Department of Agriculture
March 16, 2011
Agriculture Secretary Proceso ‘Procy’ J. Alcala (left) and Senator Francis ‘Kiko’ Pangilinan (right), chair of the Senate committee on agriculture and food, share light moments while harvesting pole sitao (string beans) from the organic farm of Jun-Jun Perez (2nd from right), in Sariaya, Quezon. Perez harvests up to 400 kilos a day which he sells at nearby Sentrong Pamilihan ng Produktong Agrikultura ng Quezon. Last year, he grossed P300,000 per hectare. One interesting practice he employs is he sprays the vines with cow’s milk to make them more luscious and produce longer and bigger string beans. Also shown is Director Abelardo Bragas of DA Region 4-A. # # # (Alan Jay Jacalan, DA Information Service)