MANILA, Philippines – Anselmo Dionio, 57, of Kaaringayan, Laoac, Pangasinan studied electronics in college but by some twist of fate, he drifted towards agriculture. That’s because after graduation a friend talked to him to join the International Rice Research Institute, first as a translator and then as a member of a research team.

He stayed at IRRI from 1974 to 1980. After that he joined a power plant in Saudi Arabia where he made use of his knowledge in electronics. In 1984, he finished his term in Saudi Arabia so he went back to Laoac to pursue his own brand of farming.

Because of his experience in IRRI, he was often asked by seed companies to put up a demonstration farm to showcase their own varieties. He was particularly interested in organic farming so he studied vermicomposting and other methods of producing organic fertilizer. He was eventually accredited as a “Magsasaka Sientista” or farmer scientist by the Philippine Council for Agriculture, Forestry and Natural Resources Research and Development (PCARRD) and he became active in disseminating improved techniques of farming. He usually joined farm tours organized by PCARRD and other agencies.

One of the places he visited with a group of farmers in 2007 was a dragon fruit farm in Ilocos Norte. There he bought eight cuttings of dragon fruit at P250 apiece or P2,000 for the eight cuttings. Many of his companions in the group were laughing at him. Why would he pay P2,000 for eight miserable-looking cuttings? What will he do with them?

He just kept silent and planted the cuttings in his backyard in Laoac. They grew all right but it was only in 2010 that he exerted effort to multiply his cuttings in earnest. Now, he is having
the last laugh because his dragon fruit has become a virtual goldmine.

He has supplied planting materials for a half hectare plantation of a lady in San Fabian. The planting materials
were worth P300,000. Then the cement posts for a two-hectare plantation
in San Jacinto town are being erected and they will start planting next month. Anselmo said that one hectare will be planted first. That will require 4,000 planting materials worth P600,000.

Instead of selling short cuttings as planting materials, Anselmo grows his planting materials to more than five feet, supported by bamboo stakes. At P150 per piece, that’s much cheaper than the P250 he paid for each short cutting from the farm in Ilocos Norte.

As Anselmo is increasingly becoming known for his reasonably priced dragon fruit planting materials, many interested planters are approaching him. He cites interested growers in Sison and other towns. His problem now is how to accelerate his production of planting materials. But that is a problem that is welcome to him.

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FRUIT WINES, TOO – As a farmer scientist, Anselmo does his own experimentation. One of the projects he is very much excited about is his production of fruit wines like bignay, mango, duhat and cashew wines.

During the last season (2010) he was able to produce 1,000 liters each of bignay, duhat and mango wines. He only produced a small amount of cashew wine because the raw materials were not available.

He does not buy any of his raw materials. His mangoes are supplied by friends who usually receive a small share of the end product. In the case of bignay, there are a lot of trees in Laoac where he could harvest the berries for free. The same is true with duhat.

Anselmo ferments the raw materials in airtight blue plastic barrels. He ferments his wine without any chemical preservatives. He uses purely organic materials. The wine can be harvested as early as two months after the materials are placed in the fermentation barrels. The wine would taste better, however, if given a longer fermentation period, according to Anselmo.

Because Anselmo has a low cost of production, he sells his wines at prices much lower than their counterparts produced by other wine makers. For instance a bottle containing 700 ml is priced at P75. A one-liter bottle is being sold at P100.

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IFEX 2011 STARTS NEXT THURSDAY — The 2011 edition of the International Food Exhibition (IFEX) will be held on May 12 to 14 at the SMX Convention Center at the SM Mall of Asia.

One of the highlights of this year’s expo is the Trendy Award Competition to search for innovations in content and packaging of new food products and applications. The search also includes products that exemplify successful adaptation to consumer lifestyle and preferences as well as readiness for local and international market requirements.

“The Trendy Award will encourage food manufacturers to develop new product concepts and packaging solutions that cater to the demands of the global market. The increasingly competitive economic environment challenges us to continually expand and update our range of products to meet and anticipate our clients’ needs,” said Rosvi C. Gaetos, executive director of the Center for International Trade Expositions and Missions (CITEM).

The competition is open to all Philippine-based food manufacturers, suppliers, traders, and consolidators participating in the 8th IFEX Philippines who have either successfully developed new products that have not been introduced to the market, or who have existing products that have been enhanced or improved in either form, packaging, formulation, or application.