Ang PAJ ay binubuo ng mga manunulat sa agrikultura mula sa iba’t ibang pahayagan at babasa-hin.

Ang mga opisyales nito ay sina Sanny Galvez ng Manila Bulletin, presidente; Reyes; Dr. Deng Maunahan, VP for external affairs (UP Los Banos); Ruby Lu-

mongsod, secretary (Quedancor); Inez Magbual, treasurer (Nabcor); Thelma Tolentino, auditor (Phil. Coconut Authority); at Johnny Goloyugo, PRO (International Rice Reseach Institute).

Ang mga director ay sina Rudy A. Fernandez, Philippine Star; Fermin Diaz, LamB Maga-zine; Joh Dungca, Gintong Butil; Cora Abio, National Food Author-ity; Conrad Carino, Manila Times, Ed Munsayac, Senate Committee on Agriculture; Mike Alunan, freelance writer; at Max Balleste-ros, dati sa Manila Standard.

(Mula sa pahina 12)

SA KABUKIRANNi JOH DUNGCA

Ang inyong lingkod at ang aming editor na si Mr. Sanny Galvez ay nakausap ang ilang magsasaka sa Nueva Ecija at dito ay nalaman namin ang kanilang nagiging problema sa pagtatanim ng hybrid rice tuwing tag-ulan (o wet season). Karamihan pala ay di nagtatanim ng hybrid sa kadahilanang mas susceptible sa diseases ito tulad ng bacterial streak at bacte-rial leaf blight. Sinasabi nila na mas malaki ang kanilang gastos sa tuwing wet season dahil kailangan nilang doblehin ang pag iispray ng insecticide at pagkokontrol ng damo. Mas malaki din ang incidence ng “lodging” sa panahon na ito kaya’t mas lumiliit ang kanilang ani.

Ayon pa rin sa kanila, mas marami sa kanila ang nagtatanim ng inbred rice variety tuwing wet season para di daw sila masyadong

Lasa ng Jasponica ricemarami ang nasarapan

(Sundan sa pahina 10)

malugi kung tamaan man ang kanilang pananim ng peste. Nevertheless we tried convincing them to plant SL 8 hybrid

rice dahil may panangga naman ito sa bacterial leaf blight. Ang BLB stopper ay produkto ng SL Agritech at ito ang masasabi kong solusyon laban sa bacterial leaf blight, na kahit tamaan man ng peste ang kanilang pananim, malaki pa rin ang ka-nilang aanihin.

-o0o-Nitong nakaraang linggo ay naanyayahan ang consultant ng

SL Agritech Corp. na si Mr. Jesus Tanchanco, Sr. na magsalita sa “1st Bulacan Business Conference na ginanap sa Hiyas Convention Center sa Malolos, Bulacan.

Ang kanyang topic ay “Prospects for Agriculture in Bula-can.” Naging panauhing pandangal sina Senators Mar Roxas at Noynoy Aquino at dinaluhan din ito ng mga negosyanteng mula sa Bulacan.

Sa isang parte ng nasabing okasyon, ang SL Agritech ay nag-karoon ng sampling o taste test ng Dona Maria Jasponica Rice na produkto ng nasabing kompanya. Sa aking napansin, marami ang natutuwa at nagsasabing "ngayon lamang kami nakatikim ng ganito kasarap na kanin."

Ang buong akala ng iba ay imported ang bigas na natik-man nila dahil daw sa ibang-iba ang lasa nito kumpara sa ibang uri ng bigas.

Kuha ang mga lawarang ito sa Mahayag, Zamboanga del Sur (kaliwa) sa palayan ni Gng. Rita Tabano (1.5 has.) at sa Molave, Zamboanga del Sur (kaliwa) sa palayan ni G. Oscar del Carmen (4.5 has.). Nakatakdang anihin ang mga palayang ito sa katapu-san ng Marso, 2008.

SL-8H SA MINDANAO

GINTONG BUTIL MAR. - APR. 200810

(Mula sa pahina 12) “Paulit-ulit kong sinasabi na

ang ating bansa ay mananatili sa pag-aangkat ng bigas hangga’t hindi natin binibigyan ng high-est priority ang industriya sa pagsasaka. Hindi tayo dapat lagi na lamang umaasa na may mabibili tayong bigas sa ibang bansa na ginagastusan natin ng bilyon-bilyong piso taun-taon,” sabi niya.

Dugtong pa ni Tanchanco: “Ayon sa istatistika, sa kabuuang produksyon ng palay sa buong mundo, halos apat na porsy-ento lamang is being traded o binebenta. Bumaba lamang ng kaunti ang kanilang produksyon, ang tatamaan ng matindi ay ang mga bansang katulad natin na umaasa na lamang halos sa im-portasyon.

Mula pa lamang sa pag-aani ng palay hanggang sa hapag-kainan, milyon-milyong piso ang halaga na nawawala dahil na rin sa di wastong pama-maraan tulad halimbawa sa pagkiskis (milling), pagpapatuyo (drying), pag-iimbak (storage) at transportasyon.

Milyon-milyong piso...Milyon-milyong piso...

SA KABUKIRANNi JOH DUNGCA

Sa buwan ng Abril, anihan na naman ng palay sa iba't-ibang lalawigan at masasabi kong mas magiging masagana ang aanihin

(Mula sa pahina 11)

ng mga magsasakang nagtataim ng SL-8H hybrid rice. Ito ay sa dahilang ayon na rin sa Department of Agriculture ay parami nang parami sa ating magsasaka ang nagtatanim na ng hybrid rice.

-o0o-Dalangin ko na sana'y hindi tayo makaranas ng kakai-

bang lagay ng panahon kagaya halimbawa ng hindi inaasaang pagbagyo sa ganitong panahon para naman ang ating mga magsasaka na mag-aani sa darating na buwan ay umani ng sagana.

GINTONG BUTILMAR. - APR. 2008 3(From page 1)

farmland in Tabuk, Kalinga, for massive hybrid rice seed produc-tion. With all this, we hope we will be able to fill in the needs of our farmers nationwide,” Lim said.

SL Agritech is scheduled to ship sometime this year 750 metric

tons (MT) of its SL-8H hybrid rice seeds variety to Indonesia. Last year, the firm exported 500 MT of the same rice variety to that country as part of Indonesia’s efforts to accelerate growth of its rice production.

Indonesia, Lim said, has

millions of hectares of potential rice lands that will be planted to hybrid rice.

Lim has signed a memoran-dum of agreement with Syngenta Philippines, Inc. which appointed his firm to market its SL-8H hybrid rice seeds F-1 variety to Vietnam, Thailand and India.

Dr. Frisco Malabanan, di-rector of the Department of Agriculture’s Ginintuang Masa-ganang Ani (GMA) Hybrid Rice Commercialization Program, said hybrid rice has recorded a yield advantage of 33 percent

'Many farmers are planting the hybrid rice

seeds variety because they

are now convinced

that, indeed, it has

substantially increased

their production

and income.'

more than those of inbred certi-fied seeds.

This yield advantage, he said, contributed to a sustained increase in the national palay production of the country.

He said because of the gov-ernment’s implementation of the

hybrid rice program, the country had an incremental palay pro-duction of more than 1.5 million metric tons (MT) thereby sav-ing for our country a staggering amount of P13.9 billion in rice importation.

Above photo is the firm's 100-hectare hybrid rice production area in Tabuk, Kalinga. In Lupon, Davao Oriental, SL Agritech has 700-hectares of farmland planted to SL-8H hybrid rice seeds variety.

SL Agritech's 40-hectare hybrid rice research farm in Bgy. Oogong in Sta. Cruz Laguna. It is being managed by Chinese rice scientists Dr. Weijun Xu and Prof. Zhang Zhaodong.






Book on Philippine rice industry citedDr. Frisco M. Malabanan,

director of the Ginintuang Masa-ganang Ani (GMA) hybrid rice program of the Department of Agriculture (DA), cited the Phil-ippine Agricultural Journalists (PAJ) and the Philippine Rice Research Insti-tute (PhilRice), for publishing a 300-page coffee-table book on the Philippine rice in-dustry.

“I am certain that this book will generate support for the rice industry not only as an income-generating enterprise, but as the centerpiece of the country’s quest for econom-ic recovery,” Malabanan said.

Late last year, Dr. Leocadio S. Sebastian, PhilRice executive director; former food minister and National Food Authority (NFA) administrator Jesus Tanchanco Sr.

and PAJ President Sanny Galvez of the Manila Bulletin, signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) for the publication of the book which is expected to come out sometime this year.

T h e book’s publication staff is

composed of Galvez and PAJ Directors Rodolfo A. Fernandez, Corazon L. Abio and Conrado M. Cariño.

“This book will cover the period 1960 to the present with an overview of the time the cereal

The Philippine rice industry

was introduced in the Philippines by Chinese traders during the 15th century, giving focus on the Marcos era which is considered to be the glory days of the Philippine rice industry,” Galvez said.

He said the book will be di-vided into nine chapters. Chapter I will be an overview of the his-tory of the rice industry in the Philippines; Chater II, the grains industry Circa 1960-86; Chap-ter III, the post Marcos era (the rice industry during the Aquino, Ramos, Estrada and Arroyo ad-ministration;

Chapter IV, rice importation; Chapter V, organizations/ agen-cies involved in the rice industry; Chapter VI, the key players in the rice industry; Chapter VII, the future of the Philippine rice industry; Chapter VIII, rice trivia; and Chapter IX, The role of ag-ricultural journalism in promot-ing the rice industry as a major component of agriculture and economic development.

Tabuk, City, Kalinga-- As a result of its successful hybrid rice seed or F1 trial production in this city, SL Agritech Corp is expanding its production area here to 100-hectares from the origi-nal 14.5 hectares.

SL Agritech technician Enrico Jucal, who super-vised the trial production this wet season, said the farm averaged 1,300 kilos of F1 per hectare which is 500 kilos more than the wet season average in the firm's main production area in Lupon, Davao Oriental.

City Agriculturist Gil-bert Cawis said that the trial production was successful because during the crop-ping season he said, three typhoons hit the city. He expects that the production will be even better during the dry season.

Regarding the expan-sion of the firm's production area, Cawis said that they may only attain half of it because at this time, many local farmers have already sowed.

It will not be hard for the firm and the city agricultural personnel to convince farm-ers to plant the SL-8H AxR (the parent lines of F1) be-cause the average income per hectare of the first farmer cooperators of the firm in the city was P66,000 which is at least P20,000 more than the income of inbred rice farm-ers. (Estanislao Albano Jr.)

SL hybrid rice production

in Tabuk Citya success

Ang kilalang si "Eagle" ng programang Unang Hirit sa Channel 7, ay isa ring magsasaka na ang itinatanim sa kan-yang bukirin sa Bgy. Sigaras, Magdalena, Laguna, ay ang SL-8H hybrid rice seeds. Ayon sa kanya, pangarap niya ang magkaroon ng malaking sakahan para lalo pang lumaki ang kanyang ani sa pagtatanim ng nasabing rice variety. Si Eagle (nakatayo) habang tumutulong siya sa pagtatanim ng SL-8H sa kanyang palayan.


IRRI official tackles foodsecurity, global warming

'Clearly, rice productionis one of theworld’s most

important activities, aswell as an integral aspect

in the globalwar against

poverty, hunger

and malnutrition.'

Dr. Robert S. Zeigler, direct-or-general of the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) underscored three important points in the war against poverty and hunger

First, he said, the world should not be complacent on the issue of global food security. Second, the world should not be complacent in minimizing the impacts of climate change. And third, the world should explore and take advantage of science and technology, “as it has a lot to offer in addressing the climate change factor in rice production.”

Speaking before the Makati Business Club (MBC) forum dur-ing its recent general membership meeting at the Manila Peninsula Hotel, Dr. Zeigler said in the war against hunger, “we have won the battle but we have yet to win the war.”

Dr. Ziegler, who was profes-sor and head of the Department of Pathology and director of the Plant Biotechnology Center at

Kansas State University in the U.S., said that while there may be plenty of food in Asia, “we cannot afford to ignore the serious warn-ing signs of decreasing rice area, yield, and production.”

“Can Asia feed itself? Yes,” he said, “but not with exist-ing technologies and not with-out taking into account climate change.”

According to him, the declin-ing rate of growth in rice product-

ion is particularly alarming to Asian and sub-Saharan African countries whose people depend largely on rice as the primary dietary staple and source of live-lihood.

“That is almost half of the world’s population whose staple food is rice. Majority of these are also the world’s poorest people. Clearly, rice production is one of the world’s most important economic activities, as well as an integral aspect in the global war against poverty, hunger and malnutrition,” he said.

Dr. Zeigler predicted that cli-mate change has become a major threat “as it will affect rice farm-ers for decades to come.”

In fact, he said, studies con-ducted by the Climate Change Research group at IRRI has dis-covered that for every 1oC rise in temperate, there is a correspond-ing 10 percent drop in rice yield.

“Compared with the past, weather patterns today have be-come more severe,” so much so

he said that drought, flooding and salinity will be the top causes of rice farming losses in the future which, in turn, “will result in ex-treme and pervasive poverty over the most populous regions of the world.” (Sanny Galvez)

DR. zEIGLER

ASIAN SEED EXHIBIT SL Agritech Corp, the country's top pro-ducer of hybrid rice seeds, was one of over 50 exhibitors at the Asian Seed Congress '07, sponsored by the Asia and Pacific Seed Association at the Shangri-La Hotel in Mandaluyong City. Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap (2nd from right) who was guest speaker during the opening day of the 4-day

Congress, visited the sales booth of SL Agritech which showcased the firm's SL-8H hybrid rice seeds variety. With him are Henry Lim (2nd from left), chairman and CEO of SL Agritech. At left is Dr. Weijun Xu and Prof. Zhang Zhaodong (right), company VP for research and development and executive VP for research and operations, respectively.

GINTONG BUTIL6

Sen. Angara citesagriculture growth

failed miserably in alleviating poverty in the country.”

“We have been neglecting agriculture in our bid towards economic growth, when it should be the foundation and stepping stone towards building more high-end industries,” he said, as he called on the country’s agri-cultural writers “to make our farmers informed of our explicit advocacy to constantly develop new programs in developing bet-ter agricultural practices and sup-port services, with an ultimate end goal of uplifting our nation from the shackles of poverty.”

Citing the recent World Bank (WB) report which described East Asia’s transforming econo-my as dependent on agriculture in terms of employment, he said 57 percent of its population or 218 million people, are involved in agriculture.

(From page 1)

“But because little atten-tion and support has been given the sector during the last de-cade, agriculture’s share in the economy,” he said, “is dropping, amounting to 30 percent or the region’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) this year.”

“Simply put, more and more people are depending on agri-culture for their livelihood, but there is less and less income to distribute among farmers.” In numerical terms, he said, a gar-gantuan 90 percent of the poor in East Asia and the Pacific reside in the countryside.

“What WB reported of East Asia reflects the reality here in the Philippines. Almost half of our population has to share around 20 percent (according to the National Statistical Co-ordination Board) contribution of agriculture to our GDP,” he

said.Former Food Minister and

National Food Authority Ad-ministrator Jesus Tanchanco and Henry Lim Bon Liong, chairman and CEO of SL Agritech Corp. cited the PAJ for sponsoring the Binhi Awards which, they said, “is more inspiring for our agricultural writers whose task of disseminating agricultural in-formation is a vital contribution to national economic develop-ment.”

Angara said the government should provide more support for farmers in terms of access to the market, credit, training and extension services and farming facilities “if we are to utilize agriculture as an effective tool in fighting poverty and promoting economic development.” (Sanny Galvez)

The 2007 Philippine Agricultural Journalists (PAJ) Binhi Awards win-ners pose for posterity with (from left, seated) Chito Lozada of the Daily Tribune, one of the contest judges; former food minister Jesus Tanchanco

Sr.; PAJ President Sanny Galvez, Henry Lim, chairman and CEO of SL Agritech Corp. and Noel Reyes, PAJ vice president for internal affairs and chairman of the Binhi Awards Committee.

'More and more people are depending on agriculture for their liveli-hood, but there is less and less income to distribute among farmers.' 'THE BIG THREE' --Henry Lim, Sen. Angara and Jess Tanchanco

GINTONG BUTIL 7

PAJ’s 2007 BINHI AWARDS NIGHT

By CORA ABIO

Sen. Edgardo Angara was the guest of honor and keynote speaker of the Philippine Agricultural Journalists (PAJ) during its 27th Binhi Awards Night held last Dec. 14, at Hotel Rembrandt in Quezon City.

The 7 p.m. affair was attended by the win-ners of the 2006-2007 Binhi Awards writing contest, a yearly project of PAJ since 1978. It is now considered the most sought-after awards by agricultural journalists who, in not only project-ing Philippine agriculture, garner the prestige that goes with it.

In his speech. Sen. Angara, who is chairman of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, said “we have been neglecting agriculture in our bid towards economic growth, when it should be the foundation and stepping stone towards building more high-end industries.”

Despite the apparent government neglect, agriculture, he said, is still registering growth only because of the ingenuity of Filipino farm-ers. “This neglect is the primary reason why we have failed miserably in alleviating poverty in the country,” he said.

Among those present during the evening affair were Agriculture Undersecretary Berna-dette Romulo-Puyat, Henry Lim, chairman and CEO of SL Agritech Corp., former food minister and NFA Administrator Jesus T. Tanchanco Sr.,

Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) Ex-ecutive Director Leocadio Sebastian; 2007 Binhi Awards Board of Judges chairman Jose L. Pavia, executive director of the Philippine Press Institute (PPI) and committee member Chito Lozada, busi-ness editor of the Daily Tribune; Elinando Cinco, columnist of the Manila Bulletin; and book author Manny Azarcon.

Mr. Lim and Mr. Tanchanco cited PAJ in their inspirational talks for sponsoring the Binhi writing contest which they said “is more inspiring for our agricultural writers whose task of disseminating agricultural information is a vital contribution to national economic development.”

Adjudged winners of this year’s Binhi Awards were Dr. Sosimo Ma. Pablico of the Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice), as “Agricultural Journalist of the Year;” Melody Aguiba (Manila Bulletin), “Agribeat Reporter of the Year;” Joel D. Adriano (People’s Journal), “Environment Journalist of the Year;” Roberto Domoguen (Dept. of Agriculture-Cordillera), Environment Story of the Year;”

Bar Digest (DA-Bureau of Agricultural Re-search), “Agricultural Magazine of the Year;” Bar Chronicle (DA-Bureau of Agricultural Research), “Agricultural Newsletter of the Year;” Oras Ti Mannalon (DA-Ilocos Region), “Agricultural Radio Program of the Year;” Rita T. dela Cruz (DA-Biureau of Agricultural Research), “ Agri-cultural Photojournalist of the Year;” and Boo Boo Rat (DA-PhilRice), “Agricultural Info/Media Campaign of the Year.”

The awards were presented to the winners by Angara and assisted by Lim, Tanchanco and PAJ President Sanny Galvez of the Manila Bulletin. Other judges of the contest who were unable to attend were Diego Cagahastian, news editor of the Manila Bulletin; Ray Enano, business editor of the Manila Standard Today; and former Rep. Gualberto Lumauig.

Chairman of the 2006-2007 Binhi Awards Committee was Noel Reyes, PAJ vice president for internal affairs.

The major sponsors of the affair included San Miguel Corp., SL Agritech Corp., Philip Morris Philippines Manufacturing, Inc. and Bayer Philip-pines, Inc.

Dr. Pablico of PhilRice adjudged "Agricultural Journalist of the Year"

'THE BIG THREE' --Henry Lim, Sen. Angara and Jess Tanchanco

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