Archive for September, 2009
Coffee group to get P100 M in October for replanting, rehabilitation
September 13th, 2009
The Philippine Coffee Board, Inc. may receive P100 million in October from the Agriculture department for the replanting and rehabilitation of coffee plantations nationwide.
“We are waiting for the P100 million… Maybe next month, [the money would be ready,” Pacita U. Juan, co-chairman of the Coffee Board, told reporters on Friday.
Last November, the Coffee Board signed an agreement with the Agriculture department over the provision of financial assistance to the industry group. Read the rest of this entry »
Gov’t eases corn standards to entice farmers to sell
September 6th, 2009
The National Food Authority (NFA) on Friday said it has relaxed some quality requirements for yellow corn to encourage farmers to sell their produce to the government.
This, amid signs of a shortfall in such sales, as farmers protest the government’s cut last month in buying price for their corn, and its plan to export this commodity to Vietnam.
In a press release, NFA Administrator Jessup P. Navarro said:
- the purity requirement of corn to be bought from local farmers has been cut to 96% from 97%;
- allowable amount of foreign matter like dust and pieces of corn stalks have been raised to 4% from 3%; and
- the allowable amount of kernel of colors other than yellow has also been raised to 5% from 4%. Read the rest of this entry »
Agriculture department encourages planting of flood-tolerant rice in Eastern Visayas farms
September 3rd, 2009
TACLOBAN CITY — The Agriculture department will pilot the use of submergence-tolerant rice in flood-prone farms in Eastern Visayas region.
This year, a total of 16,720 hectares in the region were chosen. These comprise 11% of the region’s farms devoted to rice.
Leo P. Cañeda, regional executive director at the Department of Agriculture (DA), said they have identified pilot areas in Palo, Sta. Fe, Pastrana, Tacloban City and Babatngon, all in Leyte.
“The variety is ideal in the region considering that we have frequent rain here. Three to four genotypes that were found to be promising in the region are now being tested by the farmers themselves,” Mr. Cañeda said. Read the rest of this entry »
