Hopeful Agri Year! Sorghum, Soybeans, Kadyos: Potential Star Crops Of 2023

There are three crops which could dramatically change the Philippine Agricultural landscape this year – Sorghum, Soybeans and Pigeon Peas, locally known as “Kadyos.”
In the advocacy to promote these crops, I am deeply involved with the help of Filipino-American farmer-scientist Rocky French who has made a decision to support me in my endeavors to prove that the Philippines could be Food Self-Sufficient.
Sorghum is now being grown by a young company headed by former Senator Panfilo Lacson, the Southseas Agri-Aqua Ventures, Inc., with the crop now planted in about 400 hectares as of the end of 2022.
The Sorghum area is expected to expand to at least 3,000 hectares this year and since the crop could be rationed twice, the production level could be as high as 45,000 metric tons for 2023.
Soybeans, one of the most important component of poultry, livestock and aqua feeds, could be another major crop for 2023 as I and Rocky had initiated a 4-hectare Experimental Farm in Polomolok where we are growing two non-GMO local varieties – the Manchuria White and Tudela Black.
Manchuria White is a variety propagated by farmers in Surigao del Sur while Tudela Black is grown in Tudela, Agusan del Sur and the seeds of both varieties were given to me by Director Ricardo Onate of the Department of Agriculture in Caraga Region.
Through the years, however, the yield of both varieties had been at a pathetic 1 to 1.5-metric tons per hectare discouraging other farmers from planting Soybeans.
In the 4-hectare Soybeans Experimental Farm, Rocky will introduce the Precision Fertilization Method to target a modest production level of 2 to 3 metric tons per hectare to produce seeds for further expansion this year.
The lowly “Kadyos” or Pigeon Peas (sn: Cajanus cajan) may yet become the surprise crop for 2023 as I am now producing huge volumes of seeds from the few hundred shrubs I planted 8 months ago in my farm.
Yesterday, Rocky and I visited the Blaan Tribal Land in Sitio Balnabo, San Jose, General Santos City and we both agreed to introduce “Kadyos” to be planted in the sloping and undulating areas of the ancestral domain.
The “Kadyos” will serve as hedgerows in the Sloping Agricultural Land Technology (SALT) which we will introduce in Sitio Balnabo with a 10-meter wide space in between rows which could be planted to Sorghum, Corn or even vegetables.
All of these three emerging stars in Philippine Agriculture will all contribute to the production of low-cost feeds for poultry, livestock and aqua farming in the country.
#KungGustoMaramingParaan!
#farmisthebestlaboratory!