The September issue of Agriculture Magazine features sweet pepper as a favorite money-maker of many high-value vegetable farmers. Of course, they have good reasons for preferring to plant this crop.

For one, there are now new hybrids that are not only fruitful, they could also be grown throughout the year because they are more resistant to the usual pests and stresses during the rainy season. Another reason is that the productive period of sweet pepper is longer than most other vegetables given the right cultural and management requirements.

Also one good reason is that the sweet pepper usually fetches a high price.

Wilfredo Rios of Brgy. Lao in Ormoc City is one satisfied grower of sweet pepper. He usually rotates it with other crops so that build up of pests and other problems are avoided. One time, he planted 3,000 seedlings of the Emperor variety. He harvested fruits from this particular crop for several months, averaging a sale of P13,500 per week.

The September issue also features the latest developments in sweetpotato research at the Philippine Root Crop Research and Training Center (PhilRootcrops) based at the Visayas State University in Baybay, Leyte. Also featured is the vast potential of banana “rejects” in Mindanao which could be made into banana meal as ingredient in animal feeds, food grade banana flour, banana
ketchup and others.

You will also read about the new glutinous rice varieties as reported by Adrielle Solsoloy of the Philippine Rice Research Institute. These include NSIC Rc13, 15, 17 and NSIC Rc 19.

Also featured are the success stories of a pilot who does his own brand of organic farming, the couple who started the “Pagkain para sa Masa” program in Mindanao, a Mindanaoan who brought improved farming practices to Mindoro, and others.

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VCO FOR COOKING. One good news is that Carica, the company of Ramon Tan, has come up with virgin coconut oil for culinary purposes. It now produces 3,000 liters a day. Under its process, fresh coconut is immediately converted into a virgin oil, thus avoiding the build up of unhealthy microorganisms such as bacteria and fungi that cause aflatoxin, a known cause of cancer.

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CACAO SUMMIT THURSDAY. The Philippine Cacao Summit will be held Thurday at the SM Megatrade Hall Conference Room B of SM Megamall, Mandaluyong City. Edward David, president of CocoaPhil, says there’s a vast potential for expansion for cocoa. There are more than two million hectares of coconut lands suitable for intercropping with cacao.

The global demand for cocoa beans grows at about 90,000 tons annually, and Southeast Asia needs an additional 220,000 tons a year.

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TECHNOLOGY COMMERCIALIZATION FORUM. The Bureau of Agricultural Research of the Department of Agriculture will hold its 5th Agriculture and Fisheries Technology Commercialization Forum and Exhibit starting today, August 27, through August 30 at the Megatrade Hall 3, SM Megamall, Mandaluyong City. The fair will showcase viable and commerciable technologies developed by state colleges and universities, and DA regional offices.