Two bits of good news in agriculture

For a change, I am pleased to draw attention to two bits of recent good news in agriculture. First is the initiative of new Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA) Administrator Romulo J. dela Rosa to scale up production of coconut hybrid seedlings for the national coconut replanting program. And, second, the welcome news of the Department of Agriculture (DA) Secretary Emmanuel F. Piñol’s directive to promote consumption of rice/corn mixtures to reduce need to import rice and for better nutrition.

Replanting with Coconut Hybrids

Finally, the PCA is on the way to scaling up the commercial production of coconut hybrid seedlings for the national coconut replanting program.

The most immediate challenge to our coconut industry is the replanting of senile, unproductive palm trees numbering around 68 million. Our national average production is a measly 0.75 tons copra per hectare per year. Our traditional tall varieties with fertilizers and proper care can produce 2–3 tons copra per hectare per year. However, the twelve coconut hybrids developed by PCA plant breeders have the demonstrated potential to produce 4–6 tons copra per hectare per year.

Thus, to raise the income of poor coconut farmers and make coconut competitive with the other vegetable oils in the world market, principally palm oil, the thrust has to be the gradual replanting of our coconut plantations with hybrids.

Moreover, instead of relying exclusively on the limited capacity of the PCA research stations in Davao City; Aroman, Cotabato and Zamboanga to generate the needed hybrid seedlings, the program calls for the mobilization of selected farmer-cooperators strategically located in the major coconut producing regions to become commercial coconut hybrid seed producers. The target is to produce 10 million hybrid seedlings per year.

This was the gist of the pilot program for CALABARZON submitted by PCA Region IVA manager Erlene Manohar and approved by PCA administrator Dela Rosa.

The farmer-cooperators who each should operate four hectares will plant dwarf coconut seedlings supplied by PCA. When the dwarf female parents start flowering 3–4 years from planting, they will be hand-pollinated with pollen from outstanding male varieties also supplied by PCA. All the certified hybrid seedlings will be purchased by PCA for redistribution to other coconut farmers for replanting.

The plan for CALABARZON was to establish 200 hectares of hybrid seed gardens to supply the seedling requirements of Quezon, Laguna, Batangas and Cavite. Pleasantly, it turned out that two progressive coconut farmers had in fact planted dwarf parents three years before and which are now starting to flower.

One such farm is Del Ereneta’s farm in Sampaloc, Quezon which has 70 hectares planted to Tacunan and Tagnanan dwarf varieties sourced from Davao. Some of the trees are already flowering.

The other farm which I had the fortune of visiting together with PCA Administrator Dela Rosa and Regional Manager Manohar was the Escudero plantation in Dolores/Tiaong, Quezon. The dwarf palms have also commenced flowering.

Thus, we do not have to wait for four years to produce the first hybrid seed nuts. Arrangements have been made for PCA technicians to assist and supervise the assisted pollination in these two farms. They should be able to produce the initial hybrid seed nuts by end of 2018.

For its part, UP Los Baños through its chancellor Fernando C. Sanchez, Jr. set into motion the establishment of 16 hectares of coconut hybrid seed garden at the Institute of Plant Breeding in Los Baños, and another 50 hectares in the UP Land Grant in Sierra Madre, as its contributions to the Philippine Coconut Authority initiative. Corn Grits for Better Nutrition

and Grain Sufficiency The second bit of good news is the directive of DA Secretary Manny Piñol to promote the consumption of rice/corn mixtures to reduce rice imports and for better nutrition. I understand this was at the instance of the Philippines Maize Federation (PhilMaize) led by its president Roger V. Navarro and its emeritus chairman Roderico R. Bioco with whom I had the privilege of discussing at length the initiative on a plane ride from Cagayan de Oro.

The agronomic advantages of corn over rice are clear: corn has a more efficient photosynthetic pathway, more drought tolerant and requires much less water to produce the same amount of grain.

White corn grits is healthier than white polished rice. The corn grain has higher protein, higher dietary fiber (good protection against cancer), and lower glycemic index (good for diabetics).

With the increasing awareness of consumers for the health and wellness advantages of white corn over rice, I am confident demand for corn grits will significantly increase in due time.

But the real challenge is raising the supply of white corn. Between 1980–2014, our white corn production declined from 2.73 million tons to 2.26 million tons. Hectarage drastically went down from 2.85 million hectares to 1.29 million hectares.

Our per capita white corn consumption had gone down because our farmers have massively switched from white corn production to yellow corn. Average white corn yield increased modestly from 0.93 ton per hectare to 1.75 tons per hectare while yellow corn yield more than doubled to 4.17 tons per hectare. It was that much more profitable to grow yellow corn because of the introduction of very high yielding GMO corn hybrids.

Thus, the promotion of consumption of rice/corn mixtures will come to naught without a parallel dramatic increase of productivity and profitability of white corn to match that of yellow corn.

An intensified white corn buying program by the National Food Authority (NFA) had to be matched by a dedicated white corn hybrid production program led by the Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI) and Bureau of Soils and Water Management (BSWM).

For a more detailed treatment of these issues, you may find them in my previous columns:

1)Preventing Non-Communicable Diseases Through Consumption of White Corn Grits (21 August 2015)

2)More About White Corn Grits as a Healthier Staple than Polished Rice (27 August 2015)

3)Corn Grits for Better Nutrition and Grain Sufficiency (06 October 2017).

***** Dr. Emil Q. Javier is a Member of the National Academy of Science and Technology (NAST) and also Chair of the Coalition for Agriculture Modernization in the Philippines (CAMP). For any feedback, email eqjavier@yahoo.com.