April 25, 2008

Philippine coconut lands to be inter-cropped with corn to boost output

Around 100,000 hectares of coconut lands in several provinces in the Philippines will be inter-cropped with white corn to boost food production, the Department of Agriculture (DA) said Monday.

DA assistant secretary and corn programme coordinator, Dennis Araullo, said corn will be planted under coconut trees, which will not only increase corn production but will also increase the incomes of coconut farmers.

Araullo noted that white corn serves as staple for 20 percent of 88 million Filipinos, mostly in the Visayas.

The total corn target for this year is 7.4 million tonnes for white corn and 4.5 million tonnes for yellow corn, which will be 10 percent more than last year¡¯s yield of 6.7 million tonnes.

In 2007, the Philippine production of white corn increased by 130,000 million tonnes to 2.5 million tonnes, from 2.37 million tonnes in 2006.

Araullo said the DA and the University of the Philippines-Los Baños will produce and distribute 25,000 bags of open pollinated white corn varieties to farmers nationwide in time for the wet planting season this May.

Thee seeds are expected to yield 50,000 tonnes and ensure the availability of quality white corn seeds for succeeding plantings.