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Organic Lechon Festival In Dagupan: April 24, 2012

THIRTY naturally-farmed pigs weighing about 30 kilos each will be made into lecnon in the First Dagupan's Best Special Lechon National Open Competition on Tuesday, April 24, 2012 at the Dagupan City Plaza.
 This is part of a program of Mayor Benjamin Lim to attract tourists to the city. The vision is to make Dagupan City the food capital of the North, attracting tourists to taste the special foods there that include the famous Dagupan bangus.
  Another objective is to provide livelihood to the families in the barangays. The families could raise naturally-farmed pigs for making into lechon or for organic pork.
  Photo shows Kagawad Virgilio Aquino of Brgy. Salisay who is taking care of 10 pigs the natural farming way for the letchon roasting competition on Tuesday, April 24.

Apple Makopa at Teresa Orchard & Nursery

NILDA MONTILLA shows newly harvested fruits of the  Apple Makopa at the Teresa Orchard & Nursery. The maroon fruits are big fleshy, crunchy and sweet. This is one variety that can be grown in containers as well as direct in the ground. 
  Marcotted plants are now available at the Teresa Orchard & Nursery in Teresa, Rizal. With proper care the plants will bear fruit in one to two years. There are also plants in large rubberized containers, about 8 ft tall and already fruiting.
 Teresa orchard is very easy to locate. It is along the road, Km 36.6, about 30 meters before the Teresa-Morong boundary. Teresa is the town next to Antipolo City. For more information, text or call 0917-841-5477.

Oysters Grown On Floating Bamboo Raft

This is the bloating bamboo raft. Strips of rubber about
an inch wide are attached under the bamboo raft.

The old system in growing oysters at the Pantal River in Dagupan City is to put bamboo stakes in the ground. The spats or baby oysters will attach themselves to the bamboo poles.
  Now, Dagupan City agriculturist Emma Molina, a fisheries expert, has introduced the floating bamboo raft system. In this system, strips of rubber (interior of trucks) about an inch wide and two meters long, are  suspended from the bamboo raft. The spats will attach themselves to the strips of rubber.
  The advantage is that there is freer flow of water than when the bamboo poles are staked in the ground.

Oysters Return to Pantal River

For many years in the past, oysters used to be an important source of income for fisherfolk in Dagupan City’s seven rivers, especially the Pantal river. But the good oyster years were overtaken by fish cages that eventually clogged the free flow of water resulting in polluted and silted river beds.

  According to city administrator Vladimir Mata and city agriculturist Emma Molina (who is a fisheries expert), the rivers were filled with fish cages that numbered no less than 1,600 which were a goldmine for the fish farmers and their financiers. But they wrought havoc to the environment.

  The oyster farms in Pantal river were totally displaced in 1987 by the fish cages where fingerlings of bangus and other species were cultured for a period of three months. Although the cost of putting up and maintaining the cages for a three-month growing cycle needed a capital of P500,000, the returns were very attractive. According to Emma Molina, the profit ranged from 25 to 36 percent. At 25 percent, that’s P125,000 net profit from one cage of 300 square meters in less than 100 days,  and if it is 36 percent, that’s P180,000!

  Because of the big return on investment, the river was abused. More fish cages were erected than ccould be maintained for the river’s good health. Because the fish have to be fed with commercial ration, the excess feeds polluted the river. Siltation ensued. According to city administrator Mata, the river used to be six meters deep but by 2008, many portions of the river were only three meters deep.

  Something had to be done. The city council passed an ordinance that would demolish the fish cages in the river. Of course, the operators and their financiers did not like the idea because that meant the loss of their profitable income. Many of the fish farmers were financed by 14 big financiers, each financier may be funding at least 30 fish cages. One could just imagine the income from that number of cages considering that the profit margin was from 25 to 36 percent.

  So it was not easy for the city authorities to eject the fish cages. But with the political will of the city council, the fish cages were finally demolished in 2010. The next agenda was to dredge the river. The dredging involved a really big amount, at least P6 million, but it was done. The dredged materials were used as landfill  in the low-lying coastal barangays to the joy of the residents there.

  The rehabilitated river once again came to life and the endemic species once again thrived. One species that is being revived now is oysters. According to Emma Molina, the city agriculturist who is a fisheries expert, a new system of growing oysters is being introduced in Pantal river. This is the so-called floating raft system.

  She explains that in the traditional system of growing oysters, bamboo poles were erected in the river where the spats or baby oysters attached themselves. That’s not good, according to her because the bamboo poles impeded the free flow of water. Under the new system a bamboo raft is used. The raft floats and strips of rubber (the interior of truck tire) are attached under the raft. The spats attach themselves to the rubber strips about two meters long. In about eight months the oysters would be ready for harvesting. What’s good with oysters is that they don’t need commercial feed. Initial trials in growing oysters in floating rafts have been very successful. The cultured oysters are very fleshy.

  The fisherfolk will soon be allowed to make their own bamboo rafts for culturing oysters. Also, bangus and other species (samaral, pompano, seabass) and others will be cultured but the area for such projects will be limited to 26 hectares out of the total river area of 649 hectares.

  Because of the cleaned up rivers, the small fisherfolk who fish by hook and line are very happy these days. According to Emma Molina, there are no less than 2,000 such small fishers who catch the endemic species like snapper, samaral, lapulapu, a species locally known as Bulasi, and others. The small fishers are happy because now when they go fishing from 10 in the morning up to 3 in the afternoon. In five hours they usually catch 6 to 9 kilos of assorted species at least worth a thousand pesos. Before, there were only about 1,000 fishers who caught fish by hook and line and they used to catch only three kilos in a period of five hours.

Dagupan City Agriculturist Emma Molina and Zac B. Sarian with a basin
full of newly harvested oysters from the Pantal River in Dagupan City.

  Now it is very obvious that if we protect the environment, the good old days would come back to benefit more number of people. And that could only be done if there is the political will to do it.

Seedless Fruit Trees At Teresa Orchard & Nursery

Planting materials lof seedless fruit trees are now available at the Teresa Orchard & Nursery in Teresa, Rizal. These are seedless Atis, seedless Duhat, seedless Balimbing and seedless Guava. These are, however, in limited numbers.

  Other new offerings of interest are Bhagwa pomegranate from India, tissue-cultured Mama Sita banana, variegated orange, Duku lanzones, Longkong lanzones, Monthong durian, Abiu from Brazil, Mangosteen, pummelo from Vietnam, Perante Orange, Key Lime and others.

  Teresa Orchard & Nursery is very easy to find. It is along the road, just about 30 meters before the Teresa-Morong boundary if coming from Anti;polo. Teresa is the next town to Antipolo. For more info, call or text 0917-841-5477.

Slightly Salted Banana Chips

MRS. CLARA LAPUS of Mama Sita Foundation has a very good suggestion to banana chip makers. She emailed us that she had tasted banana chip that is slightly salted and sliced longitudinally or lengthwise. She tasted this in a Cuban restaurant in Glendale, Los Angeles, California. She says it is very good and suggests that banana chip makers in the Philippines might consider changing their banana chips formula. Instead of making them sweet, how about making them slightly salted?

  Mrs. Clara Lapus and Dr. Bart Lapus are the owners of Marigold Commodities Corporation, the maker of the ubiquitous Mama Sita sauces and condiments that are sold worldwide. The Mama Sita Foundation is mainly responsible for the introduction of Mama Sita banana from Thailand. Mrs. Lapus suggests that more nurseries should propagate planting materials of crops that have unfilled demand like achuete, sour guava, siling labuyo, and some others.

  Marigold Commodities is expanding and will need a lot of raw materials which our farmers could produce in volume.

Toto Barcelona on Alugbati Seeds

Toto Barcelona of Harbest Agribusiness has two bright ideas on Alugbati, the very-easy-to-grow vegetable that is a favorite of Ilonggos. He suggests that you grow Alugbati from seed. Harvest the new shoots when they are about two inches long. Then you stir-fry the you young shoots with salt to taste or with oyster sauce. He swears that it is very delicious and nutritious, too.
  Another idea. He suggest that you grow your Alugbati to maturity and collect the fruits. The fruits, he said make very good jam that is high in antioxidant.
  There are two kinds of Alugbati. One is purple while the other is pure green. We have them both in our own garden. The green which came from China has particularly large leaves. Of course, Alugbati is usually multiplied by means of cuttings. But you should try growing the same from seeds and try doing the suggestion of Toto Barcelona.

Mayor Goes for Organic Farming

DR. FRANK DE LA PENA AND  MAYOR JUN EVASCO

One municipal head who is really serious in propagating organic farming in his own town is Mayor Leoncio “Jun” Evasco of Maribojoc, Bohol. We met him at an organic agriculture presentation at the Natural Farming Institute in Panabo City last March 19.

  The presentation was attended by the head of the Agricultural Training Institute, officials of TESDA, Department of Trade and Industry executives, farmers, Davao City officials and other stakeholders.

  Mayor Evasco is in the process of setting up the facilities for a demo farm and training center on organic agriculture in Brgy. Bayacaba, Maribojoc. He has already planted 10 kinds of grasses and several leguminous shrubs on two hectares that will be used as feed for the farm animals. The buildings for goats, pigs, office and some other facilities are already up. In the process of construction is a fermentation house where the fermented juices of fruits, vegetables and other plants will be processed for use in organic farming. He says training will start middle of this year when everything will already be in place.

  A former priest who was also a former member of the New People’s Army who returned to the fold of the law, Jun is now in his second term as mayor of Maribojoc.  In 2010, he was adjudged national winner the Seal of Good Housekeeping given by the Department of Interior and Local Governments for which he was given a P1-million cash award that he can use in whatever project he chooses. In 2011, he won again and was again given the same amount. This year, he made it again.

   Mayor Evasco is using his cash awards for the training center and demo farm. To prepare for his project, he himself underwent training at the Natural Farming Instute of Frank de la Pena in Panabo City. The members of the town council, the staff of the municipal agriculture office have also undergone training in Panabo.

   He said that Maribojoc is a small town with no tourist destinations to speak of. However, he has something in mind that will fit well with the tourism boom in Bohol where there are a lot of resorts and tourist attractions. He said, he plans to make Maribojoc the producer of organic vegetables, fruits, fish and meat for the tourists patronizing the resorts and hotels in his province.

  Aside from the farmers, those who will be trained at the center will include the barangay officials, women and out-of-school youth.

    The trainees will undergo hands-on practice in growing organic crops that include vegetables and fruits, organic chickens, pigs and goats, and organic fish. Mayor Evasco said that ponds for hito and tilapia are already in place.

  The goat house for 12 milking animals is also ready for occupancy. The women could as well take care of goats which they can feed with grasses and legumes they can grow in their backyard. They could also process organic food products.

  Mayor Evasco also has his own vision of having a tourist attraction in Maribojoc someday. He said that the town is traversed by a big river, the Abatan river, which originates in the mountains of Central Bohol, passing through four other towns. Some day they will come up with a floating market for organic products in the Abatan river, something like the floating market in Thailand.

  That would be really something to see, not only for foreign but also for local tourists.

 

  

APRIL AGRICULTURE MAG OUT

THE APRIL 2012 issue of Agriculture Magazine is now off the press.
  Lady on the cover posing with a big bunch of Mama Sita banana is Dr. Herminia David, a professor of a local university. She posed with one of a couple of Mama Sita bananas in fruit at the time when she attended the Agri-Kapihan at St. Vincent Seminary in Tandang Sora, Quezon City.
  Mama Sita is an introduced variety from Thailand which has several desirable characteristics. The fruit is good tasting as a fresh ripe fruit. It could be fried, grilled, made into fritter, "maruya" or made into banana chips. The plant is low growing. It is sturdy because of its stout pseudostem. 
  The April issue contains a lot of interesting stories that could inspire aspiring as well as long-time practicing farmers. 
  The Agriculture Magazine is published by the Manila Bulletin and edited by Zac B. Sarian. It is the most widely circulated magazine of its kind in the Philippines. It is available in bookstores and the nationwide distribution network of the Manila Bulletin.

Organic Banana at NFI Panabo

Bananas are growing very well the organic way at the Natural Farming Institute that was put up by Dr. Francisco de la Pena Jr. in Panabo City to train farmers, local government officials, entrepreneurs, hobbyists and commercial producers on the basics of organic agriculture. Posing with the bananas is IbnoTurabin from Zamboanga City who is an avid organic farming advocate. Organically produced bananas could command a premium price not only in the local market but also abroad. Japan, for one, is said to be interested in importing organic bananas and other fruits.

A Natural Farming Institute in Panabo

DR. FRANK DE LA PENA

The ongoing trend is production of healthy foods, which means naturally-farmed food products that are not sprayed with chemical pesticides or meat products that are laced with antibiotics.

  The problem is that there are no well established institutions where interested individuals can learn the fine points of organic agriculture. Most of the seminars are conducted by individuals who have been practicing the techniques of organic agriculture. The curriculum is not included in formal institutions of learning such as the colleges of agriculture and state universities.

  Of course, the pioneering individuals are doing good service to the movement. Naturally, if the training is well organized, it could become a healthy partnership of the government and private sector.

  Probably that was what was in the mind of Dr. Francisco de la Pena Jr. when he decided to put up about a couple of years ago his Natural Farming Institute in Panabo City. After all, he is the founder of two colleges in Davao del Norte, one in Tagum and the other in Panabo.

  So far, he has established showcases of naturally farmed pigs, chickens, goat, vegetables, banana, papaya and even bangus. He has formulated an organic fish feed (he is a fisheries expert with a PhD degree), and has vermiculture bins for the production of organic fertilizer. The institute also has a fermentation house where fermented juices of fruits and plant materials are processed for application in organic farming.

  The first batch of trainees came from Davao City consisting mostly of barangay officials. The strategy is to train the higher ups in the community so they can influence their constituents to adopt organic farming techniques more effectively.

  One of the most active barangay captains is Jimmy Poliquit of Davao City who has put up his own projects  of raising organic pigs and chickens. He is now readying a program whereby the barangay funds will be used to support the dispersal of chickens and pigs among interested barangay members. He stressed, however, that before any recipient is given his pigs or chickens, he will have to undergo training.

  Trainees at the Farming Institute of Dr. de la Pena also come from other provinces. For instance, the officials and council members of Maribojoc, Bohol, including Mayor Leoncio Evasco, have undergone training in Panabo.

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