Author: Venus Ladaga

In an effort to identify the next immediate measures; share relevant ideas; and to come up with an action plan for one year, the Provincial Government of Bohol (PGBh) through the Office of the Provincial Agriculturist (OPA) constantly conducts the midyear and year-end assessments of the assisted micro-entrepreneurs in Bohol.
Rosanna G. Lamdagan, chief-Agribusiness Division, OPA said that annually there are two assessments to identify hindering and facilitating factors and to identify the issues and concerns including suggested solutions.
In relation to this, Lamdagan said the two-day midyear assessment and planning workshops will be conducted on Thursday and Friday at the Panda Tea Garden, Dao, Tagbilaran City to be participated by the business managers and treasurers of the micro-enterprises.
She said the personnel from the Agribusiness Division of the OPA and Agribusiness Marketing and Assistance Division (AMAD) 7 will be the facilitators of the activities.
The chief, Agribusiness-OPA emphasized that the provincial government has been technically assisting 34 micro-entrepreneurs in running their enterprise for income generation.
She said that the PGBh under Gov. Edgar M. Chatto would also give assistance including transfer of technologies and skills in product development, business planning, provisions of processing equipment and credit assistance.
In the next administration under Gov.-elect Arthur C. Yap, the assisted micro-entrepreneurs would expect to taste another blend of assistance to uplift their way of living. (Atoy Cosap)

The Cloud Seeding Operation (CSOs) might be conducted this week if the cloud seeding clearance from the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) has been secured and the vacuum dried salt, personnel from Philippine Air Force (PAF) and Bureau of Soils and Water Management (BSWM) as cloud seeding officers have been made available.

Junne Abuejela from Pegasus Air Services, Inc. Based in Plaridel, Bulacan, said that they already sent a formal letter to CAAP the other week to secure the neccessary clearance for them to start the operations.

Pegasus Air Services, Inc was the winning bidder of the 42 hours contract of CSOs worth P2.3 million such fund was allocated and approved late last year by the Provincial Government of Bohol (PGBh)

Abuejela said that probably within this week the vacuum dried salt imported from China and the Aviation gas might be available as the PGBh through the Ofiice of the Provincial Agriculturist is now negotiating with the Bohol Panglao International Airport Management to allow such materials to be stocked at the airport for the smooth implementation of the operations.

Leon Parac, Jr., CSO Focal Person said that the Province had already informed the BSWM that the notice to proceed (NTP) for the CSOs has been readied.

Parac explained that the BSWM would coordinate with the PAF in setting their schedule to come to Bohol for the CSOs.

He said that once the materials and aircraft are available the personnel from the General Services Office (GSO) of the PGBh will do the inspection before the conduct of the operations.

Parac disclosed that aside from the P2.3M budget from the PGBh, the BSWM through the Department of Agriculture Regional Field Office (DA-RFO)7 also allocated in the tune of P2.5M and ready for implementation.

He said that most likely after the 42 hours CSO contract would complete, the operations to be funded by the BSWM would be followed immediately of which the winning bidder was the Royle Airways based in Dumaguete City.

Earlier, Parac and Engr. Erwin Renos from the BSWM has conducted the joint area assessment of the service areas of the four major dams in the province wherein they found out that the water level conditions are insufficient to be used for planting if there will be no heavy rains to happen.

The plan to conduct the CSOs has been push through even though the water elevations of the four dams are above critical levels considering the actual irrigation water are insufficient for planting.

The isolated light to moderate rains occured last week in the province couldn’t add the water levels of the four dams and much more couldn’t supply water to the rain fed areas.

During the Provincial Coordination Committee on Agri-Fishery (PCCAF) regular meeting last Wednesday held at the Reynas the Haven and Garrdens, New Calceta St., Cogon, Tagbilaran City, Mary Grace Baay from the National Irrigation Administration (NIA)7 reported the El Nino situation of the Bohol Integrated Irrigation System as of May 28,2019.

The water elevation of the Malinao Irrigation System which covered the service areas in towns of Pilar, Dagohoy,Alicia, San Miguel and Ubay: actual 151.94 meters (ms.), at full 152.00ms, critical- 146.5 ms.; Bayongan Dam which is serving San Miguel, Ubay and Trinidad Irrigation areas: actual-15.16ms., at full- 52.00 ms., critical-41.00ms.; Capayas Dam in Ubay which covered in the service area in the town: actual- 33.17 ms., at full-25.92 ms., at full 30.00 ms., and critical 21.00ms.

Baay said during the dry season no damage on crops was reported in the service areas of Malinao and Talibon Dams; while in the service area of Bayongan Dam in was reported that out of 3,107 hectares (has.) planted with rice, 9 has. Or 0.29% was reported damaged to the total planted areas for the dry season.

In the service areas covered by Capayas dam, all areas were already harvested and reported that 10 has. Or 1.22% were damaged out of the 819 has. Planted with rice.

Baay bared that they are now doing the daily monitoring of irrigated areas, strict implementation of the water delivery schedule, and continued implementation of alternate wetting or drying.

Assistant Provincial Agriculturist Lary M. Pamugas said the PGBh through Gov. Edgar M. Chatto once to ensure that all rice land areas in Bohol could be planted with rice this wet cropping season, thus the could seeding operations would be conducted.

The province of Bohol has 86,913.21 has. Of rice fields of which 32,919.53 has. Are rain fed and 23,993.65 has. are irrigated. (Atoy Cosap)

The Provincial Government of Bohol (PGBh) through the Office of The Provincial Agriculturist (OPA) and the Department of Agriculture (DA) through the Bureau of Soils and Water Management (BSWM) will conduct the Cloud Seeding Operations (CSOs) in Bohol if no heavy rains that happen in the province until the end of this month.

During the El Nino Task Force Meeting last May 10,2019, Leonard Samar from the local Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAG-ASA) reported that based on the El Nino and Climate Outlooks, the provinces of Bohol, Cebu and Southern Leyte in Visayas has experienced dry spell.

Samar said that according to PAG-ASA El Nino Southern Oscillation (ENSO) Alert System Status, the  weak El Nino continues to persist in the Tropical Pacific; majority of climate models suggest El Nino condition to continue through June-July-August 2019 season.

While based on the model forecasts, it indicates weak strength El Nino conditions for the May-August and has continued into September to December 2019 season.

Leon Parac, Jr., CSO Focal Person said that last week there were 18 towns in Bohol had experienced moderate to heavy rainfalls namely: Candijay, Bilar, Ubay, Talibon, Getafe, Bien Unido, Calape, Dagohoy, Sierra Bullones, Danao, Sagbayan, Carmen, Batuan, Catigbian, Guindulman, Duero, Jagna and Pilar.

However, Parac said that according to the rice technicians the rain could easily absorb to the ground and could not be used for land preparation for the next cropping season.

He said that supposed to be at the middle of this month the farmers have already started the land preparation or the sowing of rice seeds to ensure for planting on the first week of June.

Parac disclosed that last May 15-16, 2019, he at the OPA and Engr. Edwin Renos from the BSM had conducted the joint area assessment of the service areas of the four major dams in the province of which they found out that the present water level conditions could not suffice to be used for planting if there will be no heavy rains to happen to elevate the water level conditions of the dams.

As of May 17, 2019, the water elevation of Malinao Dam in Pilar was 151.79meters (ms.) against 152ms. At full; Bayongan Dam in San Miguel 44.58 ms against 52 ms at full; Capayas Dam in Ubay (33.14 ms) while at full is 33.5 ms and  Talibon Dam in Zamora, Talibon – 25.82 ms against 30 ms at full.

Parac bared that as of now there are stand by funds intended for cloud seeding from DA-BSWM worth P25M which was already downloaded at the DA-Regional Field Office 7 and the P2.3M from the PGBhwhich was alrady approved last year and the notice to proceed (NTP) was already processed by the Bids and Awards Committee (BAC) of the Provincial Government and only the signature of the governor has been awaited.

The province of Bohol has  86,913.21 hectares (has.) of rice lands of which 32,919.53 has. Are rainfed and 23,993.65 has. are irrigated. (AtoyCosap)

The production of high value vegetables and fruit crops in the province of Bohol are expected to increase following the completion of the 155 participants to undergo the two months “Season Long Technology Transfer Training under Protective Culture and Open Field Techno Demo on High Value Vegetable and Fruit Crops last February 26 – April 25, 2019.

Gertrudes Fuentes, Chief Crops and Productivity Division, Office of the Provincial Agriculturist (OPA) said the participants were trained in three separate venues of which of the 155 participants, 64 were from Ubay and trained in Bohol Organic Agriculture Technology (BOA Tech) in Gabi, Ubay ever Tuesday; 56 (tubigon) and trained in Maca-as, Tubigon nursery every Thursday and the 35 participants from Dagohoy who were trained in Candelaria, Dagohoy every Wednesday by the trainers/facilitators from the Harvest Agribusiness Corporation.

In the graduation program held at BOA Tech last Friday, Leonard A. Mirador, Central Visayas Manager, Harvest Agribusiness Corporation presented the candidates for graduation and confirmed by Assistant Provincial Agriculturist, Larry M. Pamugas.

Pamugas is optimistic that the productions of vegetables and fruit crops will increase as he encourage the newly trained to put into practice on what they have learned of the new technology in the training to grow vegetables and fruit crops through greenhouse or protective culture and open field.

He said the Boholano farmers are facing some challenges for the increase of vegetables, fruits and flowers productions.

However, he said that Bohol’s vegetable production has been increasing due to the 44 hectares (has.) of vegetable areas in Cantaob, Sierra Bullones and the three of the 23has. fully developed in Taytay, Duero.

Glenn Doloritos, chief-General Services Office (GSO) thank and congratulated the participants who have just undergone the training.

Doloritos said the Provincial Government of Bohol (PGBh) through Gov. Edgar M. Chatto has kept on giving some interventions or technology to Boholano farmers for them to uplift their way of living.

The Harvest Agribusiness Corporation was the winning bidder to construct the greenhouses in Candelaria, Dagohoy, BOATech Gabi, Ubay and Maca-as Nursery, Maca-as Tubigon and to teach the participants regarding the new technology in growing high value vegetables such as; Eggplant, cucumber, bitter gourd, tomato, chili, squash, and fruit crops such as; watermelon, honeydew melon, musk mellow among others.

In the program, MarcialOdarve head-Facilities Section OPA gave the welcome remarks, as Rufa S. Ugay, head-HVCDP Section OPA acknowledge the guest and participants, while Avita A. Perez, head,

But did you know that there is a free government insurance coverage for crops, livestock, fisheries and even non-agricultural assets for small subsistence farmers who are plowing the fields for food security?

But, this is not automatic to all farmers, they have to apply for it, says Philippine Crop Insurance Corporation’s (PCIC) division chief AnicetoRebayla over at the recent Kapihansa PIA.

In the government’s effort to motivate farmers into food production, it is giving those that carry the burden of feeding the nation enough safeguards and protection for cropping failure in these times when the world is so messed up and against the effects of climate change, PCIC said.

Through the PCIC, the government is now extending agricultural insurance to palay,corn,high value crops, livestock, fisheries and even non-crop agricultural assets from natural disasters, accidents and loss of the above mentioned assets through natural causes.

Speaking at the Kapihansa PIA, Rocky Tidon of PHIC Bohol Tagbilaran City Service Office, said the government has allocated funds for the free insurance coverage of those who were in during the Registry System for Basic Sectors in Agriculture(RSBSA).

With Tidon at the radio forum which was aired over DyTR were PCIC Regional Office personnel under Boholano Regional Director CrescencioDeligero Jr.: AnicetoRebayla and Felix Rosales.

For example, PCIC gives out P20,000.00 multi-risk insurance for every hectare of palay and corn per cropping from planting to harvest.

By multi-risk, PCIC means natural disaster like droughts, typhoons, floods, earthquakes and major pests and diseases like rice blast, sheath blight, bacterial leaf blight, grassy, ragged stunting and tungro or pests like armyworm, stem borer, rats , rice bugs, black bugs and plant hoppers.

For corn, PCIC insures against diseases like bacterial stalk rot, downy mildew, or pests like locust, corn borer, army worm, cutworm and rats,according to Rebayla.

Aside from rice and corn, PCIC also covers High Value Crops like mango at P3,000 per tree, coconut at P280.00 per tree, banana at P100.00 per plant, and separate packages for vegetable.

The insurance covers a maximum of five hectares for all crops combined for each household, a minimum of ten trees and a maximum of 100 for each applicant, according to the PCIC.

For livestock, PCIC insures 7 months old to 17 years old cattle, carabao for P15,000.00, 1 year to 12 years old horse for P15,000.00, six months to four years old swine raised for breeding at P7,000, 45 days old to 6 months old swine for fattening at P5,000 and four months old to seven years old goat at P3,000.

Per household, the maximum number of livestock heads for coverage is ten for cattle, carabao and horses, ten heads for swine breeding, 20 heads for swine fattening, 25 heads for goats, and forpoultry: 50-5,000 heads broiler, 50-1000 heads layers and pullets insured per prevailing market.

For fisheries, PCIC also insures fish cages of up to a maximum of 1000 square meters (sqm), in land fish ponds for 2,500 sqm (maximum) and seaweed farms of 1,000 sqm (maximum).

In fact, because fisheries can also be dependent on non-crop assets, PCIC also insures fishing boats of 3 units of either motorize or non-motorize at P40,000.00 to P5,000 respectively.

To avail the benefits, sustenance farmers only need to get to the nearest Municipal Agriculture Office to check on their names on the list of eligible farmers for the insurance coverage, says Rebayla, who added that the PCIC is partnering with the LGUS and other government offices to better implement this at the grassroots.

What happens when one farmer is not on the list?

PCIC Rosales said the government has still one portfolio for these marginal farmers: Republic Act 10000 or the Agri-Agra Reform Credit Act.

Agri-Agra Reform Credit Act mandates banks to allot atleast 10% of its total loanable funds to agrarian reform beneficiaries and 15% for farmers and fisherfolks.

Now at the disposal of PCIC, farmers can tap this fund to help them tide up amidst the long dry season that the state weather bureau has said, could go until two more months.

The insurance portfolio has been set-up by the Department of Budget and Management, of which Central Visayas has been allocated P286 million, Rebayla said. (rahc/PIA-7/Bohol)

The four major damns in Bohol survived the drought as their water level remains above critical level as the last of monitoring.

As of the  May 16 monitoring, the water level at Malinao Dam in the town of Pilar was at 151.79 meters, which is close to its full capacity of 152 meters, and much above the critical level of 146.5 meters.

In San Miguel, Bayungan Dam water level was at 44.58 meters, below its full capacity of 52 meters, but above the critical level of 41 meters.

The water level at Capayas Dam in Ubay was 33.14 meters which is close to its full capacity of 36.5 meters and above the critical of 30 meters.

At Talibon Dam, the water level which was at 25.82 meters also went near to its full capacity of 13 meters and above the 21 meters.

This is despite the long period of the dry season and low rainfall.

Leon Parac Jr. of the Office of the Provincial Agriculturist reported this as he express confidence that the unset of the rainy season might help in increasing the water levels at the four major dams in Bohol.

Formers in sum towns usually start planting and undertake land preparation when rainfall would improve in the last week of May.

Before the recent intermittent rains, the provincial government has prepared for rounds of cloud seeding operations anytime this month, considering rainfall had been below normal in the past months.

The Office of the Provincial Agriculturist wanted to ensure that there would be enough irrigation for the ricefields in the next dry cropping season in May and June.

The provincial government already prepared the P2.3-million allocation for the cloud seeding operation as  of last  year yet  “aside from the P2.5M from the Bureau of Soil and Water Management (BSWM) which was already  downloaded to Department of Agriculture Regional Field  Office (DARFO) 7”and was bidded in March this year.

Of the 56,913 hectares of ricefields in Bohol, there are 23,993.68 hectares that rely on irrigation and the 32,919.53 on rain.

As of 2016, there used to be only 47,000 hectares of ricefields in bohol where around 24,000 hectares are irrigated, while 23,000 hectares are rainfed.

Usually in the first week of June, the National Irrigation Administration (NIA) will start releasing water from Malinao dam to the farmlands.

The P1.4-billion Malinao dam spanning 300 hectares in Pilar serves 5,000 hectares of rice fields in the town and the adjacent areas.

Aside from collecting water from rain, Malinao dam is also a run of a river type relying on the water from Wahig and Pamacsalan Rivers.

NIA-7 prioritizes areas located farther from Malinao Dam that had not been irrigated for a period of time during the drought.

NIA-7 targets to supply around 700 hectares of rice fields in Pilar adjacent towns.

Tha Zamora dam in Talibon, the least affected by drought, would usually release water earlier by two weeks.

Malinao Dam improvement has been proposed for foreign funding.

Upgrading the Malinao Dam would double thew water storage capacity of the dam from 5 million cubic meters to 10 million cubic meters which could irrigate and additional 2,730 hectares of rice lands in northeast Bohol.

From its present 5.99 million cubic meters- -5 million cubic meters from its active reservoir and 0.99 million cubic meters from its dead  reservoir, to a total of 9.1 million cubic meters- -8.11 from the active and 0.99 from the dead reservoir.

The improvement will make Malinao Dam capable of reaching additional 920 hectares.

The feasibility study also showed that an upgraded Malinao Dam would be instrumental in increasing and stabilizing the farmer’s income by 70 percent and meeting the increasing consumption demand in Bohol.

Bohol has existing irrigation systems under Bohol Irrigation Project (BHIP) phase 1 and phase 2. Phase 1 covers the Malinao System finished in 1997 and Japanese grant-funded CapayasSystem in 1991, and phase 2 that covers the Bayongan System finished in 2008.

However, these could hardly provide sufficient irrigation water to Malinao Dam, because financial constraints and land disputes left some areas undeveloped, lack of irrigation facilities like farm ditch, and left leveling works in some areas unfinished.

On this, NIA-7 and the past provincial administrations had requested for BHIP phase 3 which will cover the upgrading of Malinao Dam.

Improvement of Malinao Dam also expected to trigger a series of communal irrigation systems.

The NIA record showed that BHIP-1 irrigates 4,960 hectares and BHIP 2 irrigates 5,400 hectares of ricefields in Pilar, Alicia, Ubay, Trinidad, San Miguel and Dagohoy. The proposed improvement includes a small hydro power plant at the outlet and of Malinao Dam and diversion chute between Malinao and Bayongan dams that would enhance the efficiency of water resource utilization

This gives an opportunity to include the rehabilitation of Pamacsalan watershed as earlier proposed.

Several hectares (has.) of rice areas in towns have already been affected with El Nino phenomenon. Evelyn T. Maligsa, head, planning division, Office of the Provincial Agriculturist (OPA) said that based on the partial consolidated report on damage assessment for rice in the 18 towns of Bohol, a total of 7,615.60 has. are affected; 2,351.66 has. are totally damaged while 2,278.10 has. are partially damaged.

Maligsa said the partial consolidated report came from the municipalities of Buenavista, Jagna, Batuan, Carmen, Alicia, Getafe, Bilar, Duero, Mabini, Bien Unido, Calape, Dagohoy, Balilihan, Sagbayan, Antequera, Garcia Hernandez, Danao and Trinidad. Bien Unido registered the largest damaged area at 992.75 has., while Trinidad registered 524.06 has.

Damaged areas include the rice lands covered by the service areas of dams and communal irrigation system (CIS).

Most of the crops incurring damage are those in rainfed areas, Maligsa concluded.

Engr. Evelyn Putong of the National Irrigation Administration (NIA) 7 reported that of the 3,047 has. of operational areas being served by Bayongan Dam in San Miguel there are 9 has. reported damaged and of the 858 has. of operational areas under the Cayapas Dam in Ubay, there are 10 has. reported damaged; while there were no reported damages of the 4,016 has. and 781 has. of operational areas  being served by Malinao Dam in Pilar and Talibon Dam in Talibon respectively.

The statement was issued during the Provincial Coordinating Committee for Agriculture and Fisheries (PCCAF) meeting last Wednesday held at NIA Regional Office 7, Dao District, Tagbilaran City.

In Tubigon, 80 has. was reported damaged of the total 489 has. of operational areas served by CIS, while in Lila 5 has. of the 13 has. of operational areas under the CIS were reported damaged.

Putong also reported the water levels of the four major dams in Bohol as of Tuesday: Malinao Dam; actual 151.94 meters (ms.), at full 152.00ms., critical 146.5ms.; Bayongan Dam: actual 44.00ms., at full-52.00ms., critical 41.00ms.; Capayas Dam: actual 33.27 ms., at full 36.05ms, critical 30.00ms.; Talibon Small Reservoir Irrigation System: actual 25.90ms., at full 30.00ms., critical 21.00ms.

She said that they continue implementing the alternate wetting and drying, daily monitoring of irrigated areas and strict implementation of water delivery schedule, information dissemination and introduction of upland rice variety and other diversified crops for the rice areas.

Putong bared that it is good if there are natural rains to come in June to ensure that the Boholano farmers could plant rice in the next cropping season.

Although we need artificial rain from cloud seeding operations (CSOs), she said the volume of water cannot suffice the needs for land preparation before planting in areas including the rain-fed since cloud seeding prioritizes operations over watershed areas.

The Provincial Government of Bohol (PGBh) plans to conduct CSOs to save agricultural crops and livestock amid dry spell.

The PGBh has a standby fund of P2.3 million approved and bidded last year and the P25 million allocations from the Bureau of Soils and Water Management (BSWM) downloaded to the DA-RF07 and ready to be used following bid early this year. (Atoy Cosap)