A RESEARCH and development (R&D) center for garlic and other agri-food condiments funded by the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) was recently launched in Batac, Ilocos Norte.
Mariano Marcos State University (MMSU) will lead the three-year Garlic and Other Agri-Food Condiments R&D Center program with a funding support of P21 million on its first year of implementation.
The program—which will be monitored by the Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development (DOST-PCAARRD)—aims to provide science and technology-based interventions to increase the competitiveness of the garlic and other agri-food condiments industry in the Philippines through its five projects.
These are: 1) Collection, characterization, conservation and improvement of garlic and chili genetic resources in the Philippines; 2) Improvement of garlic and other agri-food condiments productivity through integrated crop management system; 3) Development and evaluation of village level low-cost storage structure for garlic; 4) Enhanced usability and profitability of garlic through black garlic processing; and 5) Value-chain analysis of garlic in the Philippines.
The center is one of the newly approved programs under the DOST Accelerated R&D Program for Capacity Building of Research and Development Institutions and Industrial Competitiveness: Niche Centers in the Regions for R&D (Nicer).
Nicer aims to capacitate higher educational institutions through an institutional grant for R&D activities that will significantly improve the regional research and S&T infrastructure.
The program’s online launching was attended by DOST-PCAARRD’s Deputy Executive Director for R&D Feliciano G. Calora Jr. and Crops Research Division Director Edna A. Anit; DOST Regional Director Armando Q. Ganal; MMSU President Shirley C. Agrupis and program team led by Dionisio S. Bucao; ILAARRDEC Program Leader Epifania O. Agustin; Anya Yasmin A. Roslin representing DOST Undersecretary for R&D Rowena Cristina L. Guevara; and the DOST Science for Change Program Management Office staff.
Agrupis expressed her gratitude to DOST and PCAARRD for guiding the MMSU program team in the proposal packaging and facilitating its approval. Ian Racpan Galano, Danica Louise Sembrano/S&T Media Services
