MANILA, Philippines — They are in their early 40s and are both working for a construction company in Manila. This early Gilbert and Anita Catudio are thinking of their retirement so they bought a small farm in Anita’s hometown of Magdalena in Laguna.

They are planting their favorite exotic fruit trees a few plants at time so that they can observe which ones will thrive well before they plant in bigger numbers.

Every Sunday when they visit their farm, they buy about five or more grafted trees from a nursery in Teresa, Rizal. Last January 22, they bought two grafted Super Red rambutan, two durian and one Abiu.

They have earlier planted latexless jackfruit, pummelo, imported makopa and others. Their strategy is very practical because they just spend a relatively small amount at a time but at regular frequency. After a few years, they could fully develop their dream farm.

At retirement time, some 20 years later, their fruit trees shall have become highly productive and could give them additional income to supplement their monthly pension from the SSS. It is also possible that they shall have bought some of the adjacent lots which they had developed the way they did their first farm.

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FEBRUARY AGRICULTURE — Be sure to get a copy of the February issue of Agriculture Magazine which will be off the press anytime now. It is full of many useful articles that are helpful to a lot of people in farming.

You will read about a mobile rice hull gasifier developed by PhilRice that can be attached to an engine sys-tem for pumping irrigation water, rice milling and other applications that require energy at a cheaper cost.

Melpha Abello who recently visited the coffee nursery and training center of Nestlè Philippines in Panabo, Davao del Norte, writes about urgent reasons why farmers should plant more coffee.

For one, Abello cites the big demand for this crop in the country amounting to 64,000 metric tons which is more than half the 30,000 metric tons supplied by local farmers. Another reason is that the Department of Agriculture is budgeting P163 million starting this year for planting materials, postharvest facilities and capacity building programs to help farmers improve their productivity.

You will also read about the money-making potentials of cherry tomato developed by the biggest seed com-pany in Taiwan. This is one crop that is little known to many Filipino farmers but which could become another money maker if more people learn the proper techniques of production and if more Filipinos learn to eat the same.

Agriculture Magazine is the most widely circulated magazine of its kind in the country, available nationwide in bookstores and the distribution network of Manila Bulletin.