Sunday, May 26, 2013

Coco sugar sweetens small town’s finances

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MARIA Virgenia Pejoro
DAVAO CITY—The gathering of coconut sap has always been the domain of tuba gatherers in the country but in a small village in Misamis Oriental, family members were seen lending each one a helping hand in performing the task.
Linabu, however, is not Balingasag town’s tuba capital even if family members would gather at least three times a day as they pour on large vats or containers the saps that their kin had collected from the towering coconut trees.
“Sap gathering is also becoming a family affair in our community,” Maria Virgenia Pejoro, general manager of the Linabu Agrarian Multi-Purpose Coop. (Lampco), says.
Since five years ago, the sight of family members helping each other in gathering coconut sap has always been the scene in the village.
The gathered sap would then be turned over to the Lampco office and they earn money, not just a few bucks, but modest amount of cash enough to better their lives, according to Pejoro.
“We have noted that the quality of lives of the farmers has significantly improved,” she says.
The sap that Lampco members from 49 family-members gather turns into coco sugar at the Lampco mini factory inside the village.
Coco sugar has been touted worldwide as having the lowest glycemic index (GI) of just 35, even beating other sweeteners such as sugar beet, which has a GI of 64; and sugarcane, which has a GI of about 40.
It is also increasingly becoming a phenomenon because of its supposed good role in one’s health and has been selling hot in such countries as the United States and Japan.
Because the end-product has become Lampco’s cash cow, family members doubled their efforts, and from just 5-ton a month, their cooperative’s coco sugar production has since doubled.
These days, “a lot of farmers in the area have motorcycles, which they use for daily commuting, while others were able to send all their children to school, without compromising their other basic needs,” Pejoro, beaming with pride, says.
She adds the good things happening at the cooperative were brought in by their participation in government-sponsored trade fairs in the past, such as the International Food Exhibition (Ifex) in 2010.
To boost its marketing strategy, Lampco also adopted the tagline “Coco Sugar: A Smart Way to be Healthy.”
The Mindanao Development Authority (Minda), which has been assisting emerging ventures as Lampco’s, says in a statement that at the recent Market Week Philippines, Lampco was the top grosser in terms of sales and total amount of orders placed.
Market Week Philippines was a trade fair and showground of on-sale world-class items and products, Minda, Malacañang’s development arm in the south, says.
Minda says like Lampco, it—along with the Department of Trade and Industry and the Department of Agriculture—is also assisting 70 other Mindanao-based food producers, exporters and processors to participate in next year’s Ifex—the largest gathering of emerging and established businesses in the country.
Pejoro adds Lampco knew the importance of Ifex, which was why the cooperative will be participating in it anew next year.
“It was during our first Ifex participation in 2010, when we were able to close a deal with various coco sugar consolidators in Manila, which demanded up to five tons of coco sugar per month,” she says.
Pejoro adds that clinching the deals during the first Ifex was considered “a huge leap for the cooperative given its humble produce of at least three kilos per day at the beginning.”
“We are currently producing at least 10 tons per month, and we are thrilled by this increased demand for healthy and organic sugar,” she cites.
Another good thing that came to Lampco, Pejoro points out, was the recent certification of its coco sugar by Iberica Ambicert, the Spain-based subsidiary of organic-products certifier Ecocert, as carbon-neutral and genuinely organic.
The Europe-based Ecocert is recognized worldwide—including by the US Food and Drugs Administration—for its credible identification of products as purely organic.
Lampco’s Pejoro states the shift to coco sugar production was not an easy path for the cooperative, whose members were mainly copra producers.
First, she says they had to hurdle the mindset that copra production was easier as one only needed to harvest mature coconuts on a trimester basis.
“Coco sap, the main ingredient for the coco sugar, needs to be harvested at least three times a day,” she says.
Another thing, Pejoro says, was that their members were initially against using organic materials in their coco farms because it was perceived as more labor extensive.
“This means huge additional work for the farmers, but when they realized that it was a better source of income, they eventually joined the loop,” Pejoro adds.
Other things that helped convince Lampco members to shift to coco sugar production was the continuous prodding and assistance from government agencies, including the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR).
Such that today, it’s not only family members who help each other gather sap.
At the cooperative’s packing area, they help one another in packing coco sugar by kilo and sachets.
Pejoro says they were looking forward to the day when Lampco members and those in neighboring villages could buy more than just motorcycles and would be able to send their children even to expensive and exclusive schools.
She adds as far as they were concerned, it was not a far fetched projection.
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177,000 ha of Mindanao land eyed for palm oil



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WORKERS gather palm fruits in Isulan, Sultan Kudarat, in this file photo. INQUIRER PHOTO
DIGOS CITY—The transformation of Mindanao into a major producer of palm oil in the next two years has started with major oil palm industry players teaming up with the government.

The setup, the Mindanao Development Authority (Minda) said, includes efforts to make Mindanao “a more viable region for oil palm investments.”

Oil palm (Elaeis guinensis) is the “tree” that produces palm oil. It is touted to have the highest content among oil producing plants, including coconut and olive.

In Malaysia and Indonesia, oil palm fields are considered the two country’s cash cows and recent studies showed these might actually contribute to efforts against global warming.

In a statement also furnished the Inquirer, Minda—Malacañang’s development arm in the South—said under the cooperation setup, oil palm industry players would increase the total area planted to oil palm to 177,000 hectares in the next few years.

Currently, the total area planted for palm in the country is 54,448 hectares, according to data provided by the Philippine Palm Oil Development Council Inc.

Minda said the priority areas considered for expansion by oil palm industry players are those in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao and Caraga region.

Luwalhati Antonino, Minda chair, said government-led business matching sessions between local and global oil palm players are projected to translate into actual investment projects that could propel Mindanao’s emerging palm oil industry.

“Several international players in the oil palm industry are actually very interested in the vast lands that Mindanao has to offer,” she said.

“We just have to continue facilitating the actual implementation of these investments,” she added.
Antonino also announced new developments in the industry, such as the opening of a P600-million oil palm nut crushing facility in Carmen, North Cotabato.

“The mill is estimated to process 30 tons of crude palm oil per hour,” Antonino said, adding that similar facilities needed laborers.

With the development of more areas for oil palm, Antonino said labor demand would also increase, which would translate to income for more families. Kaiza Marie Nawal, Inquirer Mindanao


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Wednesday, December 12, 2012

Coffee plantations eyed in upland Leyte areas



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TACLOBAN CITY -- The city government of Maasin in Southern Leyte has signed an agreement with the German Development Cooperation (GIZ) on the establishment of coffee plantations in 12 upland barangays in the city.

  Marina Palen, community-based forest management officer and coordinator of Reducing Emission from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD) Plus of the Office of the City Agriculture Services, said about 7,000 robusta seedlings will be planted in the 12 mountain villages.

Initial planting was held in the villages of Canjuom, Basak and Tigbawan, she said.

"We hope to increase coffee production and help boost the country’s coffee industry," Ms. Palen said.

Coffee seedlings will also be planted in nine other barangays before the end of the year. The nine villages are Cabadiangan, Cagnituan, Hinapu Daku, Hinapu Gamay, Libertad, Lunas, Nonok Norte, Nonok Sur and Pinaskohan. A nursery will also be established in Barangay Rizal.

"The 12 upland villages were chosen by the GIZ. The area has been declared part of the REDD Plus territory that stretches across the remaining forests from Sogod Bay area to the town of Silago," Ms. Palen said.

Over the next 10 years, she said the plan is to plant coffee in a total of 1,000 hectares in Maasin.

Aside from coffee, several grafted fruit trees such as lanzones, mangosteen, cacao, jackfruit and durian have been planted in about 200 hectares in the 12 barangays. Up to 20 hectares have been designated for planting in each village. -- Reyan L. Arinto


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More Farmers Go For Longkong


ZAC B. SARIAN
November 30, 2012, 3:24pm
MORE PEOPLE GOING FOR LONGKONG LANZONES — An increasing number of fruit farmers are going for Longkong lanzones for a number of good reasons. Unlike mango, it does not require a lot of chemical sprays such as flower inducer, insecticides and ...
MORE PEOPLE GOING FOR LONGKONG LANZONES — An increasing number of fruit farmers are going for Longkong lanzones for a number of good reasons. Unlike mango, it does not require a lot of chemical sprays such as flower inducer, insecticides and ...
An increasing number of fruit farmers are discovering the advantages of growing Longkong lanzones instead of mango for a number of good reasons.
One of them is Mrs. Myrna Paredes of Medina, Misamis Oriental, whom we met recently at the mango congress in Mandaue City. She sounded rather frustrated with her mango trees because, she says, it is very expensive to make them productive. There are lots of pests and diseases that have to be prevented or controlled on time.
One has to spray flower inducer to coax the trees to bear flowers. And if a rainshower overtakes the flowers, you might as well bid goodbye to the fruiting if you can’t spray the right pesticide on time. Even if you can spray to save the flowers and fruits, one cannot be sure if the crop would be profitable because it is possible that the cost of spraying and other costs could not be covered by the proceeds from the sale of the fruits.
She confessed that this time she will be planting more Longkong lanzones, the variety from Thailand that is usually seedless, sweet and without latex.
Mrs. Paredes related she had 16 very fruitful Longkong trees in her farm this year. She sold her fruits at P92 per kilo and was able to realize P14,720 which means that each 10-year-old Longkong tree gave her P920. And the good thing is, she said, she did practically nothing except to apply some fertilizers. She did not have to spray the trees to induce them to bear flowers. Neither did she spray the trees against pests and diseases.
Another lady farmer who is very excited about Longkong as well as Duku (another imported variety of lanzones that is also outstanding) is Mrs. Naty Abrigo who has a 28-hectare orchard in Calauan, Laguna. This year, she had a bumper crop of Longkong which she was able to sell to just one buyer at P150 per kilo. Mrs. Abrigo said that her buyer had asked her not to sell to anybody else. The lady buyer works for a government agency but is active in selling fruits in a weekend market in Quezon City.
Mrs. Abrigo who has over a thousand native lanzones and a smaller number of Longkong and Duku is very excited about her lanzones project because she has observed that vermicompost has been largely responsible for her bumper crop. Now, she is expanding her production of vermicompost. The vermicompost beds are situated under her rambutan trees.
Another Longkong enthusiast who has so far planted several hundreds of grafted seedlings is Joaquin Ostrea, a provincial board member of La Union. His orchard is in Balaoan town.
A retired colonel is also starting a Longkong and Duku plantation in Oriental Mindoro. He has just purchased 150 grafted seedlings from a nursery in Teresa, Rizal and has indicated that in a few weeks he will be back for more planting materials.
In Aurora province, Sen. Angara is also planting a lot of Longkong and Duku lanzones. A few months back, he bought about five hundred grafted seedlings as well as 600 latexless jackfruit.
Another Longkong and Duku enthusiast is retired Gen. Recaredo Sarmiento who has a farm resort in Lucena City and a big farm in Gasan, Marinduque. Lately, he was very excited about his Duku tree in Lucena which bore a lot of fruits after spraying it with the Heavy Weight Tandem fertilizer formulation of Alfonso J. Puyat. He reported that soon after he harvested the fruits of his Duku tree last August 30, the same tree produced new flowers which could be ready for harvest this coming Christmas.
There are a number of good reasons why it is advantageous to plant grafted Longkong and Duku lanzones instead of mango or some other fruit trees. For one, more trees can be planted per hectare than mango. Distancing could be between 6 and 8 meters whereas the latest recommendation for mango is 12 to 14 meters apart.
If given the right cultural practices, grafted trees could start bearing fruit in six to seven years from field planting. Another advantage is that the fruits are saleable at a high price because of their superior eating quality.


When in Cebu City, please visit http://www.gregmelep.com for your real estate and retirement needs.
Avail of the opportunity to own a condominium unit in Cebu City together with your own parking space at the low amount of only P12,000.00+ and House and Lot @ P 7,306.81/month only. Hurry while supply of units still last. Just call the Tel. Nos. shown herein: (053)555-84-64/09164422611/09173373687.
                        



Bright Prospects In Sugar Industry



By ZAC B. SARIAN

BEE CULTURE FOR HONEY PRODUCTION AND POLLINATION — Bee culture is one of the projects being undertaken at the farm of Mario Rabang in the rolling hills of Abucay, Bataan. The project is both for the production of honey as well as for enhancing pollination
BEE CULTURE FOR HONEY PRODUCTION AND POLLINATION — Bee culture is one of the projects being undertaken at the farm of Mario Rabang in the rolling hills of Abucay, Bataan. The project is both for the production of honey as well as for enhancing pollination
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 member 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 smuggled 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 resulted 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 estimates of 200,000 to 300,000 tons of illegal or unauthorized entry of sugar each year.
Amarra cites one more indication pointing to the bright prospects of the sugar industry. 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 sugar 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 master plan for the sugar industry in conjunction with the SRA Road Map. The twin objectives 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.
 When in Cebu City, please visit http://www.gregmelep.com for your real estate and retirement needs.
Avail of the opportunity to own a condominium unit in Cebu City together with your own parking space at the low amount of only P12,000.00+ and House and Lot @ P 7,306.81/month only. Hurry while supply of units still last. Just call the Tel. Nos. shown herein: (053)555-84-64/09164422611/09173373687.