SEARCA in the News

The Department of Agriculture (DA) had set aside millions of funds for a research study – which will be done in coordination with a state university in Pampanga – that will help look for access to technologies that can accurately detect and effectively manage, control, and contain emerging animal diseases. This is amid the persistence of African Swine Fever (ASF) and bird flu in the country, which are both highly destructive to livestock and poultry industry. A statement showed that DA has recently signed a memorandum of agreement (MOA) with the Pampanga State Agricultural University (PSAU) in Magalang, Pampanga for… Read more

The Philippine government-hosted Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (Searca) is set to support the coconut industry development plan of Quezon Province in the areas of value addition to coconut products, linkages of farmers to the market and farmers’ organization. Searca Director Glenn Gregorio said the group is collaborating with the Quezon provincial government to achieve its vision of “a market-driven coconut industry with empowered and resilient farmers, engaging in profitable coconut-based enterprises, contributing to inclusive and sustainable agricultural development.” Pedcris Orencio, Searca program head for Research and Thought Leadership, said the Office of the… Read more

THE country’s agricultural output picked up slightly in the second quarter, driven by growth in crops and fisheries sectors, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) said on Wednesday. The PSA said the value of production of the farm sector — which contributes about a tenth to the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) and a fourth of jobs — grew by an annual 0.5% in the April to June period from -1.4% seen in the same period in 2019. It was also an improvement from the -1.7% in the first quarter, which was revised from the initial -1.2% reported last May. For the first… Read more

The Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) is set to support the coconut industry development plan of Quezon Province in the areas of value addition to coconut products, linkages of the farmers to the market, and farmers' organization. This was discussed in a meeting among representatives of SEARCA and the Quezon provincial government to level off expectations and determine the next steps to collaborate to realize the Quezon provincial government's vision of "a market-driven coconut industry with empowered and resilient farmers engaging in profitable coconut-based enterprises contributing to inclusive and sustainable agricultural development." SEARCA… Read more

The Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) is set to support the coconut industry development plan of Quezon Province in the areas of value addition to coconut products, linkages of the farmers to the market, and farmers’ organization. This was discussed in a meeting among representatives of SEARCA and the Quezon provincial government to level off expectations and determine the next steps to collaborate to realize the Quezon provincial government’s vision of “a market-driven coconut industry with empowered and resilient farmers engaging in profitable coconut-based enterprises contributing to inclusive and sustainable agricultural development.” SEARCA… Read more

The Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) is set to support the coconut industry development plan of Quezon Province in the areas of value addition to coconut products, linkages of the farmers to the market, and farmers' organization. This was discussed in a meeting among representatives of SEARCA and the Quezon provincial government to level off expectations and determine the next steps to collaborate to realize the Quezon provincial government's vision of "a market-driven coconut industry with empowered and resilient farmers engaging in profitable coconut-based enterprises contributing to inclusive and sustainable agricultural development." SEARCA… Read more

The Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) is set to support the coconut industry development plan of Quezon Province in the areas of value addition to coconut products, linkages of the farmers to the market, and farmers' organization. This was discussed in a meeting among representatives of SEARCA and the Quezon provincial government to level off expectations and determine the next steps to collaborate to realize the Quezon provincial government's vision of "a market-driven coconut industry with empowered and resilient farmers engaging in profitable coconut-based enterprises contributing to inclusive and sustainable agricultural development." SEARCA… Read more

The Provincial Local Government of Quezon has set its development plan for the coconut industry with a vision of a market-driven coconut industry with empowered and resilient farmers engaging in profitable coconut-based enterprises contributing to inclusive and sustainable agricultural development. According to the Office of the Provincial Agriculturist, the Quezon Coconut Industry Development Plan aims to establish provincial nurseries for high-yielding coconut varieties, replace senile coconut trees with high-yielding varieties and increase coconut productivity through proper cultural management and fertilization. A team from Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture led by Dr. Pedcris Orencio, Program… Read more

LOCAL agricultural production likely contracted, albeit at a slower pace, in the second quarter, as the strict lockdown affected the employment of farm workers and prevented them from transporting their harvest, economists said. The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) is set to release farm sector data for the second quarter on Aug. 5. Rolando T. Dy, executive director of Center for Food and Agri-Business of University of Asia and the Pacific (UA&P), said the agricultural sector may have shrank in the April to June period as demand was hurt by rising unemployment and lower consumption. “My guess is negative for the second quarter’s… Read more

Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) governance will bring about greater participation among Southeast Asian countries, including Brunei, said its director Dr Glen B Gregorio. “It will pursue gender balance and inclusion of the younger generations to draw from a more diverse pool of culture and ideas towards meaningful teamwork in pursuit of its mission,” Dr Gregorio said. From July 2020 to June 2025, the Philippines-based SEARCA will concentrate its resources and efforts toward Accelerating Transformation Through Agricultural Innovation (ATTAIN). The regional centre of the inter-government treaty organisation focussed on agricultural research and education… Read more