SEARCA in the News

SAN FERNANDO, Pampanga,Philippines — The government is stepping up efforts to encourage the Filipino youth to engage in agriculture. The Philippine Rice Institute (PhilRice), an attached agency of the Department of Agriculture, has partnered with volunteer organization Kiwanis International for the establishment and maintainance of a campsite at the FutureRice Farm in Nueva Ecija. The camp is expected to attract the youth to engage in farming as most farmers today are aging. Glenda Hufano, governor of the Kiwanis International-Philippine Luzon district, said on Friday that the project aims to educate children not only about rice, but also to raise them… Read more

"Philippine cashew farmers are burdened with a low return on capital for their work. The Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture [SEARCA] and the Department of Agriculture's Bureau of Agricultural Research [DA-BAR] partly attribute this to the underutilization of the components of the cashew fruit," said Science Secretary Renato Solidum Jr. in his message at the conference themed "Advancing Cashew Industry through Green Technology" held last November 3 at a hotel in Makati. Convened by the Department of Science and Technology-Industrial Technology Development Institute, the conference is a culminating activity of the DOST and the… Read more

CITY OF SAN FERNANDO, Pampanga – The Department of Agriculture-Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) is strengthening efforts to encourage the youth to engage in agriculture. In partnership with two clubs of global volunteer organization Kiwanis International, the PhilRice will establish and maintain a campsite at the FutureRice Farm in Nueva Ecija province in a bid to attract the younger generations to get involved in farming, noting that most farmers at present are already ageing. Glenda Hufano, governor of Kiwanis International-Philippine Luzon District, said on Friday that the project aims to educate children not only about rice but also to raise… Read more

CASHEW farmers in the Philippines must learn how to utilize the fruit's flesh to boost their income, a study of the Department of Agriculture's Bureau of Agricultural Research and Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture said. The results of the study were shared by Department of Science and Technology Secretary Renato Solidum in his message during the Advancing Cashew Industry through Green Technology conference held in Dusit Thani Manila on November 3. Convened by the DOST-Industrial Technology Development Institute, the conference is a culminating activity of the DOST-Ministry of Science and Technology China project titled… Read more

The government should explore the potential of cashew fruits to improve farmers' incomes, the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) said. SEARCA in a study funded by the Department of Agriculture's (DA) Bureau of Agricultural Research, said cashew apple's flesh is currently underutilized even if it constitutes 90 percent of the fruit. SEARCA said this is because focus has only been given to cashew nuts, particularly in Palawan which is the country's leading producer of the crop. The study titled Technology and Investment Profile of Cashew Products said by-products like wine, prunes, jelly, jam… Read more

PRODUCING products from the cashew apple can be a profitable venture, based on discussions during the conference themed "Advancing Cashew Industry through Green Technology" held on November 3 at Dusit Thani Manila. The conference was convened by the Department of Science and Technology (DoST)-Industrial Technology Development Institute that is the culminating activity of the DoST-Ministry of Science and Technology China project titled "Green Oil and Phytochemicals from Cashew." This project seeks the utilization of green technologies to extract oil from cashew for applications in food, pharmaceutical and cosmetic products. During the conference, DoST Secretary Renato Solidum Jr. said that the… Read more

A study led by the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) is urging government to explore the potential of cashew fruits to boost farmer income. The SEARCA study funded by the Department of Agriculture's Bureau of Agricultural Research, found that cashew apple's flesh is underutilized even though it constitutes 90 percent of the fruit. Farmer focus is only on cashew nuts, especially in Palawan which leads in the production of the crop. The study also highlighted products such as wine, prunes, jelly, jam and salted cashew nuts, as among the different ways of maximizing… Read more

Cambodia hosted the 71st Governing Board Meeting (GBM) of the Philippines-based Southeast Asian Regional Centre for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) in Siem Reap province late last month with H.E. Dr. Touch Visalsok, Secretary of State, Ministry of Education, Youth, and Sports (MoEYS), Kingdom of Cambodia, among the Cambodian high officials present at the opening ceremony. Visalsok represented H.E. Dr. Hang Chuon Naron, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the MoEYS, as the guest of honour. According to a press release of SEARCA issued this morning, Visalsok, who is also a SEARCA alumnus, delivered a message highlighting the… Read more

A study funded by the Department of Agriculture's Bureau of Agricultural Research (DA-BAR) and conducted by the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) uncovered that cashew farmers in Palawan are facing financial difficulties, primarily due to the underutilization of cashew fruit, also known as "cashew apples." This issue has led some farmers in the province to explore other high-value crops, despite Palawan being one of the leading cashew-producing provinces with cashew as its One Town, One Product (OTOP). To address the problem, Department of Science and Technology (DOST) Secretary Renato Solidum Jr. emphasized the… Read more

Sa kauna-unahang pagkakataon, ang Industrial Technology Development Institute ng Department of Science and Technology (DOST-ITDI) ay nag-host ng Pandaigdigang Kapulungan na may temang "Advancing Cashew Industry through Green Technology" noong 3 Nobyembre 2023 sa Dusit Thani Manila. Sa ginanap na kapulungan sinabi ni Department of Science and Technology (DOST) Secretary Renato Solidum Jr. na sa pagsasaliksik ng Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture, Bureau of Agricultural Research ng Kagawaran ng Agrikultura, lubhang nahihirapan na ang mga magsasaka ng kasoy dahil sa maliit na kinikita. "Ang pag-aaral ay higit pang nagmumungkahi na ito ay maaaring matugunan… Read more