DA drafts 5-year soybean roadmap

MANILA, Philippines - The Department of Agriculture (DA) is hoping to build a strong soybean production industry that is community-based and sustainable, and to establish a viable product processing industry through public–private partnership initiative.

For this, the DA is crafting a soybean roadmap for 2010-2014. The DA believes that soybean, a very versatile high value crop, can help solve the chronic problems of hunger and malnutrition.

 “With the present challenge of climate change, soybean - a legume that is a short-term, sun loving crop – has a great potential to adopt to extreme climate and, at the same time, be a source of healthy and nutritious food for the future,” Dante S. De Lima, director of the High Value Crops Development Program, said.

The DA plans to expand soybean production in the country under a Philippine soybean roadmap for 2010-2014.

Based on the draft roadmap, the DA aims to establish knowledge-based and farmer-friendly research facilities for soybean production.

The DA will also support infrastructure and an incentive system that empowers small farming communities to produce soya beans.

The DA also hopes to establish strong partnerships with the private sector in the processing and marketing of soya-based products in the local and international markets.

 “The resulting soybean program strives to develop improved soybean varieties that are resistant to biotic and abiotic stresses, and are favorably responsive to organic production management practices,” Rosie Aquino of DA-Regional Field Unit (RFU) 2 said.

The Bureau of Agricultural Research (BAR), being the forefront agency for coordination and funding of agricultural and fishery research and development activities, serves as the focal agency in the conduct of various R&D activities of the program.

These will be carried out together with the University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB), Landbank, and other DA-bureaus including the Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI), Bureau of Soil and Water Management (BSWM), Agricultural Training Institute (ATI), Bureau of Agricultural and Fisheries Product Standards (BAFPS), Philippine Center for Post-harvest Development and Mechanization (PhilMech), and others: Agribusiness and Marketing Assistance Service (AMAS), Agricultural Credit Policy Council (ACPC), and selected DA-Regional Integrated Agricultural Research Centers (RIARCs) that will serve as implementing agencies of the R&D initiative.

Demo trials will be established in key provinces of the country.

These will be in Isabela, Batangas, Quezon, Mindoro Occidental, Negros Occidental, Negros Oriental, Bukidnon, Maguindanao, South Cotabato, Agusan del Norte, Surigao del Sur (Tago, San Miguel, Carmen and Nasipit), and Manambulan, Davao City.