Tags: Agribusiness
By Alexander Villafania
JONES, ISABELA – This town is one of the most renowned locations for peanut production, earning it the moniker “peanut basket.”
However, recent events, both natural and man-made, have caused a decline in production. Some of these constraints are smaller areas for cultivation, lack of quality seeds, poor soil fertility, absence of proper pest management, high cost of manual labor, and inefficient pre- and post-harvesting.
Natural disasters like flash floods and drought are also hampering continued production of quality peanuts.
In an effort to sustain the viability of the peanut production industry in Isabela, the Department of Science and Technology-Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic, and Natural Resources Research Development (DOST-PCAARD) signed up with the Cagayan Valley Agriculture and Resources Research and Development Consortium (CAARRD) to build the Science and Technology-based Farm (STBF) located in Jones.
Since it was put up, the STBF has provided the latest technologies in peanut production. It has also conducted a number of researches on seed inoculation, basal fertilization, and gypsum side-dressing.
The peanut breed being used in Isabela is called the Asha variety. It was introduced in the Philippines from India courtesy of the International Crops Research Institute for Semi-Arid Tropic (ICRISAT) in 2005. It is one of the hardiest types of peanuts as it is highly resistant against bacteria infestation.
Asha is considered to be the only peanut type that yielded double the amount of peanuts than commercialized peanuts in the Philippines. A hectare of Asha peanut plants would yield at least 3,990 kilograms.
The STBF encourages the adoption of new peanut growing technologies by around 170 farming communities in Jones. Some of these farmers have also introduced peanut planting as part of the rotational planting process with corn.
The early successes of the STBF have also led the DoST to partner with the Department of Agriculture (DA) to establish the Peanut Processing and Learning Center that would benefit small-scale processing industries focused on peanut-based products.
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Nice post. Thanks for sharing. I hope that preventative measures can be put in place soon. One thing that can be done which costs nothing is each individual take responsibility for their garbage and put it where it belongs instead of throwing it all over the streets, rivers, and everywhere else.