LOS BAÑOS, Laguna – In a bid to boost the country’s cassava and sweetpotato industries, experts and key players from local public and private, and international agencies gathered in a meeting held at the BPK Function Room of the Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST-PCAARRD).
Representatives from the Bureau of Plant Industry – Los Baños Crop Research, Development and Production Support Center (BPI-LBNCRDPSC), Centro Internacional de Agricultura Tropical-Asia (CIAT-Asia), Centro Internacional de la Papa – Food Security Through Asian Roots and Tubers (CIP-FoodSTART +), Department of Agriculture Regional Field Office 3 (DA-RFO 3), Institute of Plant Breeding, College of Agriculture and Food Science, University of the Philippines Los Baños (IPB-CAFS, UPLB), Rootcrops Industry Development Sub-committee of the Philippine Council for Agriculture and Fisheries (RIDSC-PCAF), San Miguel Foods, Incorporated (SMFI), Tarlac Agricultural University (TAU), Visayas State University (VSU), and DOST-PCAARRD participated in the meeting.
Headed by PCAARRD-Crops Research Division (CRD) Assistant Director, Dr. Edna A. Anit and Industry Strategic S&T Program (ISP) Manager for Sweetpotato, Ms. Abigail May O. Retuta, the activity served as a platform to identify research and development (R&D) gaps and finalize initiatives to craft the ISP for cassava and update the ISP for sweetpotato.
Dr. Jose L. Bacusmo of VSU presented the significant technologies currently used in cassava production. Dr. Julieta R. Roa of the Philippine Root Crops Research and Training Center (PhilRootcrops), on the other hand, updated the group on the ongoing DOST-PCAARRD-funded program, “S&T-based Sweetpotato Value Chain Development for Food in Tarlac, Albay, Leyte, and Samar.”
They also discussed the industry statistics of the two commodities and suggested potential R&D areas where possible initiatives can be formulated.
The participants discussed and finalized the targets and initiatives of the ISPs for cassava and sweetpotato. They agreed to focus the initiatives on cassava in developing pest and disease tolerant/resistant varieties and enhancing product development for food and other by-products, among others. Proposals on sweetpotato, on the other hand, will focus on the improvement of existing sweetpotato varieties, its institutional markets, and potential continuation to Phase II of the ongoing Sweetpotato Value Chain Program.
In line with the Harmonized National R&D Agenda for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources (HNRDA-AANR) in 2017–2022, the said initiatives and proposals for cassava and sweetpotato will be coordinated with the Bureau of Agricultural Research of the Department of Agriculture (DA-BAR).
DOST-PCAARRD representatives from the Agricultural Resources Management Research Division (ARMRD), Socio-Economics Research Division (SERD), Technology Transfer and Promotion Division (TTPD), and other CRD staff also attended the activity.