Palay Harvest Falling Short

By Business Mirror

Palay harvest this year to fall short of target of 17 MMT, says DA

Palay harvest for the whole of 2008 will be lower than the 17.3 million metric tons (MMT) targeted by the Department of Agriculture due to the high cost of chemical fertilizers.

In a report to Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap, the Ginintuang Masaganang Ani (GMA) Rice Program forecasted that paddy-rice production for 2008 could settle at 16.6 MMT.

The DA noted that palay yields were not as high as it originally projected for the period because of the 30-percent drop in the application of costly fertilizers during the wet or main cropping season, which led to a decline in the per-hectare yield of farmers.

So far, the DA noted that some 6.7 MMT of palay have already been harvested during the wet crop, which started in June this year.

Harvesting of palay for the wet season started as early as September.

Despite the decline in fertilzer use, GMA director Dr. Frisco Malabanan said the government has managed to offset potential production losses through a 7-percent expansion in the total area planted to palay during the wet cropping season.

Earlier, the Bureau of Agricultural Statistics (BAS) said based on its October survey of standing palay crop, palay production for the fourth quarter will go down by 1.06 percent to 6.30 MMT due to a contraction in harvest areas, as well as the projected decline in yield per hectare.

BAS, an attached agency of the DA, also said the harvest area for palay will decline by 0.92 percent to 1.63 million hectares, from 1.65 million has. registered from October to December 2007.

Yield is also expected to decline to 3.86 tons per hectare, from 3.87 tons per hectare.

“The movement of harvests from the fourth quarter to the third quarter, the adverse effects of typhoons on standing palay crop and reduced fertilizer usage would bring down expected harvest area and yield for this quarter,” said BAS.

The continuous increase in the price of fertilizer resulted in a 30-percent decline in fertilizer use among farmers.

This is the single biggest reason behind the possible failure of the DA to reach its target of producing as much as 17.3 MMT of palay this year. BAS said palay production will still increase, but will only be at 16.89 MMT.

BAS, however, said palay production will recover in the first quarter of 2009. Based on farmers’ planting intentions, the January-to-March 2009 production will go up by 6.35 percent to 3.98 MMT.

Click here to increase the palay and rice harvest, so the Philippines can be food sufficient.

Effective Microorganisms and Organic Waste for Better Soil

How do we best address the problem of depleted soils?

Many farming areas in have depleted soils for a variety or reasons. Having depleted soil results to a common factor. Crops cannot properly process applied nutrients for high yield and quality harvest no matter now much fertilizer is applied. Having bad soil and applying lots of fertilizer is like throwing money away.

Simple and Low Cost Method for Good Soil

There is a simple and low cost method to bring depleted soils back to a proper healthy growing state. It is to re-nutrient and re-mineralise the soil by using organic waste products to put back the nutrients and minerals necessary from waste products that synthetic fertilizers leach out to have good healthy soil for a good healthy harvest. This is easily done with "Effective Microorganisms" applied to organic waste products to properly and efficiently decompose organic waste.

What are "Effective Microorganisms" or EM?

EM or Effective Microorganisms is a mixed culture microbial inoculant composed of several species of beneficial bacteria, yeasts and fungi that exist homeostatically in aerobic and anaerobic conditions. It is a blend of live beneficial microorganisms whose synergistic actions, either directly or indirectly, produce a wide variety of substances called antioxidants. Antioxidants are known to arrest diseases, promote good health and prevent environmental degradation.

Effective Microorganisms - EM1


EM1 Price: P988 Per Liter

Nationwide Door to Door Shipping: P200 for the first liter. P100 for each liter thereafter.

Case Quantities: Contact us for specific case quantity shipping costing.

Features and Benefits of Organic Composting with Effective Microorganisms

Enhances decomposition and quality of compost by increasing the population of beneficial macro and micro organisms.

Improves the overall condition of the soil and the soil properties by making it softer and more friable.

Enhances the availability of more nutrients in the soil.

Improves soil physical properties of compaction, bulk density, formation, stability, porosity, rooting depth, water holding capacity, and drainage.

Enhances better root development.

Enhances resistance of crops to stress and reducing soil borne toxicants and contaminants causing disease and sickness.

Reduces odor of organic waste.

Safe and environment friendly as its organic and biodegradable.

Low cost and easy to produce.

All in all it increases the yield and quality of the crop, and helps in prolonged store ability of the crop.

How To Mix and Apply Effective Microorganisms with Organic Waste?

EM is mixed with Molasses and Water. This solution will then be applied to organic waste which can be packaged and or directly applied to on-site organic waste in the field. Email us for specific mixing and application procedures for your specific situation.

Agriculture Manual

Masaganang Ani - Kumpletong Nutrisyon mga Pananim

Below is the Agriculture Manual for applying the Power of Three Nutriplant Products to all agricultural crops.

Click the images below for full size image to print landscape setting on 8.5" x 11" copy paper. Once printed, compile printed pages per page number listed at bottom of each page. Fold all pages one time to create the Agriculture Manual into a booklet. Contact us for further information, mix rates, and application procedures.

































Organic Agriculture Products for Increased Yields and Lower Input Costs

Click here to review Nutrplant AG Organic Fertilizer

Click here to review Nutriplant SD Organic Seed Germination Fertilizer

Click here to review Apsa80 to increase the efficacy of all your applied products

Nutriplant with Corn

"Nutriplant" Suggested Application for Corn

Reduce Granular Bag Fertilizer Amount Application by 50%

Seed Sowing – Spray Nutriplant SD & Apsa80

At 6 - 8 Leaf Stage – Spray Nutriplant AG & Apsa80



Approximate Amount of “Nutriplant” Required for 1 Hectare of Corn

Nutriplant SD 150 Grams 3 Bottles – Treats 54 Kilos of Corn Seed

Nutriplant AG Fertilizer 4 Liters

Apsa80 Adjuvant 1,500ML


Approximate Cost of “Nutriplant” Required for 1 Hectare of Corn

Nutriplant SD Seed Germination 150 Grams – P340 Each

Nutriplant AG Fertilizer 1 Liter – P1,260 Each

Apsa80 Adjuvant 250ML – P200 Each

Approximate Cost 1 Spray All Products for One Hectare Corn Cropping P6,000


Organic Agriculture Products for Increased Yields and Lower Input Costs

Click here to review Nutrplant AG Organic Fertilizer

Click here to review Nutriplant SD Organic Seed Germination Fertilizer

Click here to review Apsa80 to increase the efficacy of all your applied products

Nutriplant with Rice

"Nutriplant" Suggested Application for Rice

No Granular Bag Fertilizer Required

Seed Sowing – Spray Nutriplant SD & Apsa80

1 Week after Transplant – Spray Nutriplant AG & Apsa80

5 Weeks after Transplant – Spray Nutriplant AG & Apsa80

At Panicle Initiation – Spray Nutriplant AG & Apsa80



Approximate Amount of “Nutriplant” Required for 1 Hectare of Rice

Nutriplant SD 150 Grams – Treats 60 Kilos of Rice Seed

Nutriplant AG Fertilizer 3 Liters

Apsa80 Adjuvant 1,500ML


Approximate Cost of “Nutriplant” Required for 1 Hectare of Rice

Nutriplant SD Seed Germination 150 Grams – P340 Each

Nutriplant AG Fertilizer 1 Liter – P1,260 Each

Apsa80 Adjuvant 250ML – P200 Each

Approximate Cost 3 Sprays All Products for One Hectare Rice Cropping P5,320


Organic Agriculture Products for Increased Yields and Lower Input Costs

Click here to review Nutrplant AG Organic Fertilizer

Click here to review Nutriplant SD Organic Seed Germination Fertilizer

Click here to review Apsa80 to increase the efficacy of all your applied products

Nutriplant with Sugarcane

“Nutriplant” Suggested Application for Sugarcane

Option 1

No Granular Bag Fertilizer Applied

Cane Points – Spray or Soak Cane Points in Nutriplant SL & Apsa80

30 Days after Planting – Spray Nutriplant AG & Apsa80

Every 30 Days Thereafter Up To 5th Month – Spray Nutriplant AG & Apsa80

Option 2

Reduce Granular Bag Fertilizer Amount Application by 50%

Cane Points – Spray or Soak Cane Points in Nutriplant SL & Apsa80

45 Days after Planting – Spray Nutriplant AG & Apsa80

90 Days after Planting – Spray Nutriplant AG & Apsa80

135 Days after Planting – Spray Nutriplant AG & Apsa80



Approximate Amount of “Nutriplant” Required for 1 Hectare of Sugarcane

Nutriplant SL 250ML

Nutriplant AG Organic Fertilizer 2 - 5 Liters

Apsa80 Adjuvant 1.5 to 3.5 Liters


Approximate Costs of “Nutriplant” Required for 1 Hectare of Sugarcane

Nutriplant SL Cane Point Treatment 250ML – P730

Nutriplant AG Fertilizer 1 Liter – P1,260 Each / 250ml P345 Each

Apsa80 Adjuvant 1 Liter – P785 Each / 250ML – P200 Each

Approximate Costs 2 Sprays All Products for One Hectare Sugarcane Cropping P4,450

Approximate Costs 3 Sprays All Products for One Hectare Sugarcane Cropping P6,510

Approximate Costs 5 Sprays All Products for One Hectare Sugarcane Cropping P9,385


Organic Agriculture Products for Increased Yields and Lower Input Costs

Click here to review Nutrplant AG Organic Fertilizer

Click here to review Nutriplant SD Organic Seed Germination Fertilizer

Click here to review Apsa80 to increase the efficacy of all your applied products

Ormoc Leyte Vegetables Farm

This Ormoc Leyte Vegetable Farm below was applied with Nutriplant Organic Fertilizer to their Broccoli, Tomatoes, Corn, and Lettuce. Their harvest results were very good and they saved on their input costs using Nutriplant Organic Fertilizer, and Apsa80 Adjuvant.

Click the photos for a larger view.


Broccoli


Broccoli


Corn


Corn


Lettuce


Lettuce

Click here to review Nutrplant AG Organic Fertilizer

Click here to review Nutriplant SD Organic Seed Germination Fertilizer

Click here to review Apsa80 to increase the efficacy of all your applied products

Carigara Leyte Sugarcane Farm

Carigara Leyte Sugarcane Farmer Saves Big Money On Input Costs

Glenn Tononlete of Carigara Leyte is a sugarcane farmer with 20 hectares of sugarcane under production. As any farmer wants, Glenn was looking to increase his production and decrease his input costs. He was successful at doing that using Nutriplant Ag Organic Fertilizer and Apsa80 Adjuvant reducing the amount of higher cost lower quality granular bagged fertilizer.

Agriculture Product Input Savings

Mr. Tonolete saved about 50% compared to what he normally spends on his total input costs using “Nutriplant” with 50% reduced application of granular fertilizer combination.

Approximate Actual Inputs Per Hectare of Sugarcane

4 Bags Granular Fertilizer P1,800 Each Total P7,200

500 ML “Nutriplant” AG Organic Fertilizer P690

250 ML Apsa80 Adjuvant P200

Approximate Input Costs Per Hectare 8,090

Review the photos below on his sugarcane crop which will be harvested in another month.

Click the photos for full size view.


Glenn and Ric looking good next to their sugarcane crop.




Granular bag fertilizer NOT used saving 50% of total inputs costs.


"Tuba" Coconut Wine Production


Glenn on his Farm Tractor


50 Year Old Sugarcane Hauling Truck

Click here to increase your yield and save 50% or more on your fertilizer input costs.

Click here to increase the efficacy of your agriculture product inputs using Apsa80 Adjuvant.

Farms Vital ‘Social Safety Net’ In Crisis

Click here to increase the social safety net for Philippine Farms.

By Business Mirror

The agricultural sector in developing countries of Asia and the Pacific is a good “social safety net” in times of economic crises such as now, when the entire world is being buffeted by a financial storm sparked by the collapse of the housing bubble in the United States that exposed the weak underbelly of the derivatives market.

This is the view of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), whose deputy chief for the Asia-Pacific, Dr. He Changchui, warned that neglecting agriculture any time—and especially at this time—on the excuse of difficulty in sourcing resources would be fatal.

“A thriving agricultural sector provides another benefit for many societies; it serves as a social safety net. As factories closed and jobs disappeared in the wake of Asia’s meltdown during the late 1990s, substantial numbers of rural people who had migrated to cities to work returned to their farms and villages,” said Changchui in an editorial he wrote titled, “The Twin Crises of Finance and Food.”

The increase in the focus of governments on industries has made the lives of those engaged in agriculture more difficult, he added, and said that situation could become unbearable for developing countries that depend on exports but are faced with a slower global demand for manufactured goods.

“There are 583 million hungry people on farms and villages across Asia and the Pacific; 75 percent of the region’s poor live in rural areas. These days, there may not be much in the village for the jobless to return to. The social safety net has been frayed,” he observed.

To enable the poor to cope with the financial crisis, Dr. He said the governments of developing countries must boost their investments in agriculture. “The bulk of the investment to improve infrastructure and boost productivity must come [from] the developing countries themselves....Policies that support agriculture, making it sustainable, rewarding and sufficiently productive to support us all must be adopted with urgency.”

The FAO had warned that with the convergence of financial, food and fuel crises, a “global tragedy” is rapidly unfolding, and Dr. He noted that food availability and affordability are the “bedrocks” of any society.

“No matter how dire the situation, food was still plentiful and cheap. Today the story is different. Food is in shorter supply; prices have been steadily climbing since 2001, and have escalated dramatically since 2006. According to the tracking of our organization, food prices rose by 9 percent in 2006, 24 percent in 2007, and surged 51 percent in the past 12 months,” according to Dr. He.

“Although we saw some price drops for certain food commodities in the past months, average prices are still much higher than normal, and the international markets remain volatile. During normal times, that level of ‘sticker shock’ would spell hardship for most working people and the poor. Coupled with an economic crisis of the enormity taking place today, the impact could be catastrophic.”

Dr. He said donor and developing countries must work together and he reminded donor countries not to renege on their official development assistance and other political commitments made in Rome at the Food Security Summit in June.

“As costly and painful as the mistakes of those engaged in finance have been and will be, we must not shortchange those engaged in agriculture. For our own sake, we must provide them with the tools for achievement and the seeds for success. Their success puts food on our tables. And the fruits of their labors are the very staples of our lives,” he said.

Click here to increase the social safety net for Philippine Farms.

NFA Palay Buying Only Reaches 25% of Its Target

Click here to increase the palay and rice harvest, so the Philippines can be food sufficient.

By Business Mirror

NFA’s palay-buying during main harvest reaches a fourth of its target.

THE National Food Authority (NFA) reported that it has already bought some 250,000 metric tons of palay from local farmers, as the agency stepped up its palay-buying starting in September.

NFA Administrator Jessup Navarro said that from September until the third week of October, the agency was able to buy 5 million bags of palay.

This represents 25 percent of the 20 million bags of palay, equivalent to 1 metric million tons, which the NFA is targeting to purchase during the main harvest.

“The NFA is sustaining its active palay-buying this main harvest, with procurement volume averaging 173,817 bags of palay per day,” said Navarro.

NFA figures show that Southern Tagalog, the traditional high procurement area, again posted the biggest volume of palay procured with 523,444 bags, followed by Central Luzon with 470,142 bags, and the Ilocos region with 363,788 bags.

Navarro said the volume of palay bought is also high in the Cagayan Valley and the Bicol region, with 354,601 and 302,379 bags, respectively.

Despite the ongoing military conflict in Mindanao, the NFA said it managed to procure 203,348 bags of palay as of the second week of October. The NFA in the region is buying palay at an average of 11,981 cavans per day.

The NFA attributed the increase in its procurement to the increase in the support price for palay. In April the government raised its buying price for clean and dry palay to P17 per kilogram, from P11.50.

For the main crop, an additional cash incentive of P1,800 is given to farmers if they sell at least 50 bags of 50 kg of palay to NFA.

Earlier, Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap ordered the NFA to buy up to 1 metric million tons of palay from local farmers. The domestic purchase of palay was aggressively pursued by the government this year to reduce the volume of imports in 2009. Yap had also increased the budget of NFA for palay procurement to P17 billion, from the initial P8.5 billion.

Meanwhile, the NFA announced that starting December, the sale of cheap rice will be limited to holders of Family Access Card (FAC) in the National Capital Region and the Rice Allocation Ledger (RAL) in the provinces.

Navarro said both the FACs and RALs will be validated by the Department of Social Welfare and Development to ensure that only the poorest of the poor will have access to the highly subsidized NFA rice, currently being sold at P18.25 per kilo at Tindahan Natin rice outlets nationwide.

Click here to increase your palay and rice harvest.