US agricultural technology eyed to boost RP farm output

MANILA, Philippines - The government is exploring possible applications of available agricultural technologies developed by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) to further increase farm production and raise income in the countryside.

“The Philippines and the US can collaborate in the field of agricultural science and technology as a promising way to hasten the development of practical agricultural technologies to help improve productivity in Philippine farms,” Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap said.

Yap visited recently the USDA’s Agricultural Research Service (ARS) facility in Washington, one of the world’s premier scientific organizations, to check available technologies offered by the institution.

He said one common area of interest where the Philippines and the US can team up on is biofuels research.

The USDA-ARS and the DA-attached Philippine Agricultural Development and Commercial Corp. (PADCC) have agreed to collaborate on the development of three biofuel feedstock—sugar, sweet sorghum and cellulosic materials.

Lyndel Meinhardt, USDA research leader for sustainable perennial crops in Beltsville, discussed with Yap the biocontrol of diseases in cacao, a crop being eyed for intercropping with coconut in the Philippines.

Yap also discussed with Dr. Dennis Timlin, the soil scientist at the USDA-ARS crop systems global change laboratory, the various crop simulation models that can be applied in the Philippines.

Dr. Robert Griesback, the technology transfer coordinator of USDA-ARS in Beltsville, briefed Yap during his visit on the ways to transform waste into biofuels using shipping containers.

USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack, who also met with Yap, had expressed deep interest over possible investments in the biofuels sector.