» WorldFish Center, BAR Strengthen Aquaculture and Fisheries R&D through South-South Collaboration ( Feb. 03, 2010)

Enabling researchers to collaborate across regions and institutions is important. It can pave the way to realizing a long term vision that is more sustainable, transparent, and ubiquitous in nature. And with the advent of information technology (IT) and the Internet, communication and collaboration have allowed researchers in various parts of the globe to work together with ease. Hence, scientific and technological research is now becoming a transboundary endeavor—making way for a growing and thriving and vibrant academic and scientific network. One important trend that has recently emerged and is gathering steam due to its concrete benefits is the scientific collaboration between and among developing countries, often referred to as South–South collaboration.

  » 3 Varieties of Sweet Sorghum Found Suitable for Handmade Papermaking ( Feb. 03, 2010)

Researchers from the Isabela State University (ISU) found another important use for sweet sorghum ( Sorghum bicolor ), this time in the handmade paper industry. This was revealed in a study funded by the Bureau of Agricultural Research (BAR). The technology was developed by Cecilia B. Mangabat and Jouel B. Taggueg, ISU researchers, who identified sweet sorghum bagasse as the main source of fiber. Sweet sorghum bagasse is the pulp or dry refuse left after the juice is extracted from sweet sorghum stalks during the ethanol production process. They are usually treated as farm waste in sweet sorghum plantations which are mainly intended for biofuel production.

  » D.A. Sees Rosy Outlook for RP Exports of Fresh Fruits ( Feb. 03, 2010)

The Department of Agriculture (DA) is bullish on prospects for Philippine fruit exports in 2010 and onwards amid the high growth forecasts for the banana, mango and pineapple subsectors plus the rising global demand, especially in Europe and the United States , for these tropical fruits. In a recent forum, Mariz Agbon of the DA’s Philippine Agricultural Development and Commercial Corp (PADCC), said that the global demand prospects for fresh tropical fruits over the current decade as projected by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) are expected to be favorable, "with the forecast compound growth rate at nearly 8% over the projections period for major tropical fruits." Agbon said global imports of fresh fruits are estimated to reach 4.3 million metric tons by 2010 with 87% or 3.8 million MT destined for markets for developed countries such as the US and those in the European Community (EC).

  » NFA Starts Selling Sugar ( Feb. 02, 2010)

The National Food Authority is now selling refined sugar at P48 per kg to some market-based outlets such as the Institutionalized Bigasan sa Palengke (IBSP) being operated by federation of NFA accredited rice retailers in Metro Manila to help stabilize the commodity's price. To speed up distribution, NFA administrator Jessup P. Navarro said the agency is repacking into one kilogram bag each, some 800 bags of 50 kilogram sugar (Lkg) the Sugar Regulatory Administration initially released to the NFA.The 800 Lkg from SRA are being allocated to several public market under NFA’s operational jurisdiction depending on the number of existing IBSP in the area.

  » DA Sets Aside P569-M for El Nino Mitigation Measures in Palay Sector ( Feb. 02, 2010)

The Department of Agriculture (DA) is implementing P570 million-worth of intervention measures for the palay sector to offset the effects of the El Niño dry spell on rice production this year. This amount is part of the P1.7 billion that the DA will realign from its regular budget in 2010 to carry out measures to reduce the expected production losses in the agriculture sector from a possibly prolonged El Niño attack, according to Agriculture Undersecretary Bernie Fondevilla. El Niño refers to the unusual warming of sea surface temperatures along the equatorial Pacific that is usually characterized by below-average rainfall, which leads to a dry spell.

  » D.A. Takes Action vs 65 Retailers Overpricing Sugar ( Feb. 01, 2010)

The Department of Agriculture (DA) has taken action against an initial 65 retailers in 22 markets all over Metro Manila found by its price monitoring team to be selling refined sugar higher than the suggested retail price (SRP) of P52 per kilo that had been fixed by the Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) for the last week of January.In a report to Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap, Undersecretary Bernie Fondevilla said that either of two types of Show Cause Directives (SCDs) was issued to these retailers mandating them to personally explain or submit in writing within 48 hours why they should not be prosecuted for selling sugar beyond the SRP of P52 a kilo.

  » DA To Intensify Production of Crabs, Abalone (Jan. 31, 2010)

The Department of Agriculture (DA) is stepping up the production of blue crabs and abalone to commercial quantities this year and eventually export them overseas, where these marine products are in high demand and command high prices. Agriculture officials said the program would be pilot tested in Eastern Visayas where the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) had set up a seaweed culture farm in the mariculture park of Basey in Samar in preparation for the commercial production of abalone and blue crab. BFAR also put in place tanks that can reproduce 40,000-50,000 juveniles of abalone.

  » NFA impounds rice imports for Bacolod (Jan. 29, 2010)

National Food Authority administrator Jessup P. Navarro immediately sealed off the 20,000 bags of rice previously unloaded from MV Trai Thien 66 to pave the way for an investigation on the reported findings of unknown substance mixed with the rice shipments from Vietnam. Navarro also stopped unloading of the shipment balance still loaded in the vessel until the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) has completed the analysis of the unknown substance mixed with the rice shipment. He also pledged the NFA will fully cooperate with PDEA and other government agencies in charge of combating illegal drugs until those responsible for the reported shipment of unknown substance are finally captured.

  » NIA Adopts Measures to Mitigate "El Nino" (Jan. 27, 2010)

Agriculture Secretary Arthur C. Yap has called on NIA Administrator Carlos S. Salazar to closely monitor the status of water supply particularly in the four major dams located in Luzon , amidst reports of decreasing water level in the said reservoirs. These four major dams are the Magat Dam in Isabela, Pantabangan Dam in Nueva Ecija , San Roque Dam in Pangasinan, and Angat Dam in Bulacan. In response to this directive, Administrator Salazar said that NIA has been monitoring the water level of the four major reservoirs on a daily basis,

  » D.A. Warns Sugar Profiteers (Jan. 27, 2010)

The Department of Agriculture (DA) and the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) are closely monitoring retail prices of sugar in Metro Manila and elsewhere and will not hesitate to padlock establishments or stores--and file appropriate charges against their owners—caught selling this commodity beyond the newly pegged suggested retail price (SRP) of P52 per kilo. Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap said both DA and DTI will keep tabs on price movements across the supply chain from the sugar mills to retail outlets so the government can spot abnormal price adjustments.

  » RP Gets World Record for Heaviest Mango (Jan. 27, 2010)

A farmer in Mindanao has once again proven that Filipinos have world-class skills in agriculture and other fields, following the official recognition by the Guinness World Records (GWR) of the world’s heaviest mango produced by a fruit grower from Iligan City. Secretary Arthur Yap of the Department of Agriculture (DA) proudly announced that Socorro Bodiongan from Iligan City in Northern Mindanao set the new Guinness World Record for the heaviest mango at 3.435 kilograms breaking the 2.4 kg mango from Hawaii.

  » NFA sets palay buying target to 2.1 million cavans for the next four months (Jan. 26, 2010)

The National Food Authority ushers the year with aggressive palay buying. A total of 249,905 bags was procured in three weeks period equivalent to forty six percent of the month's 537,500 bags target. While the volume bought maybe lower compared to the same period last year, NFA administrator Jessup P. Navarro said the quantity procured is already an accomplishment since farmers are just starting to harvest their palay. Unlike with the same period last year where the main harvest was extended, the typhoons that hit the country in the last quarter affected most of palay producing regions. "Through the agency’s buying operations we were able to help farmers who recovered and were able to plant and harvest their palay early," said Navarro .

  » Yap Cites Dynamic Partnerships in Protecting Coral Triangle (Jan. 25, 2010)

Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap has cited the strengthening of partnership between Government and private sectors in pursuing international and national innovations—ranging from better tuna fishing practices to climate change adaptation—that are meant to protect the Coral Triangle and ensure its diversity and sustainability for some 350 million people. The Coral Triangle is home to a majority of the world’s known coral reefs and species as well as to more than 350 million inhabitants combined in the Philippines and five more countries that border it. These five other countries are Indonesia , Malaysia , Papua New Guinea , Solomon Islands and Timor Leste.

  » Agriculture Secretary Seeks SRP for Sugar (Jan. 24, 2010)

Secretary Arthur C. Yap of the Department of Agriculture (DA) has directed the Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) to submit a suggested retail price (SRP) for sugar amidst reports that refined sugar prices in some Metro Manila outlets had reached a high of PhP 60.00 per kilo, even as a Bureau of Agricultural Statistics (BAS) report as of January 23 reflected a prevailing price of P 52.00 on refined sugar and P 44.00 per kilo on raw or brown sugar. The consuming public should be informed about the SRP for sugar to prevent overpricing by speculators and unscrupulous wholesalers and retailers who are taking advantage of the current sugar situation”, Yap stressed. SRA Administrator Rafael L. Coscolluela has recommended a weekly SRP for refined sugar.   “Millgate prices change every week, and there is a lag time of three weeks before these prices are reflected in the retail market”, Coscolluela explained.

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