The Highland Agriculture and Resources Research and Development Consortium (HARRDEC) held its annual Regional RDE Highlights Symposium and Farmers´ Forum last August 3 at the Agricultural Training Institute-National Training Center (ATI-NTC) based at the BSU compound.

     Keynoting the Opening Program was Dr. Saturnino M. Ocampo Jr., a Commissioner of the Commission on Higher Education (CHED). Ocampo was one of the pioneers in the defunct Highland Agricultural Research Center (HARC), now the HARRDEC. "Through the years, we realized we do not have enough resources to cover all highland areas, so we thought of this consortium. Our theme then started to address technology commercialization and I am happy that you are now into it," he said. He shared that several State Universities and Colleges (SUCs) in the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) as well as Regions 1 and 2 were given assistance to get into technology commercialization.

     In his message, he encouraged the preparation and submission of project proposals to possible funding agencies, then went on to cite the latest proposal submitted by Benguet State University (BSU) on strawberry runner production, which was granted a PhP1.2M- assistance by CHED during his term as Chair of the Commission. He added that BSU's strawberry jam is good but needs improvement in terms of packaging and labeling.

     BSU is the base-agency of HARRDEC.

     Ocampo mentioned that CAR has a lot of very good products like the BSU's peanut butter. Likewise, he cited the banana produce in Conner, Apayao and challenged Apayao State College (ASC) to address the problem it faces on bunchy top virus. If this situation is not remedied, accordingly, Apayao will be overtaken by its neighboring provinces in terms of banana production. Another example is Kalinga quite well-known for its citrus industry.

     "If we can protect these advantages over other provinces, and use research and development (R&D) results to commercialize, then we could provide livelihood for our people. We have the support of government in popularizing technologies in the community. Research results should be applied, or else they become useless," Dr. Ocampo emphasized.

     Incidentally, Dr. Ocampo, who is from this town, was formerly Regional Director of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) for CAR.

     In a similar development, the Farmers' Forum featured an oral presentation of 10 papers, titled as follows: Micro Hydro Project in Kalinga; Use of Beneficial Micro-organism: A Sustainable Management Strategy for Chrysanthemum White Rust; Evaluation of Processing and Table Potatoes in the Philippine Highlands; Adoption of Selected Agro-forestry Technologies in the CARP-ISF/CBFM Areas in Lagangilang, Abra; Varietal Evaluation of Sweetpotato in the Philippine Highlands; An Assessment of Rootcrop Industry in the Philippines; Survey, Identification, and Mapping of Plant Pathogens and Alternative Host Weeds in Benguet; Ganoderma: A Potential Neutriceutical Source in Luzon; Girdling as a Means to Induce Flowering of Existing Lyche Trees in Mt. Province; and Indigenous Agronomic Crops: Opportunity for Sustainable Conservation in Benguet.

     Farmers´ Forum focusing on Forestry Plantation was also held with Henry Hakcholna of Nayon, LAmut, Ifugao as resource the person.