Monday, February 17, 2025

Tag: Department of Agriculture

Awareness seminar on food safety, regulations held

Posted on by cmn

MALAYBALAY CITY, Bukidnon — The Department of Agriculture – Regional Field Office 10 (DA-10), through its Agribusiness and Marketing Assistance Division (AMAD), staged an awareness seminar on food safety and regulations on August 15 at the Northern Mindanao Agricultural Crops and Livestock Research Complex (NMACLRC), in this city

During this time, the agency apprised almost 50 local farmers and agri-enterprises from the provinces of Bukidnon, Misamis Oriental, and Lanao del Norte on key concepts and relevant laws on food safety.

On behalf of DA-10 Regional Executive Director Jose Apollo Y. Pacamalan, AMAD Assistant Division Chief Ferdinand F. Caraballe emphasized its importance for local stakeholders engaged in producing agricultural commodities and food products.

“[The DA] conducts this seminar annually because we handle food, and therefore, it is our commitment to our consumers that what we deliver is safe and free from foodborne diseases,” Caraballe said.

Through Republic Act No. 10611, otherwise known as the ‘Food Safety Act of 2013’, the DA and its attached regulatory agencies, bureaus, and corporations are identified as food safety regulatory agencies (FSRAs) responsible for the implementation of laws, standards, and programs on food safety in the primary production and post-harvest stages of the food supply chain.

Said regulatory agencies include the Bureau of Animal Industry, National Meat Inspection Service, Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, Bureau of Plant Industry, Fertilizer and Pesticide Authority, Philippine Coconut Authority, Sugar Regulatory Administration, and the National Dairy Authority.

Underscoring the role of the local government in the implementation of food safety laws, Andrew M. Calimutan of the Office of the DA Assistant Secretary for Policy and Regulations said that the Department, through the aforementioned regulatory agencies, continues to engage and assist LGUs in the formulation of local ordinances on food safety.

Further, he said that the agency is presently revisiting its regulatory policies to ensure that they are retrofitted to current industry and trade standards and remain in service to consumer and food safety interests.

Under RA 10611, DA conducts training for local producers and food business operators on food safety to ensure their compliance with industry standards, including the Code of Good Agricultural Practices (GAP), Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP), Code of Good Animal Husbandry Practices (GAHP), and Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP).

Market Specialist IV Irish O. Ativo from the DA-Agribusiness and Marketing Assistance Service said that these standards and compliance certifications provide a competitive advantage for food business operators, as they allow for market expansion and build consumer trust and confidence in their products.

During the session, the farmers were also kept abreast of practical food handling practices for agricultural produce, salient information on the Participatory Guarantee System, and a comprehensive review of the activities and services offered by the Food Safety Operations Unit of the BPI-Plant Product Safety Services Division.

They were also briefed on the strategies for marketing GAP-certified products through the Department’s KADIWA marketing program.

In closing, Caraballe urged the participants to apply what they had learned throughout the session to their respective enterprises and agricultural production, highlighting its implications in building public trust, consumer safety, and food quality and nutrition.

The said activity is in line with the Department’s refined thrusts toward a ‘Masaganang Bagong Pilipinas’ under the leadership of Secretary Francisco P. Tiu Laurel, Jr. and President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. (GDA)

Kabatan-onan gihagit nga mokat-on sa kulturanhong sistema

Posted on by cmn

Gi-awhag ang mga kabatan-onan sa tribung Matigsalug nga ibalik ang hilig sa pagkat-on sa kulturanhong sistema Napaabot ang hagit ni Datu Alukuy Brigido D. Lacaran, Matigsalug Cultural Master atol sa ika-49 nga Aldew te Matigsalug kaniadtong Hulyo 14-16, 2024 sa Barangay Sinuda, Kitaotao, Bukidnon

Sumala ni Datu Lacaran, ginahagit nila ang kabatan-onan nga motuon sa kinaraang kinabuhi, pinaagi sa gi-organize nga kalihukan sa maong kasaulogan aron mapukaw ang ilang hilig sa kulturanhong aktibidad.

Sa maong kasaulogan sa Aldew te Matigsalug, gipahigayon ang pinaka-unang street dancing and ground presentation.

Natigayon sab ang tribal games, cultural dance presentations, mini-tribal concert, Laha te Matigsalug, Matigsalug tribe parade, panubad, ug program proper sa kasaulogan. (PR)

 

MVP buying out dairy farm in Bukidnon for P700 million

Posted on by cmn

MANILA, Philippines (July 11, 2024) — Business titan Manuel V. Pangilinan is dipping further into the dairy business as he will buy out for around P700 million a Bukidnon-based milk company to increase the supply of his ice cream venture

Pangilinan confirmed to The STAR that he will be acquiring Bukidnon Milk Co. to raise the dairy supply for premium ice cream brand Carmen’s Best of The Laguna Creamery Inc., where he has a controlling stake.

“Sales of our ice cream products have been growing exponentially and we are slowly running out of milk supply from our dairy farm in Bay, Laguna,” Pangilinan said.

“We are buying another dairy farm in Bukidnon to supplement the supply. Maybe we could ship some of the milk to Manila because we want to expand our fresh milk supply and we want to get into yogurt and cheeses,” he added.

Sources privy to the buyout told The STAR that the transaction is estimated to cost at least P700 million. This would make it larger than Pangilinan’s P198 million acquisition of a majority stake in The Laguna Creamery in 2022.

Sources said Metro Pacific Agro Ventures (MPAV), a subsidiary of Metro Pacific Investments Corp., is wrapping up negotiations with Bukidnon Milk with the goal of closing the deal this July, in time for Pangilinan’s birth month.

Pangilinan said Bukidnon Milk has a capacity three to four times bigger than MPAV’s dairy farm in Bay, Laguna.

Based on data from the US Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service in Manila, the Philippine market for ice cream products is estimated to reach $408 million, of which $105.3 million is imported.

Pangilinan made his first dip into the dairy business in 2022 when MPAV took on a 51-percent share in The Laguna Creamery, the maker of Carmen’s Best. Pangilinan views his entry into the dairy industry as another step toward food sufficiency.

Apart from this, MPAV partnered with Israel’s LR Group Ltd. to put up the Metro Pacific Dairy Farms through a 60:40 sharing in favor of the Metro Pacific Group. The facility can produce as much as 6.5 million liters of milk every year once it begins operations in 2025.

MPAV hopes to grow the revenue of its dairy business to P500 million by 2025 and P1 billion by 2027.

In earlier interviews with reporters, Pangilinan aired his frustration over the dairy supply in the Philippines, lamenting that 99 percent of the demand is served by imported milk and 70 percent of the supply is powdered, not fresh.

Pangilinan said this import dependency is caused by low yields in dairy farming, as farmers are unable to go beyond traditional practices.

This is where Bukidnon Milk pours into the glass. The company runs a 460-hectare grazing farm in Maramag, Bukidnon—the first and biggest of its kind in Mindanao—where cows are allowed to wander freely.

Bukidnon Milk practices a kind of dairy farming that gives cows a stress-free landscape, as opposed to the usual confined animal feeding operations method. The company also boasts that it neither enriches nor fortifies its milk products, doing nothing more to them than light pasteurization and homogenization to retain their natural nutrients.

In its facility, Bukidnon Milk uses RFID readers and automated sensors for safety and sanitation, and it also employs indigenous peoples in the community to provide them with jobs.

To date, Bukidnon Milk sells its milk products in select outlets of Balai ni Fruitas, Landers, S&R, and SM, and supplies dairy items for coffee shops in Mindanao.

Bukidnon Milk takes care of around 2,000 cows in its land and the company supplies to at least 50 businesses nationwide. (Jasper Emmanuel Arcalas, Elijah Felice Rosales /The Philippine Star)

Agri NorMin lauds AMIA villages in first congress

Posted on by cmn

MALAYBALAY CITY, Bukidnon – To showcase the different climate-resilient communities in the region, the Department of Agriculture – Regional Field Office 10 (DA-RFO 10) through its Adaptation and Mitigation Initiative in Agriculture (AMIA) conducts an awarding for the AMIA villages during its 1st AMIA-10 Congress on July 11-12, at the Northern Mindanao Agricultural Crops and Livestock Research Complex, in Dalwangan, here

With this year’s theme, “Klima atimana para sa malahutayong pag-uma ug ekonomiya,” the event gathered farmer-beneficiaries, local government units, and other stakeholders to share the success and innovations of the 11 AMIA villages in the region.

Climate Resilient Agriculture Office National Director Alicia G. Ilaga noted that apart from building climate-resilient communities, the AMIA program also seeks to eradicate poverty.

“Mithiin nating mai-level up ang ating mga AMIA village mula sa pagiging maliliit na production units, papunta sa market-oriented climate-resilient enterprises o yung tinatawag nating AMIA Climate-Resilient Agri-Fishery Technology-based Enterprises (AMIA CREATE),” the CRAO director added.

As such, AMIA-10 held a Booth Display contest with the criteria: number of products displayed (30 percent), quality of products displayed (25 percent), landscape and display (25 percent), and question and answer (20 percent).

Of which, Libona AMIA village of Bukidnon emerged as the first placer, followed by Manolo Fortich of Bukidnon and Magsaysay AMIA Village of Misamis Oriental, as second and third placers, respectively.

Meanwhile, select AMIA villages in its Phase 3 level of implementation also presented their best practices and adjudged with the criteria: productivity and income (30 percent), technologies and practices employed (25 percent), readiness to entrepreneurship (20 percent), ability to present (15 percent) and question and answer (10 percent).

Manolo Fortich AMIA village topped for the AMIA village Presenter Award, while Magsaysay, Libona, and Baungon AMIA villages followed as the second, third, and fourth placers, respectively. (AMBM)

IP group sa Kitaotao nakadawat og P5.2-M swine production facility

Posted on by Omar Rashid Z. Abdullah

Ang Department of Agriculture – Regional Field Office 10 (DA-RFO 10) mitugyan sa P5.2-million bio-secured ug climate-controlled swine production facility ngadto sa Sinuda Multi-Indigenous Sectoral Farmers and Workers Association (SIMUSOFAWA) niadtong Mayo 23, 2024 sa Kitaotao, Bukidnon

Sumala sa kasyoran gikan sa DA-RFO 10, tumong niini aron ma-moderno ug mapausbaw ang kapasidad sa lokal nga industriya sa baboy.

Si DA-10 Regional Executive Director Jose Apollo Y. Pacamalan ug Farmer-Director Nilda B. Salas, ang nangulo sa pagtunol sa certificate of turnover ngadto kang SIMUSOFAWA chairperson Datu Domino A. Pangcat nga nagpasabot sa pagbalhin sa pagpanag-iya ug operasyon sa pasilidad.

Ang 2,000-square-meter bio-secured swine facility, nagkantidad og P3,827,241.08.

Kini adunay perimeter fence, opisina, climate-controlled animal housing, biogas waste management system, basic farm equipment, ug shower area.

Kabahin usab sa component ang feeds, hog scale, animal stocks, ug mga tambal ug biologics, sa kinatibuk-an nga P1.451-M.

Sumala sa Livestock focal person nga si Jamaica L. Docdoc, ang proyekto kabahin sa Integrated National Swine Production Initiatives for Recovery and Expansion (INSPIRE) Program sa DA. (Omar Rashid Z. Abdullah)

3,097 Bukidnon farmers receive fuel subsidy

Posted on by cmn

VALENCIA CITY, Bukidnon – Some 3,097 farmers from Valencia City and the towns of San Fernando, Dangcagan, Damulog, Don Carlos and Kadingilan of Bukidnon province received fuel assistance amounting to P9.291-million from the Department of Agriculture – Regional Field Office 10 (DA-RFO 10) helmed by Regional Executive Director Jose Apollo Y. Pacamalan, on May 20, 2024

The assistance, provided by the agency’s Regional Agricultural Engineering Division (RAED), aims to help farmers who are mechanizing their farm operations with various agricultural machinery in order to strengthen farmers’ resilience and reduce the impact of oil price increases on farmers’ production costs.

Furthermore, the project is in line with the DA chief’s three-year strategy to mechanize and modernize agriculture and fishery production systems in order to boost agricultural productivity, cut food costs, assure food security, and make farming and fishing a more bankable investment option.

The fuel discount cards were distributed to 1,230 farmers in Valencia City, 503 in San Fernando, 742 in Dangcagan, 110 in Damulog, 106 in Don Carlos, and 406 in Kadingilan.

Each farmer-beneficiary will receive P3K, provided they are duly enrolled in the Registry System for Basic Sectors in Agriculture (RSBSA).

He/she or the Farmers’ Cooperative Association (FCA) to which he/she belongs must own operable farm machinery as listed in the Agriculture and Biosystems Engineering Management Information System (ABEMIS).

One of the Valencia City recipients, Anna S. Neri, thanked the department for making the effort to offer farmers fuel subsidies, which serve to reduce the cost of gasoline or fuel.

Furthermore, the distribution is accomplished in collaboration with Universal Storefront Services, Corp. (MPMT)

DA-NorMin breaks ground for establishment of corn, rice processing centers in Bukidnon

Posted on by cmn

DALWANGAN, Malaybalay City – In its aim to support the post-production systems of two of the region’s top agricultural commodities, the Department of Agriculture – Regional Field Office 10 (DA-10) helmed by Regional Executive Director Jose Apollo Y. Pacamalan, recently held a groundbreaking ceremony for the establishment of rice and corn processing centers in the province of Bukidnon

On May 24, DA Undersecretary for High-Value Crops Cheryl Marie Natividad-Caballero, with DA-10 Regional Technical Director for Operations Carlota S. Madriaga and Regional Technical Director for Research and Regulations Cora A. Dumayaca led the groundbreaking of the two processing centers.

Funded under the agency’s Rice Program, a 900 sq.m. rice processing center, worth over P49 million will soon serve farmers in Barangay Pinatilan, Valencia City, Bukidnon.

Said infrastructure will also include one mechanical dryer set, with a capacity of 10 to 12 tons per set, as well as one direct-fired biomass furnace with a maximum heat power of 500.

Through said facility, DA aims to strategically improve the efficiency of the rice post-production system, and reduce post-harvest losses, thereby ensuring the improved quality of milled rice from the said community.

Meanwhile, a 1,920 sq.m. corn processing center will also soon rise in DA’s Research Center for Upland Development in Barangay Barongcot, Dangcagan, Bukidnon.

Funded through DA’s Corn Program, the corn processing center worth over P98-million, also includes a pre-cleaner and aspirator; 2 mechanical dryer sets, each able to cater 27-30 tons per set; and 2 corn silos with a capacity of around 1,500 to 2,000 tons per set.

Strategically located in the southern part of Bukidnon, the corn facility aims to bolster the needs of local farmers, and foster a more sustainable and efficient production of nearby corn-producing municipalities including Maramag, Don Carlos, Kitaotao, Kadingilan, Kalilangan, Pangantucan, Kibawe, Damulog, and Quezon.

Said interventions are aligned with DA Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel, Jr.’s three-year, eight-point plan for a ‘Masaganang Bagong Pilipinas’, which entails the modernization and mechanization of agri-fishery productions, as well as the development and improvement of post-harvest systems and infrastructures throughout the country.

Signifying their support for the project, the groundbreaking ceremony was also participated by Farmer-Director for the month of May, Nilda B. Salas; and DA-10 Provincial Operations Center – Bukidnon chief Janet D. Lopez, DVM with Rice Program focal person Chona H. Nacalaban and Corn Program focal person Richan D. Lacanaria. (GDA)

DA joins presidential assistance distribution to El Niño-hit farmers, fishers in NorMin

Posted on by cmn

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY – Department of Agriculture (DA) Secretary Francisco Tiu P. Laurel, Jr., along with other cabinet members joins President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. in his visit here for the distribution of government assistance to El Niño-hit farmers and fishers in identified areas in Northern Mindanao on May 16, at the International Convention Center

Forty (40) qualified farmers and fisherfolk from Cagayan de Oro City, and the provinces of Misamis Oriental, Camiguin, and Bukidnon received PhP10K each in assistance from the Office of the President.


President Marcos Jr. also handed over PhP10 million worth of El Niño mitigating assistance to the City Government of Cagayan de Oro and the Provincial Government of Camiguin, while the Provincial Government of Misamis Oriental and Bukidnon each received PhP50-million in assistance.


“Ang sadya po namin dito ay upang personal na i-abot sa ating mga lokal na pamahalaan ang Presidential assistance para sa ating mga magsasaka at mangingisda na napinsala, naapektuhan ng El Niño. Ito ay nagkakahalaga ng sampung libong piso na tulong sa mga kwalipikadong magsasaka, mangingisda at mga pamilyang labis na naapektuhan ng tagtuyot na dinadanas natin ngayon. Maliit na halaga po, ngunit umaasa akong magagamit ninyo ito upang makapagsimula muli.” he said.


For his part, DA Secretary Laurel bared that the department under his helm has drummed up its initiatives to ensure that farmers and fishers in Region 10 have access to the agency’s programs and projects such as the provision of various agricultural assistance like agri inputs (vegetable, corn and rice seeds, and fertilizers), machinery and equipment, Fertilizer Discount Vouchers (FDVs), Rice Farmers’ Financial Assistance, among others.


The DA official added that it continues to pursue and complement the efforts of other government agencies to hurdle challenges in ensuring the continued supply of adequate food at economical prices.


“Our initiatives bring together our commitment to strengthened regional efforts to provide more efficient public services.” the agricultural secretary noted, underscoring that convergence is the key to coming up with concrete and sustainable [agricultural] enterprises in the area [NorMin].


Citing the downpour of interventions for NorMin to cushion the impact brought about by El Niño, the president assured that more help is underway from the government to uphold regional development.


“Makakaasa naman ang lahat na hindi lamang sa panahon ng hirap ay nariyan ang inyong gobyerno. Dahil tuloy-tuloy ang mga programang imprastraktura sa inyong lungsod at rehiyon, gaya ng pagpagawa ng mga paliparan, kalsada, at iba pang mga proyekto.” President Marcos furthered.


DA-Regional Field Office 10 headed by Regional Executive Director Jose Apollo Y. Pacamalan along with its attached regional line agencies, bureaus, and corporations, are among the government instrumentalities who took part in the Bagong Pilipinas Serbisyo Fair, held at the University of Science and Technology of Southern Philippines, where farmers and fisherfolk availed of mobile agri-fishery techno services. (JLO/ATT)

5 public servants in Bukidnon get Gawad Parangal award

Posted on by Melchor Madera

MALAYBALAY CITY, Bukidnon (May 16, 2024) – Bukidnon public servants won five out of six categories in the 2024 Gawad Parangal Award for Mindanao Island

Four of them are elected officials, while the fifth is a social welfare officer.
The award was presented on May 15, 2024, at the National Assembly of the Association of Local Social Welfare Development Officers of the Philippines, Inc. in Iloilo City.
Mayor Azucena P. Huervas of Valencia City, the last termer chief executive, accepted the award as the most outstanding local chief executive in the Philippines’ component city category in Mindanao.
Kibawe Municipal Mayor Reynaldo S. Ang Rabanes was named the most excellent local chief executive in the first through third-class municipal category.
Damulog Municipal Mayor Melino L. Buro was named the most outstanding local chief executive in the fourth to fifth-class municipal category.
Meanwhile, Minerva C. Casinabe, a Bukidnon Provincial Board member, was named the most outstanding legislator in the province category.
Lastly, the fifth recipient of the 2024 Gawad Parangal Award from Bukidnon is Larina B. Tagaloguin, San Fernando town’s social welfare officer III for rank and file in the 1st to 3rd class municipal category. (melbmadera)

Rice farmers sa Malaybalay gihatagan og ayuda

Posted on by cmn

Ang Department of Agriculture (DA) Region 10 mitunol sa ikaupat nga higayon og tag P 5,000.00 nga cash assistance ngadto sa matag mag-uuma sa humay sa Malaybalay

Sumala sa kasayoran sa dakbayan, ang mga benepisaryo narehistro sa Registry System for Basic Sectors in Agriculture (RSBSA) nga adunay luna nga dili molapas sa duha ka ektarya sa humayan.

 

Kini pinaagi sa Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund – Rice Farmers Financial Assistance sa DA.

 

Gipahigayon ang pagpasiugda pinaagi sa koordinasyon sa buhatan sa City Agriculture kabahin sa pagpang apod-apod sa tabang pinansyal ngadto sa mga benepisaryo didto sa barangay Violeta Covered Court ning dakbayan niadtong Pebrero 27, 2024.

 

Mahinumdoman nga adunay iskedyul sa distribusyon usab ang nahitabo niadtong Disyembre 1-2, 2022 ubos sa RFFA 3 ug Marso 4, 2023 ubos sa RFFA 2.

 

Kasamtangan, adunay 1,918 ka mga mag-uuma ang nalista ug na-validate alang sa RFFA basi sa DA Farmers and Fisherfolks Registry System.

 

Ang programa gitambongan nila ni Provincial Operations Head Janeth D. Lopez, Vice Mayor Estelito R. Marabe, mga konsehal nga si Alan Ryan O. Legaspi, Niko P. Aldeguer, Brian Nelson T. Flores, Zoltan Dindo D. Dinlayan, Cromwell Kiril D. Dinlayan, Erwin A. Damasco ug Christopher Lambert N. Tortola.

 

Kauban usab ang presensya ni Kapitan Efren Omallao ug Engr. Richard B. Leono, OIC sa City Agriculture Office.

 

Gipasabot ug gidasig sa nitambong nga mga opisyal ang mga mag-uuma nga gamiton ang tabang nga nadawat sa pagpalit sa farm inputs aron mapauswag ang ilang kinitaan sa pagpanguma. (Diego M. Hidalgo)