AGGIE UPDATES

Kalinga brew shown in international expo

TABUK CITY, Kalinga – Kalinga Brew, the pioneer commercialized coffee product in package distribution is finding its way to more Asian countries and Europe.

Antuza Refalda, proprietress and sole producer of the organic coffee product has gone to Hongkong last August this year and scheduled trips to China and Taiwan then to Italy to join international expositions. According to Dixie Catacutan of the Department of Science and Technology – Kalinga Training Center, Kalinga Brew and Kalinga Blend are being promoted in the international market through exhibits supported by their agency.

Antuza who went to Hongkong August 13-18 was able to introduce Kalinga Brew to the businessmen and people of the former crown city. Significant of her participation is the prospect of buying a machine from a fellow exhibitor from Hongkong to process candy from coffee. "Aside from introducing Kalinga Brew which is not known to many in Hongkong, I was able to find a machine used to make coffee candy," she proudly said. "And I'm going to buy one," she added.

During the exhibit she was able to receive book orders mostly from Overseas Filipino Workers who established a distribution center there. Though it's her second time to introduce her product in Hogkong, she said most of her patrons are OFWs but she is happy that Philippine coffee product penetrated one of Asia's most industrialized state and entertainment center.

In another development, the Department of Agriculture (DA) has also organized a team of Philippine exhibitors to the 5th China-ASEAN Exposition to be held in Nanning, China from Oct. 22-25 where Antuza Refalda's Nor-Fed Food Products is selected among 40 exhibits.

The participation of Filipino private exhibitors is aimed to promote and expand market for agro-fishery products and to enhance partnership with other foreign businessmen. "I thank DOST and DA for identifying us one of the exhibitors. My participation is not only to promote Nor-Fed products but also Kalinga's original organic coffee products," Refalda said. Refalda added she will travel to Taiwan and Italy early next year to introduce Kalinga Brew which is gaining prominence among coffee drinkers because of its special aroma particularly the selected processed coffee beans known as "Kapin de Motit (Civet coffee).

Last, week a private consultant hired by DOST was in town to give guidance to coffee producers in the province on how to further improve quality of processed coffee and how to engage in mass commercial production. -- PIA-Kalinga


Advances in research on abaca and papaya

The Department of Agriculture-Biotechnology Program Office has recently bared its recent research projects on papaya and abaca last July 30 at the University of the Philippines in Los Baños.

The presentation and field monitoring were done in three parts, said DA-BPO director Alicia Ilaga. The first part was the presentation of the research done by doctors Evelyn Mae T. Mendoza of the UPLB-Institute of Plant Breeding together with Simeona Siar and Antonio Laurena, who introduced papaya ringspot virus (PRSV) resistance to transgenic papaya (Carica papaya) with delayed ripening trait. This group says the target date for commercialization of the product is on 2010, and will be introduced to the market as a hybrid of papaya.

The papaya variant used for the experiment was Davao solo, which, according to the scientists, was the most common papaya variant in the market today. Through genetic engineering, the scientists were able to delay the ripening of the papaya. Then, the scientists introduced the PRSV resistance trait to the papaya with delayed ripening effect.

Efforts were mainly targeted against this virus since it is the most common papaya virus in the country, crippling the industry in Luzon since 1984. In 2003, the virus appeared in Leyte and Panay, as well as in South Cotabato and some parts of General Santos City, Davao del Norte and Davao del Sur.

PRS affects all stages of plant growth, from seedling to maturity. Green concentric ringspots appear on the fruit's surface. The plant also shows yellowing, mosaic, and deformed leaves, oily streaks on the stem and petioles, stunted growth and sterile fruits.

The delayed ripening trait of papaya will ensure farmers of larger income, as this will prevent postharvest losses due to rotting and will allow the transport of the fruit to remote markets. Dr. Siar reported that in one event, the fruit reached a full 14 days without rotting.

With the development of PRSV-resistant papaya with delayed ripening trait, the papaya industry will be assured of a good yield and farmers will enjoy higher incomes, Ilaga added.
Dr Teodora Dizon, also from IPB and a professor in CSC-UPLB, led the second presentation on the development of bunchy top, mosaic and bract mosaic resistance in abaca (Musa textilis) through radiation-induced mutation. The group says the product may be out in the market after four years.

Dizon's team exposed the abaca plants to doses of gamma rays to induce the plant's resistance to bunchy top, mosaic and bract mosaic viruses. Based on the study, one plant can only show resistance to only one type of virus. Dr Dizon also said that the product is competitive to the conventional plant. It is of good fiber quality and can compete with abaca plants that did not undergo irradiation. The plants will be commercialized through micropropagation.

Antonio Lalusin did the last presentation on his study on the development of molecular markers in abaca for use in breeding high fiber quality and bunchy top virus resistant cultivars. He developed hybrids by combining abaca and banana genes. Dr. Lalusin hopes to develop markers that will show which plant will possess good fiber quality, resistance to bunchy top virus and will most likely deliver higher yields.

After the presentation, the scientists showed the laboratories and the plants they were working with. The Philippines is the world's leading producer of abaca, providing 85 percent of the world's supply. The industry brings an annual income of $80 million.

However, due to infestation of bunchy top virus, which is the most dominant abaca disease, the industry output is down anywhere from 30 percent and 50 percent, the Fiber Industry Development Authority (FIDA) reported.

Faced with this big problem, FIDA, DA-BPO and IPB are continuously pushing to develop technologies to help the abaca industry recover from the adverse impact of these debilitating diseases.

Abaca plants infested with bunchy top virus will show a yellowish-white, chlorotic area on lamina and margins of unfurled leaf, mature leaves will become dark green, stiff, narrow, erect and necrotic.

The petioles begin to rise from the same plane at the upper end of the pseudostem resulting in a rosette or bunchy appearance. Infected plants may stay alive for years but they gradually become smaller and their leaves and leafsheaths turn brown before dying. – Arvee Villafuerte / Biolife News Service


TESDA schools to go into food production

In response to the directive of President Gloria Arroyo, Administrators of agriculture and fishery schools of the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) take the lead their in full-scale food production to contribute to national food security.

TESDA agriculture and fishery schools nationwide will soon produce rice and other agricultural crops, livestock, and aquatic products in "commercial quantities," according to TESDA Director General Augusto Boboy Syjuco.

The administrators and officials of TESDA technology institutions gathered in Manila recently for a special meeting which focused on the discussion of the food production plans of each institution. Syjuco convened the meeting in response to the call of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo to utilize all tillable lands to ensure food security and sufficiency.

"The TESDA as a government institution will contribute to our country's food security. We have to tap and maximize the use of existing resources and harness our own expertise in increasing food production," he said.

According to Syjuco, TESDA technical institutions own a combined land area of 2,000 hectares which can be used for agri-fishery production. At present, these technology institutions use their land resources as training laboratories and experimental facilities for various agri-fishery courses. TESDA has 125 technology institutions all over the country.

Pastor Guiao, TESDA deputy director general for community and local government units services, exhorted the agri-fishery schools heads to increase production of agricultural crops, livestock, and aquatic products to contribute to national effort of averting food shortage in the country.

One of the food production plans presented in the meeting was the proposed cultivation and wide scale planting of dragon fruit by the Bangui Institute of Technology in Ilocos Norte. The exotic fruit is presently being grown in Pasuquin and Burgos towns. Another proposal which elicited deep interest among the school heads is the utilization of vermi composting technology to produce organic fertilizers for crop production.

While the agri-fishery schools chiefs noted that increasing food production in their respective schools would require funds for new equipment, support infrastructure, and other inputs, they agreed that implementing their food production plans as soon as possible will generate income for their schools, students and communities.

Incentives for aggie breakthroughs Director Alicia Ilaga of the Biotech Program Office of the Department of Agriculture has called for more incentives for biotechnologists who have developed high-yielding and pest-resistant crops.

Ilaga said researchers deserve to be rewarded for their scientific work and noted that this is consistent with the findings of a study done by the Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) in cooperation with Sikap/Strife Foundation.

She added that these researchers have been working with the Department of Agriculture (DA) for the development of agricultural biotechnology products and their protection and commercialization.

According to the study, majority of the respondents believe that research and development (R&D) results should be commercialized and made public.

A few, however, expressed fear on the effects of biotech products on health and environment.
The researchers who answered in the affirmative say that private commercialization would solve the country's problem on food insufficiency, unemployment and poverty, and would provide faster dissemination of products/technologies to the public.

Moreover, they agree that biotech products would be useless if not commercialized. A small group, however, fears the negative effects of biotechnology on health and the environment. They also express concern about public sector R&D institutions taking profit from products that were initially funded by the state.

Intellectual property rights (IPR) also plays a key role to the planned commercialization. The scientists express concern on how the rights of the researchers and developers would be protected if their products were commercialized.

These findings are found to be closely associated on the respondent's knowledge on biotechnology and IPR awareness.

Those who are knowledgeable are most likely to give positive answers regarding the commercialization of biotech products. Results also imply that the respondents look at gaining and protecting IPR as crucial to commercialization and attracting investors to technologies that give them exclusive rights.

This supports the statement that research products will not create any impact unless the products will not reach the end users, or get commercialized. – Biolife News Service

Kalinga Unoy red rice tested on lowland farming TABUK CITY, Kalinga – The renowned Kalinga Unoy red rice, which thrives only in the upland region of the province was recently tested on lowland farming, for the first time. The project funded by an Australian non-government organization with local tie-up has experimented on a 23-hectare lowland farm, planted between June-July for a 6-month cropping period. The harvest is expected to come by December.

Project manager Brigida Valdez said the project area was distributed into three spots in Barangays Magabbangon and Mapaoay, here and in Rizal municipality.

During the planting when the rain came late, workers have to water the entire planting area using a mechanical water-pump as Unoy seeds need a soaked soil. Valdez revealed a very unconventional farming system introduced by the financier, where the plant is left with the bushes, after it starts to grow.

Valdez said their seeds came from the last harvested upland Unoy in the province. The Unoy industry heightened after its exportation to Montana USA by the Revitalized Indigenous Cordillera Entrepreneur (RICE) Inc, an NGO with links in the international market.

The last shipment quota made by the RICE, Inc. reached 10 tons and is even expected to increase as the price of the commodity earns better rates in the world market. Farmers get P80/kilo now from their produce from the P50/kilo starting price three years ago. This was a breakthrough for the Unoy industry since a new market is in the offing from the Australian financier, who vowed to bring the produce of the first cropping to his hometown, Valdez said.

According to Valdez, this development would effect an improvement in the buying price of Unoy, giving higher margins to farmers. “Unlike the one exported to Montana, which is produced through pure hand pounding, this one is milled by a special machine from Australia to be brought here by the financier.” The machine is designed to maintain the micro-nutrient requirement of the rice and its standard quality for international demand, she said. -- Larry Lopez