Yazaki unit to help soybean industry

MANILA, Philippines - Agritecno Yazaki, a unit of Japan’s Yazaki Corp., has expressed interest in helping the Philippines establish a soybean industry.

Established in 1996, Agritecno Yazaki is engaged in the development of different seeding technologies.

A delegation led by Koji Fukumitsu, president of Agritecno Yazaki recently met with Dr. Nicomedes P. Eleazar, director of the Bureau of Agricultural Research (BAR).

During the meeting, Dr. Eleazar briefed the Yazaki officials on the status of the soybean industry in the country.

The Philippines is trying to establish a local soybean industry especially since soybean meal is an important ingredient in the production of animal feeds.

Japan, meanwhile, is one of the biggest importers of soybean in the world. In 2005, it was among the top three importers, importing about four million tons of soybeans.

The Yazaki Group is exploring a possible collaborative research such as their gel-covered seed technology or Tanemaru for soybeans and other crops.

According to Agritecno Yazaki, Tanemaru is an entirely new seed form in which a small seed is wrapped in a natural polymer gel full of water making it easier to handle.

Wrapping the seed in gel draws the best potential from the seed as the gel cover prevents the early spoilage and drying of seeds. 

The Japanese delegation also toured the Northern Mindanao Integrated Agricultural Research Center (NOMIARC) to see the soybean plantation in the region and the research facilities located in the center.

The group also toured the research facilities in the University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB), DA-Biotech, Earthkeepers Farm, Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI), Dalahican Fishport in Lucena and Sentrong Pamilihan in Sariaya both in Quezon.

The BAR is the focal agency in the conduct of various research and development activities of the soybean program.