Technological developments, agribusiness prospects that can spur rehabilitation of Samar-Leyte ravaged agriculture

The effects of powerful Typhoon Yolanda/Haiyan that hit Samar and Leyte on loss of lives and property are all well known.  The aftermath has evoked a sympathetic response among the citizenry and those of the international community. The outpouring of support —humanitarian, material and financial — has been overwhelming. With this show of massive and united support, there is much hope that a comprehensive plan of action can be effectively pursued to emancipate the people from further distress at the soonest time.

It is presumed that the physical aspects of rehabilitation — the construction of infrastructure such as schools, buildings, human settlements, public facilities, etc., is straightforward and developments can be fast-tracked for tangible results. However, rehabilitation of agriculture, the main pre-occupation of the inhabitants in Samar, Leyte and other affected areas, will be more complicated and will take a longer time.

There are a number of reasons why rehabilitation of agriculture in the affected areas will be more arduous. The Samar-Leyte areas are coconut country. Coconuts are still the best crop for the saline coastal zones and those reached by the ocean surges. In the higher terrain, coconuts fit well edaphically. The coconut industry remains as an essential pillar of Philippine agriculture as it provides a wide range of food and industrial products. 

Once coconut replantings are completed, there will be a resurgence of high productivity.  Furthermore, the extra space underneath can offer opportunities for planting choice companion intercrops or raising livestock that can boost total income several folds well beyond the poverty threshold.

Plans for replanting should be pursued immediately but procurement and transport of seednuts to replace 33 million felled and barren trees will entail great difficulty. Thus, it may take at least eight years of waiting before economic returns can be realized.

Total hectarage of affected coconut farms is about 40,000 hectares. With the lag period before full development, the empty space can be planted with maize and other short-term crops like cassava, vegetables, peanuts, mungbean, etc. To ease the burden of lack of animal power, the areas could be plowed up with heavy-duty tractors through a concessionary arrangement between the Department of Agriculture (DA) regional offices/LGUs and private farm-servicing providers. Other mechanized farm machinery like cultivators, shellers, crop dryers, etc. may be provided as part of the private servicing operation.

To assist the resource-poor farmers in farming, the strategy should be to invite big business/corporate entities to put up business ventures in the area. They can serve as integrators and engage in crop and livestock production through contract farming schemes with individual or groups of small farmers.  This scheme will directly link production with technology, financing and marketing and will bring about real progress to the local economy.  The processing companies can consider inclusion of other high-value intercrops like coffee, banana, cacao, papaya, abaca and pineapple.

Aside from the devastated coconut areas, other affected communities are those grown largely to maize (22,000 hectares) and rice (78,000 hectares). Rehabilitation of these areas could take place at a faster pace because there are a number of seed companies and commercial grain centers like the ones already operating in Mindanao and Isabela-Cagayan Valley that could bring their business operations there. In the case of lowland rice farms, the lack of animal power can be substituted with hand tractors. Other operations can be provided by private servicing outfits.

In the devastated coconut farming communities, the need for private business participation is necessary. But the basic question is: Will private businesses readily respond to this call? The motivating factor is profit and businesses will locate in an area which offers a comparative advantage. The drawback in the Samar-Leyte area which businesses are leery about is the expectation of recurring risks. The altruistic or humanitarian considerations are less likely to override the business concerns.

To sustain business interests, rehabilitation efforts should consider certain specialty crop/livestock enterprises that may have a high potential for development in the Samar-Leyte area. One is coffee because of active private industry development initiatives. Cacao, “saba” banana and papaya have commercial possibilities. Another candidate crop is white corn for food which is an accepted staple in the Visayas and Mindanao.

One particular variety of white corn that has commercial possibilities in the area is IPB Var 6, developed at the Institute of Plant Breeding, University of the Philippines Los Baños. It has been bred for high lysine and tryptophan content. Overall protein content is high. The variety is, therefore, highly nutritious compared to ordinary corn. The source material, the Quality Protein Maize developed in the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT), Mexico, from which IPB Var 6 was derived, has been used successfully in feeding programs for malnourished children in Africa.

IPB Var 6 can be milled into grits that assume the appearance of milled rice. But this white corn grit when mixed with rice on a 50-50 blend is found to be highly acceptable to consumer taste and is highly saleable in the vicinity of Los Baños where an experimental market outlet operates. The rice-corn blend has also proved to be more nutritious than pure rice. A feeding program conducted around Los Baños involving more than a hundred school children in different elementary schools showed the superiority of the rice-corn blend over the pure rice diet in terms of gain in body weight of more than one kilogram.

If the National Food Authority (NFA) can develop a national program for white corn as a staple blend with rice, the Samar-Leyte area can be made as a potential producer for the country. The IPB is willing to get involved in the production of needed supply of IPB Var 6 seeds to cover 10,000 hectares. Since IPB Var 6 is an open-pollinated variety (not an F1 hybrid), the farmers can save their seed for the next planting and increase area coverage immediately. 

Another crop industry that should merit consideration for Samar and Leyte is abaca.  The crop is endemic in the region but expansion of production has been constrained by the effects of two major viral diseases — Bunchy Top and Leaf and Bract Mosaic — which reduce biomass yield and fiber quality considerably.

IPB has developed three outstanding hybrids of abaca that carry a built-in resistance against the two viral diseases. The source of the resistance was derived from Pacol, a wild relative of abaca, and successfully transferred to abaca through conventional breeding techniques.

The development of disease resistance in abaca is a major breakthrough that opens up opportunities for expansion of the industry in Mindanao, Visayas and Bicol. The new abaca hybrids are now being multiplied through a rapid tissue culture technique and more than two million seedlings are now available for distribution through a grant from the Department of Science and Technology.

The abaca industry generates $80 million of exports annually and prospects for expanded trade are bright. Aside from raw fiber, cordage, and fiber crafts, the bigger bulk of exports is in the form of pulp, which is converted into specialty papers for food packaging and for use in printing paper currencies. Two car manufacturers in Europe use abaca and coconut fiber composites in the manufacture of automotive parts.

In the local front, abaca should be an excellent source of pulp for paper manufacture since the country has no existing commercial tree plantations to source from. Abaca production holds promise for Samar and Leyte.  It is a fast-growing crop and harvests are non-perishable. The needed private investment is minimal. Since the four existing pulp processors are located outside of the area, all that is needed is to put up as many buying stations.

A few crop enterprises have been highlighted out of the many other possibilities.  Some people consider vegetable production as an essential part of community living. Others suggest dairy goat raising. The “one-barangay-one major enterprise” concept of specialization espoused by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) makes a lot of business sense.  But above all, it is very necessary that direct consultations are made with farmers and LGUs in crafting an integrated plan of action per community involving the private sector and the regional line agencies of government such as the DTI, DA and the National Economic Development Authority.

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Dr. Ricardo M. Lantican is a National Scientist and member of the National Academy of Science and Technology Philippines. He is also professor emeritus of the University of the Philippines Los Baños. A plant breeder, he is known for his outstanding scientific contributions in the varietal improvement of leguminous crops such as mungbean, soybean and peanut resulting in improved plant architecture, resistance to biotic and abiotic stresses and higher yield. Contact him at [email protected].