www.mb.com.ph, August 11, 2010

A program for the planting of the high-yielding Asha peanut variety was recently launched in the second district of Quezon province with the distribution of 15 sacks of planting materials to 15 smallhold farmers by the Bureau of Agricultural Research headed by Director Nicomedes P. Eleazar.

Asha peanut which was introduced from India in 2005 has proven to be highly adapted to local growing conditions. It was brought to the Philippines through the International Crops Research Institute for Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) headed by Dr. William Dar, a Filipino who once headed the Department of Agriculture.

Although Asha will only be planted for the first time in Quezon, it is now a certified seed and is being widely cultivated in Isabela and Sorsogon. According to Eleazar, as a result of the adoption of Asha by farmers using a developed package of technology, peanut yield in the country has increased dramatically from 600 kilos per hectare to 1,100 kilos. In terms of pesos, the increase in yield mean an additional P15,000 to P27,000 per hectare.

The Asha peanut production program in Quezon is being implemented by the Earthkeepers, an active non-government organization that is advocating organic farming. It is headed by Teresa Perez-Saniano. The Earthkeepers is implementing the project in cooperation with the Cagayan Valley Integrated Agricultural Research Center (CVIARC) which will be providing technical assistance to the farmer cooperators and beneficiaries.

Each farmer-cooperator has allotted an area of 1,000 square meters to plant his Asha peanut. They were provided a one-day hands-on training to technically equip them with the appropriate package of technologies on the production and management of this variety. Rose Aquino of CVIARC, who is the lead person for promoting Asha peanut production in the Philippines, served as the resource person during the training.

As part of the repayment scheme of the project, each farmer-cooperator will have to give back two sacks of seeds after harvest to ensure seed multiplication so that other farmers can also avail themselves of the benefits of planting Asha peanut.

Asha peanut was one of the technologies highlighted at the 6th Agriculture and Fisheries Technology Forum and Product Exhibition held at the SM Megamall in Mandaluyong City.

By the way, after its introduction in 2005, Asha was initially field-tested and evaluated to determine and compare its adaptability and agronomic performance with the commercially grown peanut varieties in Region 2. Asha is a big-seeded variety and is known to produce nuts larger than those traditionally grown in the Philippines.

Source: Asha peanut program launched in Quezon