Sugarcane Planters' Education

PARTICIPATORY AND CONSULTATIVE SEMINAR WORKSHOP
ON SUSTAINABLE SUGARCANE PRODUCTION
(JULY 2010)
NARRATIVE REPORT
Brief Review
Tarlac Mill District envisions to regain and to revive the areas once devoted to sugarcane plantations. As a review on the production of the cane supply, there has been a very significant drop on the supply. The district’s actual production last C.Y.2007-2008 was 722,000 MT. But the recent crop years’ actual production (C.Y. 2009-2010) was just 557,000 MT, almost 200,000 MT drop in the district’s cane supply. This is a very alarming decrease in tonnage for the last two consecutive crop year. To address this, the district launched various programs to assert efforts in enhancing the district’s productivity. And these were the following:

1. Environmental Scanning
Data were gathered regarding the district’s status (March 2009). Soil analysis, planter’s interview and dialogue were held. A very site specific approach was done to see a very clear picture on the need of the entire district. . Basically the program evolves on the indigenous/specific problem of a certain area (barangay) that will be the focus of the series of intervention to be conducted to address the situation and to achieve the main goal of increasing the productivity at maximum profit.

2. Enhancing planters education on sugarcane farming.
The mill requested for an OPSI seminar (August 2009) to empower and to boost the technical knowledge of the front liners of the mill’s cane supply. Then extending the knowledge to planters through 15 different barangays touching 400 planters.

3. Ground Truthing
GPS Technology was adopted to verify the actual area planted to sugarcane. The accuracy of the baseline data is very critical in gauging the district’s productivity. And one of the purpose is to determine the current picture of the sugarcane areas as compare to the 2003 LandSat picture. Also, this is a very useful data in identifying potential areas for expansion. The GPS survey started last March 2010 and completed June 2010, it was funded by CAT management.

CONTENT OF THE SEMINAR
Tarlac MDDC is now developing path in addressing and improving the district as a whole. Planter’s Seminar is one of the powerful tool in delivering the needed information to have sustainable and profitable sugarcane business. The Seminar is divided into two main topics one is focused on Nursery Production and Development Program and the other topic is focused on a more flexible approach on Sugarcane Cultural Practices (Key Checks).

For the first topic the following were discussed.
In CY 2003-2004, GIS data from Landsat image showed that Tarlac has about 19,200 has. planted to sugarcane. This year, a partial processed data from GIS verified by GPS units reveals that the area was reduced to about 10,168.25 has. (decreased by 47%)

Identified Problems
Reduction of cane supply caused by:
- Shifting to other crops,
- Conversion of prime agricultural lands to residential, horticultural and industrial areas,
- High cost of production,
- Low price of sugar,
- Deteriorating soil fertility
- Unavailability of planting materials,
- Incompatible or unsynchronized milling and planting resumption,
- Climate change or unfavorable weather condition
- Limited time for planting,
- Absence of nursery for early planting purposes,
- Dependability on canetops as source of canepoints,
- No source of canepoints for early establishment on September to November
- Limited source of canepoints on-set of rain on late April, May and June
District’s Direction
Analyzing the above chart, a great decrease on area is very significant in Zone III ( CAPAS, BAMBAN and Parts of CONCEPCION). About 3,000 ha. Decrease in area due to several cases. But the most prominent issue is the timing of establishment, because most of these areas are in mountainous and some sandy (lahar) areas where moisture is very limiting. To solve the need proper timing of planting must be done to ensure growth. Planters always rely on canetopping as the major source of planting material. Thus, if the milling season doesn’t commence canepoints are unavailable. With this Nursery Establishment is encouraged.

NURSERY PROGRAM
• to increase cane supply by ensuring the availability and alternative source of planting materials needed during planting season,
• to attain higher production and improve productivity through production of better quality, accessible and dependable seedpieces of sugarcane,
• assist planters in the proper selection and establishment of new HYV nurseries appropriate for their farming needs, and
• to reiterate to the planters the importance of establishing their own seedbed or nurseries.

KEY CHECKS TOWARDS SUSTAINABLE SUGARCANE PRODUCTION
On the second topic, as we encourage area expansion and seedbed establishment, the next step is to ensure sustainable and profitable business in sugarcane farming. And this Participatory Seminar was realized.
OBJECTIVES:
 to create an interactive environment between key players of sugarcane industry,
 to gather information , ideas and suggestions on identified problems and their solutions, and
 to devise a reliable and dependable “Techno Guide” based from the actual experiences , observations and practices towards better and sustainable sugarcane production.

Mr. Mauro Merculio, MDDC Coordinator has come up with a flexible cultural practices methods that is site specific and base on a very practical approach. (KEY CHECKS)
PARTICIPATORY AND CONSULTATIVE SEMINAR WORKSHOP ON SUSTAINABLE SUGARCANE PRODUCTION
July 14,15,20,21,&22 2010
25 Selected (Progressive) Planters/ Batch
150 Participants
FORMAT
---PROGRAMME---
INVOCATION
WELCOME REMARKS
OPENING ADDRESS
LECTURE PROPER
DISTRIBUTION OF CERTIFICATES
CLOSING REMARKS

Mr.Merculio- 3 I’s Innovate, Imitate, Invent
• Brief Intro
• Problems encountered- climate change and seedbed sources
• Incompatible or Unsynchronized milling and planting resumption) the milling season is done during November unlike before it is earlier. With these planters are used to plant canes during milling because the availability of canepoints comes only from their harvest canes. In addition the end of rain is November as a result, soil moisture is insufficient to plant in the months of Dec.-Jan.
• Shifting to other crops, conversion of lands
• High cost of production, low price of sugar
• Unavailability of planting materials
• On climate change- availability of soil moisture.

CONSEQUENCES OF UNAVAILABILITY OF PLANTING MATERIALS
• Reduction of cane supply caused by: burning
-limited time for planting
-absence of nursery for early planting purposes
-dependability on canetops as source of canepoints
-no source of cp during Sept-Nov for early establishment
-limited source of canepoints on-set of rain on late April, May and June
• Reduction of sucrose content if the mill will give way to the planters planting early
CONSEQUENCES OF CLIMATE CHANGE
• Reduction of cane supply due to: reduce time for planting, decrease in productivity due to extreme heat prolonged drought and less rain during the growing period.
Objective of the workshop
• Interaction
• Gather info
• Come up with a techno guide