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For week ending Nov. 15, 2007 |
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9TH ANNUAL UCAP GOLF TOURNAMENT A SUCCESS
The tournament which was held at the Canlubang Golf and Country Club, in Canlubang, Laguna, last Friday, November 07, gathered 55 golf enthusiasts, three golfers shy of the record 58 during the 3rd annual tournament in 2001 held at Malarayat Golf Club. Declared Overall Gross Champion was Arnold Jumalon (Boeing Material Handling Corp.), Overall Net Champion was Rudy de los Reyes (Delmax Trading Corp.). Benny Hurtado (Pilipinas Kao) was Class A Champion, with Joey Macadaeg (United Coconut Planters Bank) as First Runner Up, Dennis Lumpay (Colorsteel) as Second Runner Up. Anton Aguas (Havi Foods Services Phils.) was Class B Champion, with Ed Pertierra (Tasman Orient) and Pablito Gregore (Colorsteel) as First and Second Runner Up, respectively. Class C Champion was Danny Valdez (Raco Commodities), with Melvin Robles (Woosam Corp) and Bert Padrigon (Raco Commodities) as First and Second Runner Up, respectively. Class D Champion was Danny Tañedo (Evergreen Shipping), with First Runner Up Jerry Gonzales (Vegga Enterprises Ltd. Co.) and Second Runner Up Patrick Ronas (Tasman Orient). Winners of special awards were: Gerry Pineda (Woosam Corp.) who bagged two awards for Nearest the Pin and Most No. of Pars; Kenneth (Concordia Agritrading Pte.Ltd.) for Most Accurate Drive; Renato Kapawan (Mould Pack Trading Phils.) for Longest Drive; and Anton Aguas (Havi Foods) for Most Number of Birdies. UCAP thanks the tournament sponsors namely, Gold Sponsors - Hudson Tank Terminals Corp. (hole no. 18); Transeaboard (hole no. 10); Peter Cremer (S) GmbH (hole no. 9); Concordia Agritrading Pte. Ltd. (hole no. 1); Silver Sponsor - Stolt-Nielsen Transportation Group (hole no. 8); also the tournament donors namely, Climate Change (C3 Philippines) Corp., Dumaguete Coconut Mills, Tantuco Enterprises, Raco Commodities, San Pablo Manufacturing Corp; International Oil Factory, Limketkai Manufacturing Corp., and Peter Paul Phils. Corp. For photos taken at the tournament, please visit the UCAP website at www.ucap.org.ph. DA DESIGNATES BAR AS CENTRAL AGENCY FOR BIOFUELS PROGRAMThe Department of Agriculture (DA) has designated its Bureau of Agricultural Research (BAR) as the focal agency for DA’s biofuels program. BAR will coordinate and channel efforts of key players and stakeholders for unified biofuels plans, programs, and activities to be undertaken. It will work with prospective investors and businessmen who express interests in the development of biofuels in the country. It will continue to support R&D activities to improve biofuel production management system and processing of raw materials. Commodities identified as raw materials for biofuels are sugarcane, corn, sweet sorghum, jatropha, coconut and cassava. In a related development, 15 companies informed DA that they need a total of 725,300 hectares of land for the cultivation of crops for biofuel feedstock. This large chunk of land would require these corporations to invest at least P34.085 billion. No details, however, were disclosed about the 15 companies as the projects are still in various stages of negotiations. The deals, which would involve the planting of biofuel feedstock like sugarcane, cassava, jathropa, corn, oil palm, and coconut, would engage the participation of local companies in partnership with foreign investors from Australia, Japan, the United States, China, United Kingdom, Germany, and India. NEED FOR FOOD-BIODIESEL PRODUCTION BALANCERobert Zeigler, director general, International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) stressed the need for a balance between food and biofuel production in the country to avoid rising hunger rates. At a meeting between IRRI and the Makati Business Club, he said that to avoid any imbalance in food supply, the government should make sure that lands allotted for basic food crops, such as corn, sugarcane and coconut should not be converted into plantations for biofuel production. He cited the United States which is now experiencing an imbalance in food supply, particularly corn because of the rising demand for biofuels. He said corn supply in the US has dramatically increased to meet demands for human, animal, and biofuel production. LOCAL FOOD MAKERS GENERATED $37 MILLION IN GERMAN FOOD FAIRAgriculture Secretary Arthur C. Yap reported that 14 Philippine food companies that participated in this year’s Anuga 2007 in Koln Messe, Germany generated sales of $36.62 million from processed agricultural products. This soared 52.8% from $24 million two years ago and sharply exceeded by 83% the $20-million goal for the year. The country’s participation in the Anuga food trade show was among the activities being carried out by the agriculture department’s export development team to help boost Philippine agricultural exports. Agriculture Undersecretary for Special Concerns Berna Romulo Puyat led the export team. Puyat said the bestsellers among the Philippine agricultural commodities at the fair, which was attended by around 163,000 visitors from 175 countrries, included desiccated coconut, dried mangoes, banana chips and canned tuna. Among the 14 Philippine firms that participated at the exhibition were coconut food products manufacturers such as B-G Fruits & Nuts, El Coco Trading Corp., Celebes Coconut Corp., Primex Coco Products, Florence Foods Corp. CHINESE IMPORT OF LAURIC OILS DOWN IN SEPTEMBERData from Oil World show China imported 34,700 MT of lauric oils in September this year, dropping by 22.2% from September last year total at 44,600 MT. Palm kernel oil comprised the bulk of import amounting to 18,100 MT (52.2% share) while coconut oil was 16,600 MT (48.2%). Import of coconut oil during the month grew by a hefty 176.7% from last year at 6,000 MT while that of palm kernel oil massively shrank by 53.2% from 38,700 MT. Indonesia was the country’s major source of lauric oil contributing 77.2% from delivery of 26,800 MT. This consisted of 14,200 MT of coconut oil (5,500 MT last year) and 12,600 MT of palm kernel oil (31,200 MT). Malaysia supplied 5,500 MT (7,000 MT) of palm kernel oil only and was responsible for 15.9%. Purchases from the Philippines amounted to 2,400 MT (400 MT) of coconut oil. Supply from other countries was nil as opposed to a reported 500 MT palm kernel year-ago. Cumulative January-September figure which stood at 390,700 MT rose by 20.4% from a comparable year-ago period total at 324,400 MT. Of this total, palm kernel oil was 284,500 MT (184,700 MT) and coconut oil 106,200 MT (139,700 MT), for respective shares of 72.8% and 27.2%. Palm kernel oil total leaped by 54% from year-ago while of that coconut oil plunged by 24.0%. NEW ROUND OF PRICE HIKES EXPECTED IN CHINA’S LOCAL EDIBLE OIL MARKETIndustry experts predict a second wave of price increases in the country’s domestic edible oil market following continuous decline in oilseed harvest. Currently the world’s top consumer of edible oil, China consumed 22.35 million MT for the year 2006/07 and registered an annual growth of 9.0%. As against this, production of rapeseed and soybean has continuously declined due to reduced acreage and yield. Rapeseed harvest fell from 13.2 million MT in 2004/2005 to 12.7 million MT in 2006/07; soybean output dropped from 17.4 million MT in 2004/05 to 16.2% in 2006/07. The prediction also was bolstered by record price of premium peanut oil in the market at 18,000 yuan/MT from 14,000 yuan in April. Wang Hanzhong, director of the Oil Crops Research Institute under the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, noted that the fast development of biodiesel in recent years has taken up an increasing amount of industrial oil crops, scaling back plant oil inventory and available oil feedstock that the country can import. Additionally, biodiesel has made prices of oil crops rise in tandem with the crude oil market instead of the supply-demand circle of agricultural crops. ORGANIC FOOD GOOD FOR HEALTH - STUDYAccording to a new study, organic produce has a higher nutritional value than ordinary food. Researchers found that organic food contains fewer of the compounds which are harmful and more of those which are beneficial to health than conventionally cultivated produce. The European Union funded the study that calls into question the Food Standards Agency’s (FSA) neutral stance on the benefits or otherwise of organic food. Professor Carlo Leifert, co-ordinator of the Quality Low Input Food study, which took four years and cost GBP12m said, “We have shown there are more of certain nutritionally desire compounds and less of the baddies in organic foods, or improved amounts of the fatty acids you want and less of those you don’t want.” Researchers discovered as much as 40 per cent more antioxidants could be found in organic fruit and vegetables than in organic varieties. The most amazing differences are in milk of which organic milk can contain up to 60 percent more antioxidants and desirable fatty acids than in conventionally produced milk. |