La carlota city: The Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) has established a demonstration site for the deep planting technology transfer from Japan at the La Granja Agricultural Research and Extension Center (LGAREC) in La Carlota City, Negros Occidental. On Tuesday, Japanese Ambassador to the Philippines Endo Kazuya led a team of officials and researchers on a visit to the research center with SRA Administrator Pablo Luis Azcona.
According to Philippines News Agency, Azcona thanked Kazuya, the Japanese government, and its people for the collaboration that benefited Filipino farmers. "It has been a great honor for SRA to work with the Japanese towards the improvement and sustainability of our industry," he said. Before the demonstration site was established in Negros Occidental, the deep planting technology was tested in three sites in Pampanga.
A study implemented by the SRA, in collaboration with Japan International Research Center for Agricultural Sciences (JIRCAS), showed that deep planting resulted in increased yield of 20.8 percent to 77.23 tons per hectare, from an average yield of 63.92 tons per hectare for manual planting. This increase is equivalent to 28.2 bags of sugar, or an increase in income of PHP68,215 per hectare.
On Monday, Kazuya spoke at the opening of the two-day Sustainable Development of Sugarcane Cultivation Symposium at the Sugarland Hotel. The symposium on the outcome of the five-year Japan-Philippines Collaborative Research towards a more resilient and sustainable sugar industry was led by the SRA and JIRCAS. Kazuya noted that the project boosts agricultural productivity and pioneers sustainable technologies.
Kazuya highlighted the deep-planting cultivation technology developed by JIRCAS, in collaboration with SRA, as a crucial part of their research efforts, ensuring sustainable sugarcane production even in extreme weather conditions. He also noted ongoing collaborations centered on soil runoff control, carbon sequestration, and soil fertility improvement, which enhance sustainability in agricultural practices.
He emphasized that these initiatives are part of a broader effort to foster sustainable agricultural development, focusing on challenges such as climate change and food security. Kazuya expressed optimism about the agreement signed between the SRA and the University of Tokyo in March to advance practical sugarcane research. The partnership aims to develop new technologies and improve systems, exploring sugarcane's benefits for various industries, including bioethanol development.
