• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
The Philippines and Japan have launched a joint initiative to modernize the country’s sugarcane industry through mechanization and climate-resilient farming technologies.
The Green Asia Plus initiative was formally launched at the Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) headquarters in Quezon City on Sept. 28, with the turnover of deep planting planters and partial deep tillage machines donated by Japanese agricultural machinery manufacturer Yanmar.
In a statement, SRA Administrator Pablo Luis Azcona said the technology, tested in SRA sites in Pampanga and Negros Occidental, significantly improved sugarcane production compared with conventional planting methods.
He said the technology could particularly benefit farmers as the country prepares for the potential impacts of Super El Niño.
Under the deep planting method, cane is planted nearly a foot deep, compared with the conventional 10 to 20 centimeters, making the process faster, more efficient and less labor-intensive.
SRA Research and Development Extension Manager Laverne Olalia reported that trials conducted since 2024 showed yield increases of more than 16 percent during the first crop year, equivalent to a potential income gain of P56,350 per hectare.
During the second year, or ratoon crop, yields increased by as much as 25 percent, with a potential income gain of P74,750 per hectare.
The deeper-planted canes also showed greater resilience to drought.
Japan has been working with the SRA since 2022 through the Japan International Research Center for Agricultural Sciences under the broader Green Asia project, focusing on technology transfer, research and sustainable food production.
Japan Minister for Economic Affairs Yokota Naobumi said the initiative was particularly significant as the two countries mark the 70th anniversary of the normalization of their diplomatic relations.
The equipment will be deployed in major sugar-producing areas in Luzon and Mindanao as the SRA expands technology transfer and access to mechanization among sugarcane farmers. | GPB
