Trying new ones

Farmers plant for a living but they also need to find the right crop that fits well for the land that they till. This group of farmers knowing the low yield of growing vegetables is trying to grow sweet corn. The demand for this crop is high and hopefully this new crop will give them good yield.  Good luck farmers ... 

Tagum City farmers shift to sweet corn farming 

By Prix Digna D. Banzon

TAGUM CITY, Davao del Norte (PNA) -- About 30 farmers in this city have shifted to planting sweet corn from their long time vegetable growing that has not been giving them good results.

City agriculture office (CAGRO) chief Engr. Harold S. Dawa said the farmers started growing sweet corn in May this year which gave significant increase in their income.

He said their office is helping the farmers grow sweet corn in Barangay Madaum even as he said they will expand the program in barangays Mankilam and Pagsabangan.

"There is a big demand for sweet corn here and also in the neighboring provinces that is why they already have a captive market," he said.

He said they will assist the farmers in looking for other planting sites, in farm inputs and in marketing.

The sweet corn production was launched here in May 2013 when the city agriculture office was looking for an alternative on vegetable farming where production was low.

According to one grower, Bonifacio Montilla who is also president of the Madaum Vegetable and Sweet Corn Farmers Association, a 1,300 square-meter lot planted to one kilo of sweet corn seedlings generates an income of P25,000 in 72 days.

Louie Lapat of the city information office said this program is in line with the revitalized goal of Mayor Allan Rellon on food security.

Lapat said the city government will be acquiring the ten-hectare lot next year that the farmers used as planting site for their use. (PNA) CTB/ASA/DDB/ldp

Mother Earth needs us.   

And that call got the attention of one who never stopped his research on how to put to use used cooking oil. Instead of this used oil go to the drain and pollute the environment, why not collect them, the inventor needs volume of used oil to sustain his production that is now being used as an additives.  Sharing you my story based on my interview with the inventor ...

Davao dad to help collect used cooking oil for biofuel additive invention 

By Prix Digna D. Banzon

DAVAO CITY, Feb 5 (PNA) -- An invention by a Dabawenyo that processes used cooking oil into biofuel additives got the support of City Councilor Marissa Abella who is now looking at helping in the collection of raw materials in households.

Abella said this is also an area that needs to be looked at especially that government is pushing for the Clean Air Act in line with protecting the environment.

The councilor, who championed waste segregation and management in her District II, said she will coordinate with the barangays in her area as used cooking oil must be properly disposed of.Engineer Emeliano Quitiol of the EFQ Biofuel Additive said his invention is all about using used cooking oil and households are a big source for his raw material.

He said collecting these used oils instead of ending up in the drain will help in protecting the environment.

He said talks is ongoing where the barangay can help collect these waste products.

"We buy used oil at P15 per liter and gathering these waste products will provide me a good source for my project," he said.

Quitiol was able to access loan of over P900,000 from the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) for his project of processing cooking used oil to fuel additive that aims to improve vehicle engine combustion and ignition.

Based on results of the experiment they conducted, he said the additive increases the mileage of the vehicle by 10 to 20 percent as well as reduces the carbon emission at about 50 percent.

He said instead of the used cooking oil just be thrown anywhere, it could now be put to use.

"We are still promoting the product priced at P80 per vial. A vial is added to 30 liters of fuel to improve performance of the engine," he said.

He said at present there are already government agencies that are using the additives even as Quitiol said they want the EFQ Biofuel be made available in the market this year.

Quitiol said his processing plant can produce one million vials.

Quitiol started his invention in 2005 and got the DOST financial support in 2009. His project gained recognition during the Regional Invention Contest and Exhibit held in Davao City in 2011. As the region's representative to the national competition in 2012, the Quitiol invention was awarded second place. In 2013, his project became a qualifier in the International Exhibition of Inventors at Geneva, Switzerland.

Quitiol said they are now preparing for the 2014 international competition in Geneva. (PNA) 

LAM/ASA/DDBanzon/ldp

Turning trash to cash ...

There's truth to the saying ... your trash is a gold mine to others.  This story tells us of how used papers and cartoons are made into a business that started small and level up into supplying requirements of dealers around the country.   

Recycling plant supplies distributors' eggs trays requirements nationwide

DAVAO CITY, May 7 (PNA) -- Out of waste papers and cartoons, a Davao-based recycling plant supplies the needs of egg trays of distributors in the country.

Jomaray Pulp Pacaking Industries human resource manager Joefrey Oclarit told Tuesday's Davao Business Forum at DermPath in SM City Davao they source their raw materials of waste papers and cartoons from the different establishments in the city and in the box plant of Dole Philippines.

JPPI is headed by Jonathan O. Suy who was awarded as the Small Business Entrepreneur of the country in 2012 by Ernst and Young.

Anchored on the company's support for protecting the environment, he said they proportion their production with 70 percent waste papers and 30 percent water.

And the water used is also being recycled, he said.

He said they could produce 5,000 egg trays per hour and their operation is for 24 hours.

Thirty percent of the waste materials are sourced out from Davao City and 70 percent from Dole Philippines box plant.

He sad about 6 tons of waste products are hauled from Dole box plant even as he said that they also get materials from other government offices like the shredded waste papers from Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas.

But in the case of the BSP, a bank representative goes to our plant to make sure that the shredded waste papers are used in our production as this is part of the requirement of the government.

Oclarit said the concept and design was our own innovation and the machines used by the plant here is manufactured in China which they had an agreement that said design and concept is solely for their own use.

He said before they upgraded into total automation of their production about 300 workers were employed and with the new technology, the operation for the recycling plant is run by 100 people.

The other product that the plant produces are the papaya and pineapple trays that Dole Philippines need for their fruit export to Japan and other foreign markets.

He said it was the plant's product offer to Dole which they become the sole supplier of this particular item.

He said the Dole company upon using the trays produced by JPPI noted lesser wastage.

As this developed, he said the demand is increasing but "we see the lack of raw materials as a positive problem".

Right now he said they are negotiating with big malls to buy their waste paper and cartoons. "We are just finalizing some details and hopefully we get an additional volume of 3 to 4 tons weekly at the two SM malls (Ecoland and Lanang) and another 2 tons in NCCC.

Oclarit also said that they have also special contracts like a company in Batangas where they manufactured an electronic tray for Ionics Skyware Electronic Device that are shipped to the US and Europe.

He said they will also venture into producing paper plates and cups with the total ban of plastics and styro products in the city.

But he said they will be using virgin materials of white bond paper from paper mills and printing presses.

"The project is still being studied and hopefully we could start the production of the new product by the third quarter," he said. (PNA) hbc/ASA/Prix/Digna D. Banzon/ldp