.::. BAR Chronicle .::. A monthly publication of the Bureau of Agricultural Research

In sleepy San Joaquin, Sarrat, Ilocos Norte, a factory’s exhaust pipes continuously emit steam day in and day out at this time of the year. Trucks come in with tons of produce from nearby towns and province and they come to weigh the tomatoes themselves and unload the precious cargo into canals leading to huge pools of tomatoes.

The silent giant of a processing plant in the North is the Northern Foods Corporation (NFC), the supplier of tomato paste for customers like Jollibee Foods Corporation, Genosi (toll packs for Mc Donalds Philippines), California Manufacturing Co., Inc., RAM Food Product, Inc., Del Monte Phils., Nestle Phils., Heinz - UFC Phils., Inc., San Miguel Foods Corp., Purefoods Corp. – Hormel, major fishcanners in the country, and other toll packers.

NFC is an agri-based firm established in 1984 that initially produced paste and subsequently processed other agricultural products from indigenous crops. According to NFC officials, the consortium serves as an industrial link to farmers contracted to produce raw materials to be processed. Since 1987, the main product of NFC is manufacturing in tomato paste sourcing its raw materials from 3,000 farmers in 25 municipalities of Ilocos Norte and Ilocos Sur. The farmers plant an average of 850 hectares to tomatoes during the months of October, November and December. They annually sign a Contract Growing Agreement with the company and the fruits are sold exclusively to NFC. The corporation processes 500 tons of fresh fruits everyday and produces an average 4,500 metric tons of tomato paste every processing season from mid-January to mid-May.

The corporation is owned by Livelihood Corporation (LIVECOR), which is government-owned and controlled. It is now an attached agency of the Department of Agriculture. The processing plant was designed and installed by the Franrica Manufacturing Corporation of the United States.

Tomato paste
Mature, red, ripe, and clean (free from black rot, blemishes and other fruit defects) tomatoes are sorted then crushed. After removing the seeds and tomato peels, water is further removed resulting to a pulpy liquid concentration. The tomato paste is processed following the Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) and conforms to the provisions of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Act. The product is packed in aseptic bags at sterile temperature then stored in hermetically sealed steel container.

According to NFC, the original physical, chemical and microbiological product parameters are maintained within a period of 18 to 24 months. After that, the product starts to deteriorate which affects color, flavor, and viscosity. However, the product is still commercially sterile (no significant bacterial growth) and is still fit for human consumption. Delivery to Metro Manila areas and nearby provinces in Luzon is within two days upon receipt of Purchase Order. Inter-island carriers are used for delivering the products to Visayas and Mindanao.

Problems besetting tomato cultivation
PPC/Del Monte introduced the tomato Bronco lines, Ilocandia 1 and 4, in 1984-1985. However, NFC and the farmers found that these lines are susceptible to diseases. Other varieties are introduced to improve productivity and these are: KP3 and R1464 (1987-1988); Hofit variety from Israel (1989-1990); Felica and Bodz, which is NFC’s first developed hybrids in 1992-1993; and Ilocos Red, which is still used to this day. Due to financial constraints, NFC shelved research and development (R&D) efforts in 2000. NFC is now conducting on- farm trials for three new hybrid varieties to determine their adaptability to local conditions.

Engrs. Felipe Mateo (consultant and former NFC president) and Norberto Mendoza (NFC vice president for operation) said that they want to strengthen their R&D capability so that the farmers’ could increase their yield and improve their livelihood.

NFC claims that they could not raise the fixed price of tomatoes because tomatoes from China would turn out to be much cheaper than locally produced ones. This would propel local consumers to buy the imported ones. Ilocos farmers produce 40 tons/ha of tomatoes whereas their counterparts from China produce 60 tons/ha.

Representatives from the Bureau of Agricultural Research (BAR), headed by Director William C. Medrano, said that a lot of work is needed in terms of R&D. First, there is a need for new high-yielding varieties to help increase farmers’ productivity. Second, a new updated soil analysis and soil mapping per barangay/municipality is needed. This soil analysis should include the important micronutrients needed for tomato growing. Results of the analysis could also help formulate the right fertilizer recommendation for Ilocos soil. As of now, NFC-contracted farmers are using the same blanket fertilizer recommendation for the last 10 years. Lastly, the right technology is needed for pest management, especially on leaf miner. Farmers and NFC saw that using trichogramma is expensive (per hectare of use) and tomato plants also need fast-acting pest control tools since tomato season is short. This is the reason why tomato farmers are using chemical pesticides for the meantime.

Vision for countryside development
“NFC is a model countryside development project. Farmers should be participants in the program, not only as supplier but part-owner of a corporation like NFC,” Engrs. Mateo and Mendoza said. “NFC hopes to put up village-type processing zones in other provinces, like a mini-NFC, so that farmers in other parts of the country can have access to opportunities (a fixed market) like this,” they stated.