It is always highly rewarding to attend agricultural events that are held every now and then. Just like the 6th Agriculture and Fisheries Technology Forum and Product Exhibition staged by the Bureau of Agricultural Research recently.

One practical idea we got is the story of Ricky Malolos of Sto. Tomas, Batangas that was showcased at the booth of the Bureau of Animal Industry. He is a native chicken raiser who feeds his birds with half of their feed requirement with commercial feed and the other half consisting of chopped Madre de Agua leaves. Madre de Agua is an introduced forage tree from South America but which has been usually fed to goats and pigs locally.

By feeding his chickens with this combination, he saves a lot on feeds. His chickens are marketable within a growing period of five to six months. Last June he sold 500 of his native chickens and made a profit of P100 per head. That’s a profit of P50,000 for him.

By the way, at the same booth, Dr. Ed Torne showed us that the Madre de Agua leaves can be turned into a leaf meal that could be sold to feed millers. The leaves are dried and powdered in much the same way as the leaves of the ipil-ipil. Unlike ipil-ipil leaves, the leaves of Madre de Agua does not contain mimosine which could be detrimental to animals that are fed with it beyond the recommended dosage. It could cause stillbirth in pigs, for instance, if the amount is excessive.

We also met the group from the Mariano Marcos State University in Batac City (Ilocos Norte) led by Dr. Heraldo Layaoen, head of the sweet sorghum project of the country. There we learned that Antonio Arcangel, a local businessman, is developing a syrup for eventual distribution through a big supermart chain in Metro Manila. He is also perfecting an Ilocos-type vinegar made of sweet sorghum juice. The syrup is claimed to be much better healthwise than the product derived from sugarcane.

Sweet sorghum flour is another product being developed. This could be used for making pan de sal, loaf bread, cookies, cupcake, hotcake and the like. The sweet sorghum researchers are observing several varieties of sweet sorghum. Dr. Layaoen says that the variety with dark grains is best for making beer. Oh yes, sweet sorghum can be used for beer making.

By the way, a book on the pests and diseases of pigeon pea was launched at the forum. Senior author is Dr.Thelma Layaoen, the better half of Heraldo. Pigeon pea or kadios is a legume that is resistant to drought. It produces seeds that are high in protein.