Henry Lim Bon Liong, chairman of Sterling Products, SL Agritech dies father of Philippines hybrid rice

"Food for every ones table and every homes"

Henry LIm Bon Liong, father of Philippine hybrid rice, 72

Henry Lim Bon Liong head of Sterling products engaged in manufacture and sale of office and school supplies, real estate, and agribusiness died at 72.  His remains will be viewed and cremated at Sanctuarium in QC.

He is best remembered for his passion in agriculture.  He invested the family wealth to fund scientists in China to discover the SL 8 rice variety which can yield up to 300 cavan per hectare.   This was at the instance of fmr Pres Erap, who was his friend.   This effort benefitted many farmers who became rich because of this high yielding rice variety.   This rice variety was promoted during the time of Pres Erap but discontinued by his successor.

Henry later on flexed by exporting the high yielding rice variety to rice exporting countries (which Philippines later imported)

He was also a philanthropist.  As former head of Philippine Chinese chamber of commerce he spearheaded many fund raising activities which raised millions for the calamity victims.  

He graduated from UP and took up mechanical engineering at Harvard University

Relief - temporary food security for Carina flood victims; we are grateful

"Food for every ones table and every homes"

Its heartwarming.  Thank you for the kind souls

Singpore's plan to build farm of the future

"Food for every ones table and every homes"

So that it reduces dependence on food imports.    Land is however scarce.  Farm land is only 1% of total land

Urban farming in vacant lots in Quezon City in support of food security

"Food for every ones table and every homes"

It started in QC, in 2010 by now Mayor Joy.  

Data on cultivated land in the Philippines

"Food for every ones table and every homes"

It is only 12,000 thousand hectares, of the estimated 40,000 thousand hectares arable land. or only 18,75%.  Less than 1/5 of total arable land!!   What happens to the rest of 80%  (4/5)  (Thats 12 million and 40 million hectares)

Much is still to be done regarding the cultivation of the rest of arable land.  What is happening to the large DA budget?  What is happening to talks about developing our agriculture?

And yet people are complaining about the land conversion    Only roughly 20% of the arable land in the Philippines has been cultivated.

Cultivated land in the Philippines - total area

% of cultivated land in the Philippines

Published by Martha Jean Sanchez[Martha Jean Sanchez](https://www.statista.com/aboutus/our-research-commitment), Mar 16, 2021

In 2018, the total land area used for agricultural crop cultivation in the Philippines was around 13.5 million hectares. In the previous year, the real gross domestic product growth of the agriculture sector was 3.9 percent.

From one propertee

How kotong can disrupt food security...

"Food for every ones table and every homes"

The supply chain for food can be disrupted by Kotong along the routes of vegetable and food delivery.  Traders add up the cost of Kotong for their merchandise.  Or some simply give up on making the trip to MM to deliver the food supply.

Like during the pandemic, conflicting orders on who could go, pass through disrupted food delivery to MM, resulting on limited or sometimes 0 delivery.  How could we have done this?   To cause hunger on our own people  

Rather than focus on Pogo which the police should take care of (unless they can be trusted to do their job, but when they are on the payroll of Pogs?)

They are supposed to serve and protect, not mulct and disrupt...?   Pres PNP chief, ano po ba?

Will there be a global food crisis?

"Food for every ones table and every homes" Pray not Climkat change could be the disruptor. What can we do to stop avert the crisis? Even in a small way? 1. Planting in your backyard; 2. Avoid food waste in food preparation and storage 3. Spread awarness. It is hoped this blog is read. It is not. though

Sounding alarm - World Food Crisis

"Food for every ones table and every homes"

Comes from:

1.  War in Ukraine  -  supplier of wheat

2.   Price of fertilizer and 

3.  Extreme weather

4.  Panic from shortage

5.  Covid pandemic (caused unemployment and poverty)

Do not waste your food

"Food for every ones table and every homes"
If taste of food is not nice, think of people who have nothing to eat. One dies every 5 seconds all over the world.

Yet food wastage is estimated to be 30% of total food production:

1.  At post harvest

2.   Storage

3.  Processing

4.  End user

  

We are the world video - USA for Africa made by US artists to address famine in Africa

"Food for every ones table and every homes"

Made by US artists for the benefit of hungry people in Africa.  Composed by Michael Jackson.  What changes have this song wrought?   It is 35 years old.

Thank you US artists for this awakening.  

9 million people die a year from hunger - that is 25,000 per day!

"Food for every ones table and every homes"

In a world of prosperity, 9 million a year die of hunger   WFP

Is this not absurd, pitiful?  What can you, we do?

Starvation amidst prosperity....

Food shortage, need for food security is urgent and need action now

"Food for every ones table and every homes"

WFPUSA - countries suffering from food shortage

There are 10 countries who are experiencing food shortage and are on the verge of famine.  

Some of them:

    1.  Syria

    2.  Afghanistan

    3.   Haiti

    4.  Somalia

    5.   Yemen

    6.  Sudan

    7.  South Sudan

We hope your country is not one of them.   These can be alleviated by food donations but is not sustainable.  Agriculture in each of the countries must be developed.

We are fortunate that in the Philippines, there are not extreme conditions:   soil is fertile, grass, anything grows on the soil, there is constant rain.  We are blessed and we have just to work harder to make agriculture be made more productive

DA aims for year long P29.00/kg rice for the limitd sector of society , P40 -P45 /kg rice to general public via importation

"Food for every ones table and every homes"

Affordable rice for everyone

DA aims to make available to general public affordable rice.

Expansion from 10 Kadiwa stores to more outlets of P29.00/kg rice to pwd, seniors, 4Ps beneficiaries, and solo parents

And via importation, P40 - 45/kg rice for general public

This is artificial, and subsidized   We taxpayers shoulder the cost of this program.  It is not real cost reduction and boost in agricultural productivity.    

The govt officials just want to placate the public, general populace, just like in the Roman empire.  

How can we really boost productivity.

P29 /kg rice available to limited sector only - pwd, seniors, beneficiaries for 4ps at Kadiwa stores

"Food for every ones table and every homes"

In order to succeed, one must keep his word.   Palabra de Honor

The Pres. probably ordered Kadiwa through DA to sell such rice to limited sector of society at only P29.00/kg to limited sector of society:   PWD, Seniors and 4ps beneficiary.

This is probably subsidized by DA budget, and artificial?  Not sustainable

P29.00/kg rice available to limited sector of society

Reality of Food Shortage in the Philippines (as is anywhere in the world)

"Food for every ones table and every homes"

Chicken a la Carte -  " Pagpag"

Hunger is a reality in the country as is anywhere in the world.   Hunger and famine strikes poor countries in Africa and somewhere in Asia.  It may even afflict China.

We have to do something fast about this.      

Ronald Mascirnas of Bounty Ventures Inc (Chooks to Go) retires

"Food for every ones table and every homes" What is his role in securing food security in the Philippines? Can everybody ape Ronald? He used to consult my uncle who runs food companies in Rizal. He is much2 biigger than my uncles business.

How the Green Revolution by Norman Borlaug saved the world from hunger and poverty

"Food for every ones table and every homes"

The wildly successful efforts of  Norman Borlaug to increase land and crop productivity in the 1970s now known as Green Revolution won him a Nobel Prize.   And helped saved the world from hunger and starvation     To be credited with same efforts is that of IRRI in the Philippines with creation of high yield pest and flood resistant rice variety.  Borlaug worked with wheat.  He worked with farmers of Mexico, Pakistan and India 

Thanks to them

Norman Borlaug green revolution

Not too many people are interested in food security

"Food for every ones table and every homes"

It could be a big issue in years to come, as we see increasing food prices.  It is an index of the supply situation

Let us work together and be conscious of food security.  We need to feed our families and progeny in the years to come

Global food security - discussion and analysis

"Food for every ones table and every homes"

Food security explained further by a foreigner

"Food for every ones table and every homes"

Does housing development imperil food security

"Food for every ones table and every homes"

Many people conclude and think so.  Hence the good lady senator and her family who is  top housing developer are being bashed for turning farms into housing.  

We do need housing for our increasing population and must be addressed.  There are farmlands  that are no longer productive or arable?     And also, of the available arable lands that are arable only a small portion  is being cultivated

World bank data

Approximately 5.59 million hectares

The total arable land in the Philippines was approximately 5.59 million hectares in 201912. Arable land as a share of land area was at level of 18.7% in 2021, unchanged from the previous year34. Arable land includes land under temporary crops, temporary meadows for mowing or for pasture, land under market or kitchen gardens, and land temporarily fallow3. Of the Philippines' total land area of 30 million hectares, about 4.94 million hectares are arable5

The people at DAR are in a tight balancing act when converting lands from agricultural   It is hard to get a conversion mind you.  So many requirements and it takes time.   Just try

One way of ensuring food security - reducing food waste

"Food for every ones table and every homes" Sources say food waste is as much as 30%. In harvesting, post harvest facility, and our consumption. How to stop this?

SL 8 high yield rice variety/seeds

"Food for every ones table and every homes" The family of the friend of fmr Pres Erap invesnted hundreds of millions to discover this. Could have helped and solved rice iportation. But curbed by his successor. Instead is being sold to countries exporting rice to PHL. How absurd....

Urban gardening - can this help ensure food security?

"Food for every ones table and every homes" Let us try this. To ease onion shortage in the future. Its easy to do. It even helps solve garbage problem.

Is it realistic to expect P20/kg rice?

"Food for every ones table and every homes" It could have been a gimmickry just to win the Presidential election? What is being done to make this possible? Not yet possible?

Using Advanced AI in agriculture and farming

"Food for every ones table and every homes"

Can AI help in food security?

AI can help in irrigation, and do robotic work, doing away with human labor.

It is not a good idea to go to war with China    We should benchmark how they do do this   ?

Can DA use AI to help agricultural sector improve productivity and food security?

Does it collect data on:

     1.  Demand, supply through out the country?  Does it employ data analytics

     2.  So that AI can generate predictions regarding   

     3.  Does it have comprehensive data on soil fertilization, technology, and solution  (plant

          disease)

Does organic farming increase agricultural productivity

"Food for every ones table and every homes"

The fad now is for organic farming.  However outputs from organic farming is very low.  Inputs are very expensive, and so with the selling price.

What is worse is that we cant believe self serving claims that their produce is organic.

I know of two organic farmers:  one was a batchmate in elementary with farm in Jalajala, and the other batchmate in College with farm in Calamba City.   They are both selling their farms.

What do you think?  Would you go into organic farming?

Is it recommended for Philippines?

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Lost opportunity to increase food production

"Food for every ones table and every homes"

We lost the chances:

1.  Henry's Merit group that discovered at the cost of P500 million of family fortune of the SL 8 rice variety that yielded 300 cavans of rice per hectare, much higher than the vaunted Masagana 99.

2.  This post came across the high yield corn variety produced by a multinational based in South Cotabato.

The claimed yield was 16 metric tons per hectare.

These reported discoveries and innovation could easily have upped our agricultural productivity.  A credit facility in the country or even those that are in rice producing provinces could have easily upped agricultural productivity.  This post supposed that these discoveries did not gain traction because there was no DWIFM for people running the show   The SL 8 rice varieties distribution to farmers was discontinued after the new President took charge.  

As for the corn.  Maybe because it was from a multinational well known for GMO....

What is the choice healthy option first or agricultural productivity.  For an LDC to act like a well developed country....

Update on food security. Reposted

"Food for every ones table and every homes" It is more fun criticizing

Food security in the Philippines

We think the govt is strict about food security.   We are a developer and they are very slow on acting 

on land conversion.

More can be done regarding food security:

1.   Supply and demand projection, and planting and production schedules

2.  Tariff protection

3.  Improvement of infrastructures:   and inputs:

    1.  fertilizer and seeds

    2.  Fingerlings, piglets, and cattle

    3.  Strengthening what exists and making them work

    4.  Cold storage

    5.  Solar pumps

    6   Post harvest facilities

    7.  Supply chain

    8.  MBA in Agri courses

4.  Scientific farming:

   1.  Greenhouses, with irrigation

   2.  High value added crops

   3.  Hydrophonics and drip

5,  Corporate farming

It is good that some big companies like MVP group are paying attention to food security.   However their is with high value coco products:   MCTs and buko juice.

Finally Jollibee Food Corporation chicken plant made profit

The CP farms of Thailand have been doing good in the Philippines

6.  Adoption of new technologyies

    Substitute for rice