If Hybrid Rice Makes A Farmer So Much Richer Every Harvest, Why Are Only A Few Farmers Cultivating It?

This is from a Facebook sharing of Fermin Dalimot, the Ilocano planter of the hybrid rice Longping, which I know is the “creation” of the Chinese plant scientist Yuan Longping, hence the name. (superimposed artwork of hybrid rice panicle[1] from PNGio.com)

The following are selected comments, all positive, about Mr Dalimot’s Longping hybrid harvest (spellings as is). I am going to select & translate from Ilocano or Tagalog; I will point out that every commenter is jealous of the good fortune of the farmer.

The 1st question is: “Was it really good fortune that gave this farmer a good harvest?” Lo Ernie Paulo Ruiz says it was the brand of the fertilizer (not mentioned). Maning Gaspar says a high yield is achievable with any of the hybrids, as long as one does what is right and the weather is good. But Mike Bernardo Castro says Longping performs well even during the rainy season. Mike Bernardo Castro says, “The weather condition is a big factor.”

Perlie Del Rosario Gamayon says it’s the seeds – “Mayat ta naymulam” (literally, what you planted is good). It’s the hybrid Longping 205. Area planted is 2.9 ha; total harvest 526 bags. Alexes Guillermo Casiano says it looks like the farmer harvested from 5 ha.

Mike Bernardo CastroMasaganang ani sir 🌾🌾🌾
Iba talaga ang Longping, talagang maasahan kahit tag-ulan👍👍👍👏👏👏💪💪💪
Dio Pambid Nagado sa apit mo insan
Charisse Mei Magallones-Obra Wow sulit agad ankel yang reaper hehe..walang nasayng..
Francis Salalila Canlas Galing pres
Melvin Santos Congratulations sir!
Normita Salvador Patac Chamba mo mate mahal Ang palay ngayon
Julie Casiano Wow panalo na kuya
Mart Cauilan Grabe 😲
Carmen Aquino Wow tomama ka unçle
Ailyn Cayomba Daming ani ah batch
Lo Ernie Paulo Ruiz Wow masaganang ani bro.makapaadu apit ti brand nga abono "
LeSter Perlie Del Rosario Gamayon Wow panalo ka uncle 👍Mayat ta naymulam 👏👏God is good ❤️
Vilma Ramos Ramirez Wow ang dami manong...
Maning Gaspar Doable sa lahat ny hybrid basta gawin ang nararapat at weather is good
Mike Bernardo Castro Maning Gaspar yes doc, napakalaking factor po ang weather condition
Elma Amahit Pascua Wow ankel super tama ka sa harvest mo 👍👍sana all 😍🙏😀
Fermin Dalimot Elma Amahit Pascua wen kaanakan, to God be the glory
Alexes Guillermo Casiano Nagmayaten ta pagay mo pres, kasla kala nagapit ti lima nga ektarya.
Fermin Dalimot Alexes Guillermo Casiano wen naitsamba, jay panagdawa na idi nga mayat panawen.

So, hybrid rice earns more for the farmer. Now, the answer to my own question (see title) – I blame only the hybrid rice companies themselves. None of those has launched any national media campaign for farmers to adopt hybrid rice. Independent press releases are not enough. PhilRice-IRRI endorsement is not enough.

As a digital media advocate, I am thinking of a Season-Long Multi-Media Hybrid Rice Campaignthat needs to be waged for hybrid rice.

Seriously. For the good of PH Agriculture, I could give those hybrid rice companies free digital advice if they asked me! frankahilario@gmail.com@517

 

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[1]https://pngio.com/images/png-a2640238.html

Which Of The Top 5 Soft Skills Of 2020 To Develop For 2021 – Qualitatively Different Advice From US Mentor Emma Brudner & PH Guru Frank A Hilario

Here’s my birthday advice to you if you are looking for a mentor of men (Miss Emma) or a mentor of minds (Mr Hilario). She advices on how to get yourself a more rewarding job; I advice you on how to get yourself a more enriching mind this year and on to the next.

And you know what? My single advice is based on Miss Emma’s 5!

In the Inc.comarticle “The Top 5 Soft Skills Of 2020 And How To Develop Them[1],” Miss Emma has this list:

1.     Creativity

2.     Persuasion

3.     Collaboration

4.     Adaptability

5.     Emotional intelligence.

Note that she is coming from the assumption that soft skills are now being preferred by companies hiring people over hard skills– even those with diplomas or certificates of graduation.

Miss Emma says the 5 in the list come from LinkedIn – which I can say is The Facebook of Skilled People – and are ranked one to the other:

Creativity is most important, while
Persuasion is 2^nd in importance, and
Collaboration is 3^rd in importance, and
Adaptability is 4^th in importance, and finally your
Emotional Intelligence is 5^th one to really thrill your next employer.

Creative – You are able to come up with ideas on your own, and/or bounce ideas off others for any new or improved pronouncement, policy, product or process.

Persuasive – You can argue from your side, and from the other side. You can examine all the angles, and can come up with rebuttals if necessary.

Collaborative – You know how to define the structure of that collaboration. On one boat, you know how to get everyone to row together and not against each other. You make sure everyone listens, asks questions and understands what is/are expected of him/her.

Adaptive – The circumstances may change, but your mindset is always able to help you adjust to the new requirements. You may also want to test an alternative idea or approach.

Emotionally intelligent – You do seek out others for their points of view. Empathy is essential.

All that from Miss Emma.

Think now, I have only 1 advice:

Learn to be creative!

Creativity covers all.
From Alignment to Zaire.

How do you cultivate creativity? The “Po Technique” of Edward de Bono says in brainstorming, there are no negatives. Look inside or beside – there may a bright idea somewhere.

Sorry, but if you look at the above image again, you can see that it is:
not creative.
not persuasive.
not collaborative.
not adaptable.
not emotionally intelligent!

If you are creative, you always come up with ways to convince people to contribute to the common effort.

If you are creative, brainstorming with the team, you always come up with ways for everyone to help each other out in the common project.

If you are creative, you always think out ways to adjust to your group.

If you are creative, you always ask for feedback. And you will become more creative as a result!@517

 

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[1]https://www.inc.com/emma-brudner/the-top-5-soft-skills-of-2020-how-to-develop-them.html?cid=sf01002&fbclid=IwAR3eB0ZMKr6idMl9O0b6lMd9KT2XaiqlUYnlT-6sR-ygFs-8Un2A8p8-JKk

My Birthday Is Coming Up, And If You Love Me, Bury Me With Your Un-Edited Technical Papers As Your Gifts!

After creative writing, my next big talent is technical editing. And so today, my way of giving thanks to the Lord for reaching 80 (not today), send me your unedited technical manuscript on agriculture, biodiversity, communication, ecology, education, forestry, technology or any related field – and I will edit the first 17 soft copies I receive, gratis et amore! frankahilario@gmail.com (Otherwise, it’s P7K.)

Pre-digital: If you don’t know me, from 1975 to 1981, for the Forest Research Institute, FORI, I was the founder and Editor In Chief of the monthly newsletter Canopy, quarterly technical journal Sylvatrop, and quarterly popular color magazine Habitat. Those publications made FORI well-known here and abroad.

100% digital: From 2003 to 2008, I was the Editor In Chief of the Philippine Journal of Crop Science, PJCS, the one who elevated it to the internationally honored list of journals called ISI (Web of Knowledge-Web of Science).

My offer of a gift to edit your technical paper was prompted by the Facebook sharing of DoST (main image above) with the title “DoST and Elsevier, World’s Largest Scientific Publisher, Renew Partnership.” Thus, “DoST revitalized its subscription to the scientific publishing giant’s online journals, citation index database, and capacity building of researchers on authorship to scientific journals.”

I note: “capacity building of researchers on authorship (of papers submitted) to scientific journals.” Mr DoST, I say we do not need to subscribe to foreign journals for our authors to come up with international standards in technical writing – we can ask the help of the Editors In Chief of the Philippine Agricultural Scientist, PAS, and the PJCS who actively brought those publications to the internationally respected ISI level: OK Bautista for PAS and Frank A Hilario for PJCS.

Experience is the best teacher!

… the year 2019 posted the highest research output in a single year at 5,614 research publications produced.

As an Editor In Chief of 45 years, here’s my comment on the above DoST news:

The highest research output in a single year at 5,614 research publications produced is unbelievable!

The DoST reporter did not proofread his report – a cardinal sin. By “5,614 research publications produced,” s/he must mean 5,614 research papers published, not 5,614 research journals published – too many!

Here is a Facebook comment on the above DoST sharing:

Edd K Usman: Ma’am, thanks so much. Take care. Head already corrected… renews to renew.” Slip-up.

In the title of the paper, a grammatical error occurs: “renews” instead of “renew.” Really, my editorial work of 45 years tells me that authors are not careful with grammar – and that is why you need editors who are careful with those who are careless.

And yes, on the above main image, I superimposed “How to write a great abstract.” The mentor is using a fountain pen – that is bringing back technical writing to 45 years ago.

I am 100% self-taught when it comes to digital. Today, editors of technical papers must be 100% digital, or must yield to others who are!@517

 

“Antique Hog Raisers Earn ₱12-M In 2 Months” – Impossible?!

From out there, SMH Toreno says Antique hog raisers earned P12 Million from 4 institutional buyers in Metro Manila from July to recently (DA Western Visayas, DA-RAFIS 6). (Facebook sharing; “sold” image from Desert Gate[1])

That’s collecting P6 Million every 30 days, or US$4,000 a day! Is that possible?

It is not only possible; it has already happened. Mr Toreno says swine raisers in Antique sold 1,350 head valued at P12 Million to those 4 buyers in Metro Manila. No, they did not do the selling individually as hog raisers; they were actively assisted by the local government unit, LGU of Sibalom, Leyte along with the Sibalom Livestock and Poultry Raisers Association, SILPRA; and this tandem of 2 sold the hogs to those 4 institutional buyers (names not mentioned in the report). And so, as against the low purchasing price range of P80 to P85/kilo in Sibalom, this went up to P90 to P107/kilo in Metro Manila.

The price is right when the place is right!

I want to emphasize here the huge significance of the assistance of LGU Sibalom and SILPRA in the marketing of the hogs – that they connected with institutional buyers, not individual buyers. Institutional buyers are committed; they guarantee your market and they are yours forever as long as the long-term contract for production-purchase is in effect and the terms are faithfully kept. Both buyers and sellers benefit from the pre-agreed terms and conditions.

The price is always right as it is guaranteed by the contract.

Still, the Antique achievement can be much improved – and institutionalized.

Here is my one recommendation to SILPRA, now with 400 members from the villages of Barbara, Belison, Hamtic, San Jose, San Remigio, and Tibiao:

Form a multipurpose cooperative.

There are at least 3 things that will happen if they form say the Sibalom Hog & Poultry Raisers Cooperative, SHoP Raisers Coop:

(1)   Funds guaranteed. SHoP Raisers Coop will apply for inclusion in the master list of the Cooperative Development Authority, CDA of the Philippines. The coop can then request financial assistance from the public and private sectors.

(2)   Coop will enjoy full support of the DA.Under the leadership of Secretary of Agriculture William Dar, SHoP Raisers Coop can receive loans, equipment and all kinds of assistances. On easy terms, or gratis.

(3)   No dictatorship. No strong-willed leader can dominate the group, unlike in an association – therefore, selfish motives and sectarian moves can be entirely eliminated. The structure of the cooperative, if the rules of the CDA are followed, prevents dominance of any group.

Of course, the DA will also assist the associations, but not with much content and confidence as it has dealing with cooperatives.

I know all that because I am a Board Member of Nagkaisa Multipurpose Cooperative of my hometown Asingan, Pangasinan. The President of an association can dictate his will to the members because they feel beholden to him – you cannot dictate to the coop board who represent varied interests: tenant, farmer, businessman, landowner, religious person, civic-minded individual.

In Union there’s Strength!@517

 

 

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[1]http://www.desertgaterealestate.com/sold_in_2009

Do PH Rice Farmers Continue To Profit From Technology? Middlemen Continue To Profit From Rice Farmers!

 

It’s harvest time for rice. Here comes Rosendo So, Chair of the Samahang Industriya ng Agrikultura, Sinag, with the news that the best wholesale offers of farmgate prices for rice range from P12.50 to P13.50/kilo, so the Sinag farmers stand to lose. For Sinag, the breakeven farmgate price for freshly harvested rice is P14.50/kilo; after drying, the acceptable price is P19/kilo.

To save the farmers from falling prices, Mr So “urged the Department of Agriculture to set aside P152 Billion to procure the expected 8 billion kilos of palay to be harvested this coming season at P19/kilo.”

The Secretary of Agriculture is William Dar, and I see that this calls for the Philippine version of “Science with a human face” that was his slogan at the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics, ICRISAT, based in India, when he was Director General of ICRISAT. Today’s rice problem calls for “Policy with a human face” – I am sure Mr Dar will try to move people & processes to raise those P152 Billion to save our farmers. (image[1] from UPLB RDE)

But that is only the Beginning of the Solution. According to Cynthia Villegas-De Guia, Planning Officer and Assistant Head of Program Development at the Bureau of Agricultural Research, “The Philippine agriculture sector has always been weighed down by low productivity and high production costs, because it has long lagged in adopting (new) technology.”

Old technology: Two related reasons why PH rice farmers have low rice yields is that they transplant too many seedlings per hill, usually 2 to 3 – which then compete against each other for nutrients. And then the distance between hills is too close: Too many seedlings per area means very few tillers are formed, and it is the tillers that produce the panicles that produce the grains that the farmers want!

Still another very good reason for the high cost of rice production is that farmers borrow from usurers for inputs – a welcome source of funds, as these friendly people don’t ask too many questions!

Can PH farmers save themselves?

They can, and can earn much more from their labors as a result.

We help the farmers organize multipurpose cooperatives and, with funding assistance from the public/private sector, each coop puts up a warehouse or granary that serves as a depository for farm produce during harvest time, no rush to sell. Then farmers can borrow money from the coop against their deposited harvest at coop-friendly rates, not usurious. This is called warrantage.

ICRISAT was practicing warrantage in Africa with the farmers there when Mr Dar was Director General of ICRISAT. Warrantage is farmer guarantee that he does not have to sell his harvest immediately to raise money for pressing family needs. His harvest will be sold when the price is right!

If we have enough coops with their warehouses and warrantage, farmers will not fall into hard times because palay prices will not fall. In fact, the prices of rice will rise – and with them, the farmers!@517

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[1]https://ovcre.uplb.edu.ph/press/features/item/501-seeing-from-space-the-future-of-philippine-agriculture

From Agriculture to Communication to Medicine to Painting to Zero Waste Management – Rethinking Learning When All The World’s In A Daze

 

A Civil Service Professional, I educator can see that Education Secretary Leonor Briones has already embraced this new world:

Education Online.

Unfortunately, our teachers have shied away from it. Even our journalists have kept distance from distance learning!

White-haired Miss Leonor is almost 80, born 16 October 1940. Almost thoroughly white-haired, I am myself almost 80, older by 30 days. She is Secretary of Education; I am a Civil Service Professional teacher myself –

Both educators, we are living proofs that
Nobody is too old to learn something new!

But the Method of Teaching must fit the Material being Taught. Above, I superimposed the image of a girl studying Literature[1] (from WikiHow) by handwriting her notes – this is Very Old School. This is going backward in education.

By the way, I teacher am a self-taught digital man – today, I research via digital, take notes digital, write digital, read digital, rewrite digital, finalize digital. No sweat, because I taught myself to be a blogger, an earnest one since January 2007 when now PH Secretary of Agriculture William Dar was still Director General of ICRISAT (he was DG 2000-2014), and he enlisted me as an international consulting writer, work from home.

Above, I featured as the main image Miss Leonor because she is the First Learner in the World of Digital Education in the Philippines.

From the article written by Bonz Magsambol (10 September 2020, “Briones Says Modular Learning 'Expensive,' Has 'Big Effect' On Environment[2],” Rappler.com), I can see that Miss Leonor’s thinking is holistic, meaning “Emphasizing the importance of the whole and the interdependence of its parts[3]” (American Heritage Dictionary). She has been thinking of the whole world of Education, from a common table at home to a whole school building – and realized that one needs only a little space to learn, not “a whole environment conducive to learning,” which schoolrooms are supposed to be.

“Modular learning” is “expensive” and has “big effect” on the environment. She explains that modular learning requires paper for printing.

May implikasyon ang dependence sa modular learning dahil baka uubusin natin ang mga puno natin sa kaka-produce [ng learning modules]. 'Yung demand for paper [is high]... malaki ang effect sa environment.

(There are implications of our dependence on modular learning because we might exhaust our trees just to produce those learning modules. The demand for paper is high… this has a big effect on the environment.)

I did not know Miss Leonor is also worried about the natural environment – which we all should be.

Since I consider Agriculture as the Handmaiden of National Development – aka Economic Development – I am now thinking about learning any and all of Agriculture online.

I am thinking of my alma mater, UP Los Baños, as the initiator of the new Digital Movement. Eventually, this will filter down to the farmers in the field who can receive instructions via their own cellphones. Then we will have digital farmers.

Digital is the way to go!@517

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[1]https://www.wikihow.com/Utilize-Winter-Break-for-Studying
[2]https://rappler.com/nation/briones-modular-learning-expensive-effect-environment
[3]https://www.thefreedictionary.com/holistic

PH Legislators: How Can Agriculture Grow Up When The Budget Grows Down!?

 

Why is PH Agriculture in terms of food behind that of Vietnam, of Thailand, and of Indonesia, and only equal that of Malaysia? Secretary of Agriculture William Dar told the House Committee on Agriculture chaired by Wilfrido Mark Enverga that the obvious explanation is that each of those countries has a lion’s share of the national budget for agriculture: Vietnam at 6.3%, Thailand at 3.6%, and Indonesia at 3.3% (Jasper Y Arcalas, “House Panel Favors Budget Hike For DA[1],” BusinessMirror.com.ph). In contrast, PH and Malaysia are down there each with a measly 1.6%. (image of negative growth[2] from Incyte Strategies LLC)

So, don’t be surprised why PH Agriculture imports more while each of those countries exports more!

During that meeting of the House Committee on Appropriations on the proposed 2021 budget of the DA, Mr Dar said that “that some of the projects that they plan to implement next year to improve farm production would not push through as (the DA’s) proposed budget of P284 billion was not approved” (italics supplied).

Mr Dar then appealed to the Committee if it were possible that P42 billion out of the P66 billion stimulus fund for agriculture instead be added to the 2020 DA budget. He said, “With this, our budget will be over P100 billion next year, which is good enough to start stimulating our agriculture sector toward a growth pattern.”

The problem with the Philippines, Mr Dar said, is that agriculture has been contributing yearly 10% of the country’s gross domestic product, GDP, and yet its budget share in the past 10 years has been a measly yearly 3%.

PH legislators and/or GDP economists do not know how to reward the good so that it will perform even better!

Mr Dar said:

We wish to underscore the need to ensure parity between the contribution of the sector to the economy and resources it gets from the national coffers. This if we are to ensure that agriculture (is) the sleeping giant (so that it) can finally contribute its full potential to the Philippine economy.

Note that Mr Dar referred to PH Agriculture as “the sleeping giant.” We can fully appreciate that if we note that, as according to George Barcelon, President Emeritus of Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Ernesto M Ordoñez, “Agriculture Budget And Economic Growth[3],” business.inquirer.net):

Our importation of food is almost 50 percent. So if you look at what sectors we should really focus on for long-term sustainability, it is really agriculture.

Mr Ordoñez went on to say:

Today, the Philippines has a 31% poverty rate, more than double that of Vietnam, Thailand and Indonesia, while Malaysia’s is less than 2%.

Local government and private sector empowerment in developing agriculture and reducing poverty must now focus on the provinces, municipalities, and barangays. The larger agriculture budget, when used with this new normal approach, will add significantly in achieving our “bayanihan as one” objective of a better life for our people.

Raise up the PH Agriculture budget!@517

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[1]http://businessmirror.com.ph/2020/09/10/house-panel-favors-budget-hike-for-da/?fbclid=IwAR3t9TEBSaywOXMKHNtm3IkHIr_iozp-8QD89d4ZAmAJIK3iWspSdZfuvYc
[2]http://www.incytestrategies.com/2015/01/16/what-the-heck-does-negative-earnings-growth-mean/
[3]https://business.inquirer.net/299114/agriculture-budget-and-economic-growth