QC COUNTRY FAIR & GARDEN SHOW — The 5-day Quezon City Country Fair and Garden Show opened last Wednesday and will end tomorrow at the Quezon Memorial Circle in Quezon City. Among the special guests at the opening were actress Susan Roces who grows...

Last Wednesday, we were able to talk to Agriculture Sec. Proceso J. Alcala at the opening of the Quezon City Country Fair and Garden Show at the Quezon Memorial Circle.

He reiterated his previous promise that after 2013, typhoons permitting, we will no longer have to import rice. He cited the fact that in the past two years, imports have been drastically reduced.

Aside from the increased rice production, he cited the good performance of the corn growers in the Philippines. He mentioned that while corn production in the US has suffered a big drop due to drought, he said the Philippines has recorded bumper harvests this year.

Corn, of course, is a major ingredient in livestock and poultry feeds. With sufficient feeds, the livestock and poultry raisers could produce more meat and eggs. And that also contributes to food security and sufficiency.

Of course corn, particularly the white variety, is also for human consumption. And there is a white variety, UP Var-4, that is high-yielding and is now being grown by an increasing number of farmers in the Visayas and Mindanao.

Incidentally, many corn farmers have shifted to production of hybrid corn of the Bt kind. Farmers we have interviewed said that they now prefer the Bt varieties because they don’t have to spray poisonous chemicals against the Asian corn borer.

Also more farmers in Mindanao as well as in Luzon are now practicing the so-called zero tillage technique of planting corn. Boyet Grey of Umingan who first practiced this system a few years back in his hometown said that many other farmers in Pangasinan have followed his practice. There’s practically no expense on land preparation. Right after harvesting rice, the corn seeds could be dibbled in the unplowed soil.

Sec. Alcala noted that increasing rice production is not the only way to achieve food sufficiency. He urged the attendees at the Country Fair, especially those who are into orchids and ornamentals, to consider growing vegetables, too. He said that if they can grow the delicate orchids, there is no reason why they will not be able to produce high quality vegetables.

He noted that production of organic vegetables will meet the increasing demand for healthy food. Of course, the agriculture secretary is a long-time advocate of organic vegetable production and he believes that teaching the children to eat more vegetables will result in a healthier citizenry. And they could become a big market for producers of organic veggies.

The consumption of more rootcrops such as sweet potato or camote, ubi, gabi and the like will also contribute to food sufficiency. Less rice could be consumed if more people will eat more rootcrops and other vegetables.

When we mentioned that an entrepreneur in Malang, Indonesia, is processing 20 tons of sweet potato a week, making them into 48 different food products, Sec. Alcala was excited. Especially when we mentioned to him that there are at least 4,000 hectares being planted to camote in Moncada, Tarlac each year.

He said that if a cooperative could study the techniques of processing camote into value-added products, the Department of Agriculture will be more than willing to assist them. He said the DA could provide the necessary processing facilities and technical assistance.

 What the DA is also advocating to help achieve self-sufficiency in rice is the reduction of waste on the table. At the recent Agrilink trade show, Flordeliza Bordey of the Philippine Rice Institute (PhilRice) revealed in her lecture that Filipinos waste two tablespoons of cooked rice every day. The total amount wasted in one year would be equivalent to P5.3 billion worth of imported rice. And that could feed two million hungry Filipinos in one year.

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BACK TO THE COUNTRY FAIR – You have today and tomorrow to visit the QC Country Fair at the Quezon Memorial Circle in Quezon City. You will see the beautiful arrangements of cacti and succulents, the vertical garden exhibit of Serapion Metilla, the poinsettias of King Louis Flowers and Plants, and many more.

At the commercial section, aside from the many ornamental plants and fruit trees, there are displays of small farm animals, health and wellness products, regional food specialties and others.

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