UP LOS BANOS, Laguna -- The Binhi Inc. & OMG Farm (O Maila & Glen Gregorio) Farm based here is using drone technology for better harvestable agricultural crops.
During the farm v oinciding with the “Banana Hervest and Planting Festival”, a group of media practitioners was able to make a tour of the said vast farm.
Dr. Glen Gregorio said that the seedlings of saging are now grown in Los Banos and in Bai, Laguna. He added that drone technology is also used in their banana plantation.
Also noting that they are involved more in the processing and planting of bananas such as lakatan and cadabra or saba through tissue culture upto the stage of ready for planting.
In a bottle, there are 7 banana tree seedlings ready for planting which is 1 and 1/2 months old. More than 1,000 seedlings are derived from a tissue then they are split depending on the chemical manipulation.
Laguna Cong. Ruth Hernandez and the Los Banos mayor earlier visited the farm, according to Dr. Glen.
They have also palayan, gulayan and other plants in their sprawling farm, says Dr Glen
Rodel Anonciado, agricultutist/farmer of OMG Farm, said that they culture tissue from sucker or suhi from growing point with stem put in a bottle nurtured with different hormones to grow roots until it reaches the planting stage.
The tree seedling costs 50 pesos per piece which is ready for planting. The seedling must be kept indoors one week before being planted so that it will be climatized.
The OMG Farm is also involved in the farming of Cavendish or lakatan, cadabra from Mindanao or sabang dilaw or golden saba for export or sabang puti. Also lakatan from Marinduque. The bottle should be clean and without microbes which are produced with so much nutrients. Agar-agar or gulaman is used to harden the tissue inside the bottle.
Without water, the tissue culture will be difficult to propagate. Only two suhi are grown up to 5 feet, which can be planted elsewhere, but with tissue culture, the saging will have a good 8 to 10 months period before it is ready for planting.
There is now a farm with 100 hectares being developed for banana plantation. Only one suhi is propagated for one generation and another suhi for next generation.
"We have good kind of lakatan that we don't need to export," Anonciado said.
"We are the only one specialized in Lakatan in Luzon with 8 million lakatan in cooperation with DA," he added.
A drone, which costs Php380,000.00 from China, is used in the 7.9-hectare plantation to see the terrain to know where the water is high or low. Fresh orange langka from Uganda, sitaw, bataw, patani, papaya, yellow sweet kamote from Malaysia, malunggay, mulberry, pandan, bayabas and flowers are also planted in the area.
Cavendish or lakatan banana is where energy juice or energy drink, banana cake is produced.
"Sabay-sabay mamunga. Mas malaki. Mas marami ang bunga. One year and two months for the first harvest," Dr. Glen said." Dahon ng saba magandang pangsuman, "he added.
At the SEARCA Agri Innovation Hub, a demonstration was conducted such that the Robotics prototype is operated with the use of a tablet before and now with a laptop.
It is used by the students to ignite their imagination and for agricultural application.
In other countries, robotics are used for picking up fruits. Mechanized robotics machines are also operational abroad.
Other people are now switching to robotics because they are not anymore excited with the conventional agricultural farming.
Lego parts were used in the manufacture of robotics. It is operating with chargeable 4 double A batteries. It will only malfunction, if not properly programmed and operated with tablet before and now with a laptop.
For demonstration of robotics purposes and prototype only, which can be upgraded with distance sensors and lights but not with an infrared light. No amount of investment or cost for the prototype is available as it is only for demo purposes only.
During the "Stakeholders' Consultation with Media" of the SEAMEO SEARCA (Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization of Southeast Asian Regional Gruaduate Study & Research Center for Agriculture), from 2025-2028 it is crafting a new strategy for agricultural innovation through the participation of stakeholders such as the media. It was noted that graft and corruption had been present and past administration, especially in the irrigation facilities for the agriculture sector. Likewise, it was good that there was a photo contest of SEARCA and it's about time that the children of farmers are trained as future farmers.
The SEARCA photo contest is open for professional and non-professional photograhers in Southeast Asian countries and previous winners can join the contest again. "With our limited resources, we are trying to strategize in order to do research and study both for the public and private sectors," SEARCA said. "The SEARCA is just an enabler and working with the government to address pressing matters and craft policies and pass them to policy makers," it added.
SEARCA has explained to the Senate the importance of biotechnology in coconut industry.It is noted that biotechnology in the Philippines is proven and tested for the longest time insofar as efficacy and efficiency are concerned.
SEARCA is engaged in the transformation of mindset of farming families to have a new generation of farmers and agriculturists.
" Agriculture is not only about farming but it is also about agribusiness," SEARCA said.
Media have the vast sources of information from the cross section of the Philippine society, hence, SEARCA is tapping information from the media.
SEARCA is now crafting a program for a SEARCA University with shorter courses and piece meal courses such as Master of Science in Food Security, which when completed, is equivalent to a Master's Degree which hopefully will be recognized in other countries such as those in Europe.
SEARCA is not involved in the transport segment of the food chain.
It is engaged with PhilRice and IRRI, among others.Farmers are not aware of the very accessible website of SEARCA.
SEARCA welcomes whether or not farmers or agriculturists are now more engaged in the social media platforms wherein their skills are enhanced. The government provides funding to the SEARCA, including the DA-BFAR for research and study programs.
The Philippine Coconut Authority is collaborating with SEARCA concerning the propagation of coconut industry in Quezon province. SEARCA is also collaborating with Marinduque on calamansi industry.
The first International Coconut Summit with DA Secretary Francisco "Kiko" Tiu Laurel III was held in the facilities of SEARCA.
The only conduit of SEARCA to the farmers is only through the media. The compendium of all the research and study programs and projects of SEARCA might be presented to President Ferdinand "Bongbong" R. Marcos, Jr. for his knowledge and information. By Perfecto T. Raymundo, Jr
JTR Reports 022024 -- MHE
