Congress should investigate persistent reports that lobby money from the Netherlands is behind the campaign being waged by a coalition of non-government organizations against the practice of aerial spraying in export banana plantations.
This was the statement of a ranking officer of the Associated Unions-Trade Unions Congress of the Philippines (ALU-TUCP) and spokesmen of at least two banana growers cooperatives which have come out openly against the move to stop aerial spraying. Aerial spraying is a decades-old practice of the industry to fight black sigatoka,  a dreaded fungus-borne banana disease which had reportedly wiped out several plantations in the country and abroad.
Jess Pagaran, ALU-TUCP vice president, said congressmen attending this Friday’s public hearing on proposals to stop aerial spraying should look into this disturbing report, and ascertain if it’s true so that the country can make its moves.
Pagaran earlier said ALU-TUCP took a stand on the issue after realizing that many of their union members will be affected adversely if aerial spraying against sigatoka will revert to manual.
He said 60 percent of ALU-TUCP members in the Davao and neighboring regions are working in banana plantations.
An earlier report said that the campaign against aerial spraying of low-dose fungicide is being waged by a coalition of non-government organizations who are all getting funding from the Netherlands-based CordAid International, one of Europe’s largest private-sector aid development agencies.
The report quoted Rosemarie Maranan of the Youth for a Strong Nation Movement (YSNM) of the Angeles University Foundation of Angeles City as saying “we initially believed in the validity of the anti-spray cause until we found documents at the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) repeatedly assailing Dutch policies to undermine banana producers worldwide and their commitment to ertswhile Dutch colonies like Indonesia under the Lome Convention and Cotonou Agreement of 2004.”
The YSNM was founded by Professor Emmanuel Q. Yap, the former head of the Congressional Economic Research Unit and economic adviser to presidents Elpidio Quirino, Carlos P. Garcia and Ferdinand E. Marcos.
Maranan reportedly told leaders representing various unions in Southern Mindanao’s retail trade, transport and services industries in a forum last Saturday that “ the lobby is so powerful as indicated by the participation of four Manila bishops, one of whom heads the National Social Action Center which draws sizable funding from CordAid and their ascendancy over a number  of the country’s media networks like the Philippine Daily Inquirer and GMA.
Reynaldo A. Delgado, chair of DARBMUPCO, a banana cooperative in Carmen, Davao del Norte composed of agrarian report beneficiaries, said that those who entertain the proposal to stop aerial spraying including Catholic bishops “who are expected to be more discerning” should study their positions carefully as it might result in destroying the banana industry and affect the thousands of  small growers and their families.
Delgado said his cooperative will send some 600 men and women to rally behind the banana industry in today’s public hearing at the Apo View Hotel.
Victor Cartagenas, spokesman of HEARBCO, another banana cooperative of agrarian beneficiaries in Madaum, Tagum City, said “morag ginagisa kita niining mga Dutch sa atong kaugalingong mantika (it seems that we are being fried in our own lard). Tungod sa ilang sapi, gipaaway-away ta, kitang mga magtatanom og saging, ang mga nakadawat ug sapi, mga inosenteng Obispo ug mga NGO (Because of their money, we are pitted against each other – we, the banana farmers and the entire industry against those who got funding, clueless bishops and NGOs).
“Small banana growers like me do not exactly know how this Dutch lobby money works and why they seem to want to see the ruin of our banana industry,” Cartagenas said in Cebuano, adding that it is up to Congress and the government, with the vast resources they can muster, to get to the bottom of this lobby money.
He said banana growers know that Dutch interests are present in the export banana plantations in Indonesia’s Maluku Islands, specifically at Halmahera and Sumateira.
Cartagenas said his group will send at least 150 members to the mass actions in Davao City during the hearing to be conducted by congressmen.
Maranan also showed an item at the CBCP News alleging a “world call for a ban on aerial spraying in the country quoting NGOs in the Netherlands” which she says is a paradox as Netherlands hosts one of the largest aerial spraying companies in Europe, Broegard Cord of Holland.
“This company sprays everything and they are spraying all over Africa, “ Maranan said as she points out the fact that Netherlands controls a land area throughout the world that is 20 times larger than their land area.
“They are also one of the most brutal colonial powers in the world and deprived Indonesia of an educational system when they colonized the country,” Maranan said.
Pagaran earlier cautioned Manila prelates against further statements of support for the anti-spray ban as “they will be giving credence to the lies spread by IDIS, MAAS and Mr. Rene Pineda of Antipolo City who heads the National Task Force Against Aerial Spraying.”
“These Manila bishops are making our Church a symbol of Third World mendicancy instead of being our people’s instrument of emancipation from poverty, disease and hunger,” Pagaran said. [With PR from DevCom Davao]

The International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) is inviting the global rice science community to join its vision to reveal the genetic diversity of more than 109,000 different varieties of rice and to them available for rice breeders and farmers worldwide to breed and develop new rice varieties.
The vision aims to sequence the genomes, or all the genetic information, of all different types of rice in the International Rice Genebank — the world’s most comprehensive collection of rice genetic diversity, including wild rice, rice’s ancestors, and traditional, heirloom and modern varieties.
“If we can sequence the genomes of all types of rice, we have truly opened the door to understanding the rich genetic diversity of rice, to help conserve that diversity better and to use it to breed improved rice varieties,” said IRRI director general, Dr. Robert Zeigler.
“In 2005, the sequencing of the first type of rice was a milestone. However, the genome sequence of one type of rice does not reflect the immense genetic diversity of all types of rice.”
“All rice types need to be sequenced to capture the entire genetic diversity of rice. Rapidly progressing technologies have made this a realistic goal — achievable within a few years,” he added.
IRRI already shares seeds from the International Rice Genebank with farmers and rice breeders worldwide. The genome information from the sequencing will also be shared.
Speaking at the 6th International Rice Genetics Symposium (RG6) in Manila, Dr. Zeigler outlined a plan to achieve the vision that involves empowering national research and breeding programs from major rice-growing countries, and training the next generation of rice scientists.
The announcement is one of many rice research projects highlighted at RG6 where more than 700 leading international rice scientists are meeting to share knowledge on rice genetics.
“The real power of genome sequencing will be when we identify which genes are responsible for which traits,” said Dr. Zeigler. “To do this, we will need to collaborate with our global scientific partners across the public and private se+ctor — RG6 is the perfect place to start this process.”  [PNA]
He said new rice varieties developed using the genetic diversity of rice have already helped double rice yields in the last 50 years, helping keep food prices low, averting famine, and preventing many natural ecosystems being converted to farmland.
“Sequencing the genomes of the entire collection of the International Rice Genebank will provide a platform that rice breeders can use to rapidly identify the genetic source of beneficial rice traits such as pest and disease resistance or the capacity to cope with climate change.
“These genes and their associated traits can then be bred into new rice varieties better able to cope with difficult growing conditions and with the capacity for higher yields,” he concluded.
IRRI will now look for partners and donors to support its vision.

In response to global market demand, even medium-scale processing companies in Mindanao are now setting up internal systems to conform with international food safety standards and thereby attract more buyers.
Amley Food Corp., Sagrex Food Corp., KF Nutri-Foods International, Inc. and Boom Marine Corp. are four Mindanao companies that recently received their HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point) certification.
“This will open doors for us, since more buyers are requiring processors to have these measures in place, said Hayley Yu, president of Amley Food, which exports dried fruits such as mango, papaya and pineapple to North America, Japan and other countries, under the Island Tropicks brand.
“Buyers are now inspecting processing plants to check on cleanliness and efficiency,” Yu added. “When you’re HACCP-certified, they know that you’ve already taken steps to prevent problems.”
Previously, only the largest companies and multinationals like Dole sought certification in order to meet the phytosanitary requirements of export markets.
The four firms were assisted by USAID’s Growth with Equity in Mindanao to develop the systems and procedures needed for HACCP compliance, and to arrange for the audit by TUV-SUD, Inc., an internationally-recognized third-party certifying agency.
The cost of acquiring certification can run to millions of pesos, depending on the changes each company has to make. These may include renovating or adding buildings, reconfiguring assembly lines, buying equipment, and establishing the requisite documentation and monitoring systems.
Despite the relatively large costs involved, however, the firms believe the investment is well worth it.
“We’ll not only be able to attract more customers through HACCP, we’ll get better prices as well,” said Contessa Factura, quality assurance officer of Boom Marine Corp., which exports aquacullture products to Japan and South Korea from Misamis Oriental.
Mindanao ’s export sector is expected to grow as more of its food producers and processors comply with international phytosanitary standards.
The four firms that have just been HACCP-certified buy their raw materials from associations of growers who have consolidated production to create economies of scale, including farming cooperatives composed of former combatants of the Moro National Liberation Front.
As the firms acquire new customers because of HACCP, growers will increase production to keep up with the demand for more raw materials.
This in turn will help create jobs and boost the development of the fruit, vegetable, and high-value aquaculture and mariculture sectors across the region, including conflict-affected areas. [GEM/PIA 11]
Earlier this year Boom Marine attended the international food show IFEX 2009 with support from GEM, which is implemented under the oversight of the Mindanao Economic Development Council.
Factura noted that a major concern of foreign buyers at the trade show was processors’ ability to comply with basic food safety standards. “It was one of the first things they asked about,” she said.
“This made us decide to seek HACCP certification,” said Factura. “Now that we’ve been accredited, we’re ready to get back to those interested buyers who met with us at IFEX.”