Sorry lang kung di masagot! Information and Advisory on Availability of Sorghum Seeds

Following my post on the Mindanao Sorghum Development Program, I was bombarded with requests for seeds and questions on where to get Sorghum seeds.

Yong iba, nagagalit dahil hindi ko daw nasasagot ang tanong nila.

Here are some clarifications:

1. The Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA) received a donation of Sorghum Seeds from a Texas-based family-owned company, Scott Seed Co. early this year worth P5-Million. The seeds have been distributed to several pilot areas but mainly Davao del Norte where we are conducting an experiment on how to address Fusarium Wilt by planting Sorghum. There are no more seeds available.

2. Those who would like to ask where to buy Sorghum seeds, there is a Philippine corporation which serves as the distributor of Triumph Sorghum Seeds locally. The company is Allied Botanical Corporation https://alliedbotanical.com. I do not these guys but I bought Sorghum seeds from them previously. You could inquire from them by checking their website.

3. Those who would like to know where to sell their Sorghum production, please be informed that local feed millers are interested in Sorghum. But if you only produce 50 or 100 bags, they will not buy your produce because they could not possibly change their feed formulation with a supply of only 100 bags. This is why, the Mindanao Sorghum Development Program is an island-wide approach and we are engaging big feed milling companies like PILMICO and CP Food Philippines.

4. MinDA is not an agriculture agency. It is the economic planning and development agency covering Mindanao, including Palawan for BIMP-EAGA concerns. MinDA covers every facet of governance, from agriculture, economy, infrastructure, tourism, security, diplomacy. We do not compete with the Department of Agriculture but we push and seek funding for Agriculture and Fisheries in Mindanao because the economy of the region is agriculture-based.

5. As Chairman of MinDA, I hold a Cabinet-rank position but I only cover Mindanao, Sulu and Palawan now. I have to make this clarification because I still continue to receive requests for help and assistance from farmers and fisherfolk from all over the country. I will try to help but I hope people will understand that I have to be cautious in doing this because I don’t like to be misunderstood as dipping my fingers into other people’s cookie jar or over-extending my arms to areas beyond my territory which is Mindanao.

6. Finally, some people are angry that I fail to reply to their queries and messages posted in this page. Sorry, but I cannot answer all questions. With comments ranging from 200 to 2,000 on each and every post I make, I do my best in reading all of these but I have to admit, I cannot reply to everybody. This page has no administrator and no ghost writers. I write the articles, post the photos and stories and respond to queries by myself. When traveling, I use my Android phones to write articles using just one finger and post photos which I take along the way.

So, please understand that as much as I would like to, I could not type answers for each and every comment kasi minsan hindi ko mababasa dahil tumatakbo ang sasakyan.

Working on this page is already part of my daily routine. I usually wake up very early and write articles which I share here and read the comments and reactions of the followers which also serve as my way of feeling the pulse of the people.

I post articles and photos in this page hindi para magpasikat but to share information and maybe inspire other people and make them embrace my advocacies, especially in agriculture since I am a farmer.

As a general rule, I allow followers of this page post critical comments. I learn from these comments. But I will not allow cussing and personal insults.

Let this page be a platform for the exchange of ideas, information, experiences and views but let these be expressed in a respectful manner.

At my age, I am level-headed and I have learned to be tolerant and patient but people have to understand that I am just another human being and I also sometimes lose my cool kapag barumbado at walang galang ang nag-co-comment.

I hope this advisory will clarify everything. Thanks.

Sec. Manny