AVANT GARDENER Yvette Tan I attended a talk given by Cielito F. Habito, director of the Ateneo Center for Economic Research and Development and the secretary of Socio Economic Planning heading the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) during the late Fidel Ramos’ presidency. Titled...
AVANT GARDENER Yvette Tan The agriculture sector is in a weird state. Not enough Filipinos are worried about the declining industry and its implications on the nation’s food security, yet everyone can feel — and complains about — the rising prices and lack of supply of certain food items,...
AVANT GARDENER Yvette Tan With the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), the largest trade agreement involving many countries since the establishment of the World Trade Organization (WTO), due to be brought up in the Senate soon, the question remains: will the agriculture sector be...
AVANT GARDENER Yvette Tan I sat down with Arsenio “Toto” Barcelona, president of Harbest Agribusiness Corporation, which celebrates its 25th anniversary this month. As anyone who’s met him knows, he’s fun to talk to and is a font of knowledge. He was also a good friend of former Manila...
AVANT GARDENER Yvette Tan We need to focus on ensuring national food security now to prevent shortages in the future. Various groups and individuals have been sounding this alarm, particularly in the last few months. As the country transitions to a new administration, with President Marcos also...
AVANT GARDENER Yvette Tan The blue ternate may finally be getting its moment. The blue ternate (Clitoria ternatea), also known as butterfly pea, also known as Asian pigeonwings has been the darling of small farmers for a while now. Its scientific name comes from the word clitoris because that’s...
AVANT GARDENER Yvette Tan Two weeks ago, I sat down with Chit Juan, president of the Philippine Coffee Board to discuss the state of Philippine coffee, especially after two years of pandemic lockdown. Last week’s column focused on producers. Now, we focus on consumers. Even as Philippine coffee...
AVANT GARDENER Yvette Tan I sat down with Pacita “Chit” Juan, president of the Philippine Coffee Board to discuss the state of Philippine coffee, especially after two years of pandemic lockdown. There are two ways to look at this. One is, from the side of the producers, which for this purpose...
AVANT GARDENER Yvette Tan The passing of veteran actor Susan Roces has left many people in mourning. Roces was not only a stalwart of Philippine cinema, she was also a kind soul who touched the lives of many. A reader sent us a photo of Agriculture Monthly’s 15th Anniversary issue which featured...
If you see an orange 1973 Volkswagen Type 2 Kombi parked in a food park, that’s Kombi Brew (sometimes spelled KombiBrew), a mobile coffee shop whose unique creations has been steadily gathering a loyal fanbase that began with the biking community, but now includes everyone else. Budz Badua runs...
AVANT GARDENER Yvette Tan One of the most unexpectedly popular article types in Manila Bulletin’s agriculture section is of agriculturally-inclined Filipinos based overseas who have successfully managed to plant Filipino vegetables in their adoptive/ new countries. Vegetables that are taken for...
AVANT GARDENER Yvette Tan Though the Agriculture Section of Manila Bulletin likes to highlight successful farm businesses, we would like to stress that running a farm business is not easy. It takes capital, planning, and proper management, among many other things that include sales, marketing, and...
