BEYOND ELLIPTICALBy Rose Marie de la Cruz AN ARTICLE of Daniel Moran in Space Daily wrote about urban planners in Singapore suggesting shading roads with trees to reduce street level temperatures by up to 2.6 degrees Celsius. He said standing on an unshaded stretch of Singapore pavement at 2 p.m. would make one feel the heat coming from three directions …
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By Rose de la Cruz AS PALAY output for the third quarter is expected to drop by 13.3 percent (year on year) to 3.25 million metric tons with the decline in harvest area of by 15.2 percent, the Department of Agriculture sees no need to ban rice imports to ensure adequate stocks in the country. Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel …
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LOCAL ONION farmers are protected from imported onions from now until March 2027. The Department of Agriculture assured that no imports of red onions would be allowed as domestic production is more than adequate to meet demand. Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said the country has an adequate supply of onions nationwide. “With the current supply in stock, we don’t have …
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THE pungent smell but sweet taste of Davao durian is hard to sell even for most Filipinos. But not the Omanis who took a liking for the fruit which is described as smelling like hell, tastes like heaven, and somehow transforms skeptics into loyal fans after a single bite. If it weren’t that good, why is it now being packaged …
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BEYOND ELLIPTICALBy Rose Marie de la Cruz LAST June 16, I read an article at the Khaleej Times of India that Indian farmers are embracing the use of biofertilizers in their farms as a result of the difficulty of obtaining chemical fertilizers because of the Middle East war. Ironically, we have a commercial producer of biofertilizer in our country, but …
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THE proposed P727-million Baloganon-Sitio Coto, Taltal farm-to-market road (FMR) has been cleared by the Department of Agriculture-Philippine Rural Development Project (DA-PRDP), a significant milestone for the implementation of the country’s largest rural infrastructure projects. Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. officially awarded the No Objection Letter 1 (NOL 1) for the 26-kilometer Masinloc mega FMR subproject to Masinloc Mayor Hazel …
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CONGRESS is being asked to allow the Department of Agriculture to be free to choose what rice seeds to push for planting by rice farmers, instead of sticking to just inbred seeds as envisioned in the amendments to the Rice Tariffication Enhancement Fund (RCEF). The tariffs collected on imported rice are lumped in RCEF, which in turn funds subsidized rice …
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THE Department of Agriculture (DA) has proposed P220 billion for its proposed 2027 budget to bolster the local farm sector. DA Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said the proposed budget is P60 billion more than the P160- billion ceiling set by the Department of Budget and Management (DBM). DA’s 2026 budget is P215 billion. The DA is also asking P32 …
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ABOUT 1,000 Arabica coffee seedlings will be planted in Barangay Happy Hollow in Baguio City to strengthen the city’s production and circular economy program. Aileen Refuerzo, chief of the Baguio City Information Office, said the seedlings will come from the Bureau of Plant Industry of the Department of Agriculture-Cordillera Administrative Region. The plantation site was provided by the Camp John …
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By Rose de la Cruz FOR OVER a month now, officials of the Department of Agriculture continue to stall on the inclusion of Bio N biofertilizer in the agency’s farm inputs subsidy program despite its potential to reduce production costs and improve farmers’ productivity by restoring soil health. The National Confederation of Irrigators Association (NCIA) Inc. wrote Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu …
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The Market Monitor Minding the Nation's Business