INTERTECH SHALL HELP MARU BAGAC IN THE PROJECT CONCEPTUALIZATION, DEVELOPMENT AND FINANCING OF THE SO-CALLED "MARU BAGAC FOOD VALLEY - AGRI ECONOMIC ZONE" TO BE PROPOSED TO GOVERNMENT.

VICE CHAIRPERSON RINA SANTELLA

PROPOSED KENAF PRODUCTION AND PROCESSING PLANT AT THE MARU BAGAC VALLEY- AGRI-ECONOMIC ZONE (AS PROPOSED TO GOVERNMENT)

KENAF PROJECT (BALLBROS & MARU BAGAC)

Kenaf is a 4,000 year old NEW crop with roots in ancient Africa. A member of the hibiscus family (Hibiscus cannabinus L), it is related to cotton and okra. It offers a way to make paper without cutting trees. Kenaf grows quickly, rising to heights of 12-14 feet in as little as 4 to 5 months. While the flowering can last 3 to 4 weeks, or more, per plant, each individual flower blooms for only one day. The stalk of the kenaf plant consists of two distinct fiber types. The outer fiber is called “bast” and comprises roughly 40% of the stalk’s dry weight. The refined bast fibers measure 2.6mm and are similar to the best softwood fibers used to make paper. The whiter, inner fiber is called “core”, and comprises 60% of the stalk’s dry weight. These refined fibers measure .6mm and are comparable to hardwood tree fibers, which are used in a widening range of paper products. The Philippines spends a considerable amount of foreign exchange for fiber imports. From 1984 to 1986, the government spent US $404,282 or about P9 million to buy 1,117,783 kg of kenaf fibers needed in making gunny sacks. To reduce the country’s expenses, and eventually to stop importing fibers and start earning from it, the Fiber Development Authority (FIDA) is urging farmers to plant kenaf. Kenaf (Hibiscus cannabinus Linn.) is an annual bast fiber plant believed to come from the subtropical regions of Asia and Africa, and brought to the country by Dr. Nemesio Mendiola in August, 1927 from Buiterzong, Java. Most kenaf plants have spiny petioles, stems and calyx. These spines cause severe itchiness when they come in contact with the skin. Kenaf grows from 1.83 to 3.7 m high with a diameter of 12 mm. Its ornamental flowers are clean-colored in the morning and gradually turn to pink in the afternoon. Kenaf fiber is used for fishing nets, ropes and doormats while woven fabric can be made into carpets, cloth and clothes lining. The most important use of kenaf is in sack making. While the threat of synthetics replacing natural fiber is present, the latter ads qualities which synthetics cannot match. For one, natural fiber is twice as durable- and more reusable- as synthetic sacks. The former is also able to store grains longer without damaging their eating and milling quality. Moreover, synthetic sacks cannot be piled up to 18 feet while natural sacks can be piled twice higher. And this is important since millers want their warehouses fully packed. Today kenaf is being developed for other uses. Researchers have found that its leaves are used as food in Ghana and as livestock feed in the U.S.A. The Bureau of Plant Industry has discovered that the leaves are a very good medium of mushroom spawns due to their 24 per cent crude protein content. Its wood, however, shows the most promise as a potential source of pulp and paper. Kenaf may also be used as a blending agent to improve lower quality pulps. Tests show that kenaf pulps perform equally well as most softwood and are superior to most hardwood pulps. Moreover, handsheets and experimental papers from them have good bursting quality, tensile strength, folding endurance, surface finish, printing and writing qualities. There are many kenaf varieties planted in the Philippines. Traditional varieties used are Viridia Vulgaris, Cuban, Everglades, Guatemala, Manchurian, Giza and Java jute, all of which are spiny. Among them, Cuba 108 and G-2 yield the most fibers. At present , Kenaf varieties are mostly spineless. Thanks to Dr. Nemesio Mendiola and Francisco Cabato Jr. who, in 1965, produced spineless kenaf varieties A59-80, NSDB-63-1 and NSDB-63- 11. Kenaf grows well in a variety of soil but it does best in deep, rich loam that is neither acidic nor alkaline. To ensure a good crop, soil must have sufficient amount of organic matter. It must be well-drained even if the plant can stand short periods of shallow standing water. Marginal kenaf also be planted on if the fertilizer is applied. Kenaf needs a tropical to subtropical climate. It prefers an elevation below 3,000 feet and a rainfall of 25-35 inches during its growing period. Ideal places are those with even rainfall distribution since continuous rain cause yellowing of the leaves. They should also have no marked dry and wet seasons and be far from the typhoon belt. Typhoons can easily fell the plant due to its height and weak root system. Kenaf plants are photoperiodic; they are sensitive to sunlight. Based on their needed sunlight, kenaf are classified into: long-day, short-day and day-neutral plants. Long-day plants require 12 hours of sunlight to reach the following stage. Short-day plants need less than 12 hours while day-neutral are not affected by the length of exposure and, hence, can be planted any time of the year. Since kenaf is photoperiodic, the time of planting is important. For fiber production, plant kenaf during the months of April to October to expose the plant to long daylight. It requires 12-1/2 to 12-3/4 hours or longer to produce long stems of 15 feet or more. To produce seeds, plant kenaf from November to December when daylight is short. In planting kenaf, plow the land once or twice depending on the soil type. Make furrows 12 to 24 inches apart for fiber and seed production, respectively. If the soil is moist, seeds sprout in about 5 days or earlier. When the seedlings are a foot high, thin them until only 2 inches separate each seedling. Thinning can fill up vacant hills. The most important operation during the plant’s early life are weeding and occasional tillage. Weeding is done 3 to 4 weeks after planting. Once the plants are established and have outgrown the weeds, these operations are no longer needed. Two hundred to 250 kg of ammonium sulfate with 21 per cent nitrogen give better yields. Apply this on the furrows and cover with soil 2-3 cm thick before sowing. Apply fertilizer again 18-25 days after sowing when the seeds have sprouted. Apply again when the plants are 60-70 days old around the area 4 cm from the plant’s base, then cover with soil. Kenaf plants are prone to small black fly beetle and tussock moth. Fly beetle attacks the plant’s leaves and stems at its latter stage of growth. Control this pest by harvesting early infested areas or by spraying with contact insecticide. The tussock moth, on the other hand, bore holes on the stem. Anthracnose, leaf-mosaic, petiole-curls and root nematode are the common disease plaguing the kenaf plant. A fungal disease, anthracnose infects young leaves, stipules and meristems or growing tips which turn brown, wither and die. When the entire plant afflicted, only the withered stems remains. Control this by spraying copper oxychloride on the leaves every other week. Before planting on previously affected areas, treat them with 50 kg potassium per hectare. Leaf mosaic causes a chlorotic mottling of leaf lamina resulting in low yield. Spray infected area with kersoap pesticide. To prevent this disease, thoroughly analyze the soil and apply balanced nutrients before planting. A viral disease that causes extreme curling and twisting of the particles is petiole curls. Soil deficiency causes this hence, soil analysis is necessary. Prevent this from spreading: pick out curled leaves burn them. Kersoap pesticide may also be sprayed. The worst disease of kenaf is the “bohon” causing root nematode which stunts growth, causes yellow foliage and even death. Nodular galls also appear at the roots. To control it, overflood the area nematodes alternately with kenaf. Applying pesticides like Biocon is another way of controlling this disease. Harvest kenaf by cutting the stem near the plant’s base with a sharp bolo or any cutting tool. Bundle the stem at a diameter of 20 cm. Leave them in the field until the leaves drop; this can serve as mulch for the soil. In one harvest, average yield of a hectare is 2,000 kg of dry fiber. For spineless varieties, a hectare may yield 70 -80 tons of green stalks or 3,000-4,000 kg representing four to five per cent fiber recovery. The best time to harvest kenaf for fiber is during the plant’s flowering stage of about months after planting when fiber quality and quantity are at its highest. This also lessens the plant’s exposure to pest, disease and unfavorable weather condition which results in lower yield and profit. If fiber is harvested before flowering, fiber yield is lower; and if done after its quality is poor. Harvesting kenaf for seeds, on the other hand, is done 4 to 5 1/2 months after planting when 80 per cent of the plants have 5 to 6 dried capsules. Generally, yield of seeds from 1 to 2 hectares is sufficient to plant 100 hectares. There are three ways of extracting fiber from the plant’s stalks: using machines, retting or applying chemicals. Decorticating machines used for abaca, ramie and sisal hemp can be use to extract kenaf fiber. First, cut the stalk close to the ground, defolaite, bundle and haul them to the stripping sheds and to the machines. Soak fibers in water in several days, wash and dry in the sun. In retting, bacteria or fungi act on the gummy substances where the fibers are imbedded. The bundles of stalks are immersed in a meter-deep water for 10-16 days, or in a sea water for 12 days until the fibers cling loosely to the stalk’s pith and thus, can be easily separated. Retting period depends upon the plant’s age, water temperature, its circulation, mineral, bacteria and fungi content. To hasten this process, keep water temperature at 32o- 36oC and add hay or straw to feed the bacteria or fungi especially if the water is clean. Using chemicals in extracting fibers is performed under controlled conditions. Remove the bark by ribboning and treat with chemical. Here is one of the formulas: for every 400 lb of ribbons, use 400 gallons of water, 40-60 lb of ordinary soap and 7 lb of ammonium sulfate. Maintain temperature of the mixture at 60o-65oC for one hour and stir it constantly. the standard grades of kenaf depends on its strength, type go cleaning and color. There are four standard grades of kenaf wither retted or decorticated: KR-1 or kenaf excellent. The fiber is soft, silky, fine and free of gummy scales and ever-retted fibers. The color is dull white and the cleaning is excellent. KR-2 or kenaf Good. The fiber is medium soft with little, thin gummy scales. The color is dingy white and the cleaning is good. KR-3 or Kenaf Fair. The fiber contains many scales and some bark due to the bruised stems. The color is dingy light brown and the texture is harsh while cleaning is generally fair. KR-X or Kenaf Mixed. The fibers has not been thoroughly washed and there are many gummy scales with pith clinging to the fibers which stick together especially towards the butt. The color ranges from dull to dark brown. Dried Kenaf fiber is prepared to shipping or storage by baling. The standard bales has a net weight of 125 kg measuring 100 by 55 x 60 cm. Bales can be stored for many months in a dry, relatively dark warehouse. Other Uses of Kenaf End-use products depend on the fiber portion used. Bast fiber goes to make such products as burlap, carpet padding, and pulp. The short-fibered core is processed into poultry house bedding, packing material, oil-absorbent mats, and other items. Another market for kenaf is in pulp for the newsprint industry. Kenaf-based newsprint is strong (and thus well adapted to modern newsprint machinery), has good ink retention, and does not yellow with age as readily as wood-pulp-based newsprint. Of course kenaf fiber must compete directly with wood pulp prices, since both are used to produce newsprint. Kenaf can also be used for bean stakes, animal litter, a fiberglass substitute in molded plastic, a fiber source for improving recycled paper quality, a bulking agent for composting sewage sludge, a cellulose fiber for composition panels and boards, and a potting-mix ingredient. Kenaf also makes excellent animal forage. The crude protein levels in kenaf leaves range from 15 to 35 percent. Kenaf harvested as livestock feed should be cut 75 to 100 days after planting to gain optimum protein production per acre. Generally, after 80 days of growth, fibers build up in the stem, the leaf-to-stem ratio changes, and the protein level drops. source: region10.dost.gov.ph, visionpaper.com, attra.ncat.org, photo from bfafh.de, doa.go.th For more information, contact: Dept. of Science and Technology Rm. 303 DOST Bldg., DOST Complex, Gen. Santos Ave., Bicutan, Taguig City 1631 Telephone Nos: (632) 837-20-71 to 82 Fax: (632) 837-8937 Web: www.dost.gov.ph Dept.of Agriculture D.A. Compound, Elliptical Rd., Diliman,Quezon City Tel. Nos. (632) 929-6065 to 67 / 920-3991 / 928-1134 Web: www.da.gov.ph Share Read Related Posts:

INTERTECH UPDATES

INTERTECH SAN FERNANDO, PAMPANGA 6 POTENTIAL BUYERS FROM PAKISTAN, CHINA, JAPAN, SINGAPORE, AUSTRALIA - HAVE SENT THEIR CORPORATE INQUIRIES REGARDING INTERTECHS PRODUCTION OF NICKEL AND CHROMITE- ASKING FOR DIRECT SUPPLY CONTRACTS. WE SHALL BE RESPONDING TO THEM UPON THE COMPLETION OF OUR PRODUCTION PREPARATIONS THAT HAVE STARTED AFTER HOLY WEEK OF APRIL THSI YEAR 2012. WE SHALL LIKEWISE BE SENDING THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS CORRESPONDING DATA SHEETS REGARDING THE SPECIFICS OF THE INQUIRIES TO BUY ORES FROM INTERTECH FROM THE VARIOUS NAMED END-USERS AND AGENTS .. BENE BALLUG President

Share Maru Bagac Foundation slide show

Maru Bagac Foundation Farm Slideshow: Benedict’s trip from Luzon, Philippines to Angeles City (near Angeles) was created by TripAdvisor. See another Angeles slideshow. Take your travel photos and make a slideshow for free.

Chairperson Rina Santella - Maru Bagac Foundation

The
Chairperson of the Maru Bagac Foundation -and Partners during farm visitation - march 22, 2012

Sapang Bato Farms

Maru Bagac Foundation Farms - with the Officers of the Foundation - the farms is comprising some 200 hectares of agri-lands to be developed into a vegetable valley - located at Sapang Bato, Angeles City, Pampanga, Philippines - March 22, 2012

Maru Bagac + Intertech

March 18, 2012, FloridaBlanca, Pampanga, Philippines:

Maru Bagac Foundation - Logo

The MARU BAGAC MULTI SECTORAL FOUNDATION has opened up a huge project development program for its property at Floridablanca Pampanga, Philippines. The investment plans consisted of a Foreign-funded bio-ethanol production facility to be established independently by Foreign Investors, and more importantly the establishment of a modern trauma-medical Tourism Hospital worth PHP1.0 billion; a mixed-used housing and wellness community for PHP500.0 Million; an agri-agro economic zone to be named the Maru Bagac Food Valley worth PHP2.0 billion; An Integrated Paper processing facility and kenaf production project worth PHP400 million; and an Integrated Coffee production and processing facility worth PHP200 million; and a proposed Bank development subsidiary to be named Goodshepherd Bank;

Several Corporate sponsors, Partners and Affiliates have been tapped to implement these projects among which are Intertech and Ballbros Corp., among others.

The Maru Bagac Multi-sector Foundation, Inc. 
was re-organized in March 13, 2012
and the President & CEO of Intertech have been elected as President
of the Foundation for fiscal Year 2012. This is by virtue of the invitation extended
by Chairperson Macrina Santell of the Foundation, who have been  the
inspiration and missionary person in this organization.
As we all know, Macrina Santella is also Vice Chairperson o the Board of Intertech.

Congratulations to the Foundation!! who has intended to invest in several projects
comprising, hospitals, home for the aged, mining, agri-agro development, waste-to-energy,
kenaf, food processing
and alternative energy development projects.

Be Simply Human

walang alam - huggable naman!!

There was a time that i beckon to ignorance - coz it makes 
us all teachable - and so that makes us adorable . . and 
when we became learned - we spank ourselves with titles 
of honor that never valued us back - then to our vanity, 
we added a cauldron of seeming intelligence over our heads 
that we thought we have gained in fact - but somehow 
loosened our true self worth which is the real US - the 
person within . . and i just wonder at all the levity we 
exercised upon others to show how much different we 
are - gravitating to a human "black hole" of knowledge 
that might be our own making . . . from which direction 
we may all end up in a simple vapor of ignominy . . . 
so i dare say this to all who listen - 
BE SIMPLY HUMAN!! . . .

The solution to Mining is "small-scale mining" approach

Solution is to control

“The solution is not to ban mining but to control it,” he said.

“We must have mining. It’s just impossible to live without mines 

and you can’t say do it somewhere else. It’s un-Christian,” 

Wallace said.

Wallace, an Australian expatriate and longtime Philippine

 resident, said that if the Philippines were to harness 

mining, it would create hundreds of thousands more

jobs, build more roads and bring basic utilities like

Nickel samples

water and electricity to the communities.

But if the government were to ban mining, 

illegal mining would still exist, he said.

Brimo said mining, tourism and agriculture were not

mutually exclusive and these industries could

co-exist with each other.

Brimo also shrugged off concerns on the 

environmental footprint of mining, noting that 

it’s very difficult to find viable mining sites

anywhere in the world. He noted that only 62,000 

hectares, or 0.2 percent of the land mass in the country 

was covered by mining claims.

Out of every 25,000 mining prospects in the world, only 

500 will be seriously explored and only one will become 

a live mining project, he said.

Very strict parameters

Lawyer Christian Monsod, a consultant for the Manila 

Electric Co., said he was in favor of mining 

but under very strict parameters.

He said mining could benefit the country 

if four conditions are met: that environmental 

and social costs are accounted for; that the 

country gets full share of value of extracted 

minerals; the institutional capacity of 

government must be put in place; and money 

for mining must be used to create new capital,

including human capital and boost infrastructure 

in the countryside.

At a press briefing after the forum, Chamber of

 Mines president Philip Romualdez said 

small-scale mining must be subjected to the 

same regulatory net as large-scale miners and 

it would take political will to do so.

Although tourism is another potential growth 

driver for the Philippines as cited by 

environmentalists, Pangilinan said most mining sites 

were not ideal for tourism.

“Our mines in Padcal and Surigao are hardly suitable 

for tourism, simply because they don’t have the features 

of an attractive tourist site. And even if tourism were 

possible, we must ask: Are the expected returns from 

tourism comparable to the benefits which mining can 

provide?” Pangilinan said.

“Mining is not the enemy, poverty is,” he said.

Pangilinan also said a government plan to introduce 

the concept of “total economic value,” or TEV, 

in assessing mining opportunities was “intangible, 

elusive and extremely subjective.”

“How does one quantify and test the value 

attached to the beauty of a sunset, the feel of 

early morning mist or the music of water rippling 

through a stream?” he said.

Industry not perfect

In his presentation, Pangilinan admitted that the 

mining industry was not perfect, which sometimes 

leads to perception that mining is dangerous and 

destructive. He suggested the following:

That national and local policies on mining need to 

be harmonized and the cooperation of local government 

units must be procured in order to subject small-scale 

miners to the same regulation as large-scale miners;

That the capacity and competence of state regulators 

be improved, particularly in regard to equipment and 

quantity and quality of regulatory staff;

That there must be an independent environmental 

commission responsible for supervising and enforcing 

environmental concerns;

That the private sector be open to a profit-sharing 

scheme which will assure the government of a more 

appropriate share in the benefits derived from resources; and

That mining benefits between host local government 

units and the national government be shared more equitably.

It was during his discussion of the Padcal mine in 

Benguet that Pangilinan inadvertently brought the 

face-off to a climax when he figured in a heated 

exchange with environmentalist Regina Lopez, 

managing director of the ABS-CBN Foundation.

Government for mining

Government representatives at the forum indicated 

that government was not against mining but that 

the industry should be made to cough up more 

money, mainly because of its bad track record in the 

Philippines and the country’s need for more revenues.

In a speech at the conference, Jasareno said the 

extractive industry should not run away from its 

responsibility to the environment and the people.

Environment Secretary Ramon Paje said the provision 

imposing a 5 percent royalty fee on top of the 2 

percent excise tax that mining companies are already 

paying would not be changed in the executive order on 

the new mining policy that is being drafted by Malacañang.

Those who want to amend this should bring their case

to the President, said Paje as he stressed that the mining

 industry is getting finite resources from the Philippines.

According to Jasareno, the government recognizes the 

value of the country’s abundant mineral resources like 

gold, copper, iron and nickel, and the need to work 

with the mining industry.

“The government is aware that left on the ground, 

these minerals cannot generate wealth for the Filipino 

people. And the country needs wealth,” he said.

300K small-scale mines

Jasareno said there are 31 mining companies operating 

in the Philippines. Small-scale miners number between

200,000 and 300,000. Permits and mining claims cover 

1.14 million hectares, or 3.8 percent, of the country’s total land area.

He said there are eight projects in the pipeline that 

will significantly contribute to the country’s mineral 

output in the next two to three years.

The country’s mining sector has been experiencing 

a boom in the past year owing to the high prices 

of precious metals, particularly gold.

In 2011, the metallic mining sector posted a 

gross production value of P122 billion, a 

9-percent increase from the P112 billion posted in 2010.

GDP contribution

Despite the mining industry’s improved earnings 

over the years, however, its contribution to the 

gross domestic product has not increased. 

According to Jasareno, the contribution of 

mining to GDP “has not been able to breach 

the 1.5-percent barrier for a long time now.”

“Mining’s contribution to total exports is also 

similarly situated,” he said.

Paje said the government loses P5 billion every 

year from not collecting royalty fees from mining companies.

Jasareno said the mining industry’s presence

in the Philippines over the years has left communities 

with a “nightmare” in their backyard, giving the entire 

industry the bad image of a despoiler of the environment.

“Mining operations in the past have left behind legacy 

mines, or mines that were simply abandoned by the 

mining operators without doing rehabilitation work. 

They are not just gaping holes, but also sources or 

causes of acid mine drainage, siltation, ghost towns

and other nightmares to the host communities,” he said.

“They have become the rallying point of people who oppose 

new mining projects on the simple understanding that such 

new mining projects will end up as new legacy mines,” 

Jasareno said.