ANGLO NUBIAN BUCKS TURNED OVER AT AGRILINK TODAY

This year’s edition of the Agrilink trade show opens today at the World Trade Center in Pasay City with Agriculture Secretary Proceso J. Alcala leading the special guests.

  Livestock and poultry are among the sectors that will be highlighted in this year’s agricultural extravaganza. Fittingly, this year’s theme is “Improving Animal Productivity Beyond Medication.” The DA’s thrusts include disease prevention, eradication and control in the animal industry.

This is timely since the Philippines can take advantage of the fact that the country is the only one in Southeast Asia that is free of the Avian flu, thus we can have a big share in the export of poultry products to countries like Japan and elsewhere. Also, the country boasts of its status as being FMD-free without vaccination.

The DA has also come up with a genetic improvement program for beef cattle and small ruminants funded by the USPL 480 of the United States. The program is called AGRIPBES or “Genetic Resource Improvement Program for Beef Cattle and Small Ruminants.

Assisting Sec. Alcala in today’s opening of Agrilink include Senate Agriculture Committee chairman Francis Pangilinan, Reps. Mark L. Mendoza and Benjur Salimbangon of the House of Representatives, bureau directors, diplomats and officials of the Foundation for Resource Linkage and Development (FRLD) which is the organizer of the expo.

Aside from the exhibits of various agricultural products, technologies  and services, there are free seminars which should prove very educational to the attendees.

Today, October 4, the seminars include: “Optimizing Performance of Breeding Herd in the Tropics”; Broiler Production; “Adult Fly and Larval Control in Farms” by Unahco at Seminar Room A.

At Seminar Room B – “Corn Silage, Cassava and Malunggay as an Alternative Feed and Feed Supplement for Dairy Cattle” and “Native Chicken Production.”

At Room C – Biological Control of Aspergillus Flavus Linn in Corn by Trichoderma,” “Quality Analysis of Rice and Corn Using Computer Vision System” and “Fermentation and Preservation of Ensiled Forage Using GrainPro Silbag.” The above will be held from 1 to 3 p.m.

  The DA will conduct a presentation about “Spreading Organic Agriculture in the Philippines” at Seminar Room B; the Postharvest Horticulture Training and Research Center will hold seminars on “Alternative Natural Compounds for Animal Growth Promotion,” “Safety Practices in Meat Handling and Preparation for Consumption” and “Postharvest Handling Losses in Major Fruits in the Philippines” in Seminar Room C.

   There will also be seminars on October 5 and 6. Santeh Feeds will give a seminar on “Early Fish Nutrition and New Technologies in Vannamei Culture” in Room A.  The others, for lack of space here, include seminars on commercial turkey production, the Alaminos Salad Garden Feeding Program and several others.