AVANT GARDENER Yvette Tan Eggs have been on everyone’s mind, especially after the latest onion fiasco. Supply has been low due to a number of factors, including the spread of avian flu and the resulting reluctance of some growers to continue with their businesses because of this, plus the...
AVANT GARDENER Yvette Tan “The onion problem is a symptom of a problem,” Philippine Chamber of Agriculture and Food Inc. (PCAFI) President Danny Fausto said in the organization’s monthly presscon. He was addressing the onion shortage issue that has wracked the country, even reaching...
AVANT GARDENER Yvette Tan “The destiny of nations depends on what and how they eat” — Brillat-Savarin (French politician and gourmand who had a cheese named after him) It’s said that a man’s heart is through his stomach, and so it is with countries. A well-fed person has a better capacity...
AVANT GARDENER Yvette Tan The New Year is always a cause for celebration, not only because it closes the cycle of the past year and moves on to a new one, but also because beginnings always hold so much promise. Many people use the New Year to make resolutions to better their lives. Numerous...
AVANT GARDENER Yvette Tan The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) plays an important role in regulating the country’s natural resources, which includes agroforestry. DENR Secretary Maria Antonia “Toni” Yulo Loyzaga outlines the department’s thrust: Ethical stewardship....
PADRE GARCIA, Batangas – Police arrested a 29-year-old gardener after he yielded suspected shabu valued at P836,000 and guns during a raid in Barangay Bukal here on Friday, Nov. 18. POLICE inventory pieces of evidence from Marco Amparo after the raid. (Batangas police photo) Batangas Police...
Ampalaya, malunggay, sitaw, and kangkong are commonly grown vegetables in the Philippines. When Pinay nurse Mia Uy relocated to Maryland, USA, she found herself cultivating these crops and eventually earning from them. Uy grew up seeing her parents take meticulous care of their farm in...
AVANT GARDENER Yvette Tan The Mandanas-Garcia Ruling, or Executive Order 138 (EO 138) is a Supreme Court ruling petitioned by Batangas Governor Hermilando Mandanas and former Bataan Governor Enrique Garcia, Jr. that, according to the Philippine Information Agency (PIA) website, requests “the...
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...
