Doing things right in agri

It is time we do things right in agriculture. From 2011 to 2015, the industrial sector grew by an annual 6.4 percent while agriculture averaged only 1.5 percent. This was less than half the government target of 4 percent.

To do things right, we must have better private sector collaboration with the Department of Agriculture (DA). In addition, we must use proven science and technology measures to achieve significant growth.

A good model to replicate is the Kapampangan Development Foundation (KDF), headed by Manuel Pangilinan as chair and Benigno Ricafort as president. On July 14, 2014, the KDF and the Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA), then chaired by Secretary Francis Pangilinan, signed a memorandum of agreement to plant one million coconut trees in five years. The PCA would provide the KDF with coconut seedlings. In return, the KDF would distribute these seedlings to farmers with technology guidance from the Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI).

The Alyansa Agrikultura (AA), which teamed up with the KDF, recommended that the coconut seedlings be given only to those who committed to have intercropping between coconut trees. The AA pointed out that one hectare without intercropping yielded only P20,000 annually, while intercropping coffee or cacao would yield P60,000 more. This is especially important since we now import more than 80% of our coffee and cacao, when we can easily produce these ourselves.

In line with this, a seminar was held last April 9 in San Fernando, Pampanga. Farmers, retired professionals, returning OFWs, and even former rebels attended.

The first speaker was Grover Rosit. In 2012, he started planting cacao in the hopes of sending his children to school. Using the right science-based technology, he now makes P300,000 a hectare from his three-hectare farm.

KDF does not only focus on cacao farming. It made an arrangement with the BPI so that members would be trained to put up satellite nurseries for high-value crop seedlings. There are now 30 such nurseries in Central Luzon alone. These nurseries specialize in high value crops such as rambutan, durian, mango, lanzones and sweet tamarind.

This KDF strategy is indeed a good example of the private sector collaborating with the government.

Healthy Soil. The second resource speaker was Ka Maning Cortez. He explained the soil needed the right minerals and microbes that God had already given us at the onset.

Instead, many farmers used chemical fertilizers excessively. This made the land more acidic and less fertile.

He said the solution was to restore the right minerals and microbes in the soil. This would optimize the growth and strength of the plant.

An AA member narrated he needed to increase his farm income to be able to pay his overdue loans. With the guidance of Cortez, he restored the minerals in his land and introduced the appropriate pro-biotic microbes.

The member then planted tomatoes during the off-season. While his neighbors sold their tomatoes at only P3 per kilo during the peak season, he sold his produce at P90 per kilo during the off-season. With a 25-ton yield of tomatoes per hectare, he paid off his debts and even had extra income to spare.

The initiatives could not have succeeded without the collaboration of government agencies such as the PCA, BPI and DA regional offices. Of special mention are Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala, DA regional executive director Andrew Villacorta, regional high value crops director Fernando Lorenzo, PCA national deputy director Ruel Rosales, PCA regional director Marvy Marasigan and BPI nursery accreditation head Andrea Inocencio. A key private sector leader in this initiative is KDF satellite nursery association president Raymond Tangoco.

We must now do things right in agriculture. Many farmers told me they had not even heard of Cortez’s findings before. The KDF model using public-private sector partnership and employing science and technology in agriculture should be replicated nationwide.

Lastly, the presidential candidates must include agriculture sector growth in their campaign platforms. So far, we have not heard enough from them regarding how they will do things right.

The speakers can be reached through the following: Rosit (0917-7930534), Cortez (0917-5759786), Tangoco (0919-6478843).

(The author is chair of Agriwatch, former Secretary for Presidential Flagship Programs and Projects, and former Undersecretary for Agriculture, Trade and Industry. For inquiries and suggestions, e-mail [email protected] or telefax (02) 8522112)