Interesting features in June Agri mag
Make sure to get a copy of the June 2017 issue of Agriculture magazine published by the Manila Bulletin and edited by yours truly. It will be off the press shortly. On the cover is Dennis Miguel who harvested 200 cavans from a rainfed field that used to yield only 50 cavans of palay per hectare.
Of course, there are many other interesting features that could inspire you to succeed in your kind of farming. There is, for instance, the success story of Rosendo Bernabe who rehabilitated 800 neglected mango trees in his farm in Tanay, Rizal, so that they became productive again. His secrets are new technologies and modern nutrient inputs which you will read in the story written by Julio Yap Jr.
You will also read about the success story of Dennis Bagaoisan of Bacarra, Ilocos Norte, who has been planting watermelon in the last 23 years. During the past many years, Dennis was content with meager income from his old watermelon varieties that were grown the old ordinary way.
Bagaoisan’s fortune changed significantly after attending seminars and learned practical ideas to grow watermelons better. Simply by growing his plants in raised beds and using plastic mulch plus a good variety, Bagaoisan had increased his income and profit in a big way. For instance, in a recent cropping, he spent R100,000 to plant one hectare. How much did he gross? A clean R600,000. The story is written by Aubregyn V. Ancheta.
BLACK GARLIC - You will also read about the black garlic that was produced at the Mariano Marcos State University in Batac City, Ilocos Norte. Reported by Reynaldo Andres, black garlic is a delicious and exotic product from fresh garlic which is a soughtafter food supplement and ingredient for expensive culinary recipes in Japan and other countries.
Dr. Shirley Agrupis, director of the Bioenergy Research Center of MMSU, was responsible for making the black garlic with the support of Gov. Imee Marcos. Black garlic is an aged white garlic that is produced from the balanced mixture of heat and humidity for about 30 days without any additional treatment and additives.
MANGO IN BICOL – You will also read about how mango became accepted by government agriculturists for planting in Bicol. The first big mango plantation was established by Marcelo Escaro and his wife Patria in their Calabanga, Camarines Sur, farm more than 40 years ago. You will learn how their mango plantation came about in a unique way.
MANY OTHER STORIES – Other interesting stories in the June Agriculture magazine include how Dennis Miguel got hooked on the System of Rice Intensification (SRI); How Filipino farmers fare compared to their Thai counterparts; Why producing milkfish fingerlings in brackish water ponds is profitable; A fast way to multiply the Rainbow Eucalyptus; New sensor eyed to improve quality and price of rubber cup lumps; and several other stories.