THE seed industry has vowed to increase its production as the National Academy of Science and Technology (NAST) and the Dioscoro Umali Foundation Inc. laid down its road map to 2020 for the "velero" industry.

Velero stands for vegetables, legumes and root crops.

"Of course, we will support the velero road map, which has an ultimate goal of poverty alleviation, food security, competitiveness, sustainability, justice and peace," says Renato Mabesa, executive director of Philippine Seed Industry Association Inc., at a recent forum held by the NAST.

There will absolutely be an expansion of the private seed industry aggressively marketing hybrid seed, he said.

Mabesa didn't elaborate about the increase of seed production. The seed group is composed of over 20 members spread all over the Philippines.

The road map of the velero industry is aimed at increasing vegetable production and consumption, enhancing access to safe and high-quality vegetables and improving efficiency of vegetable production.

The NAST and the Dioscoro L. Umali Foundation have envisioned to promote home, school and community gardens to reach their goals.

"This will enhance the present consumption of velero through these vehicles," says Ruben Villareal, an academician and a plant breeder. This goal will require P150 million in a span of five years, or P30 million a year.

Of the daily food consumption of Filipinos, 12.5 percent is attributed to vegetables, 1.1 percent to legumes, 2.2 percent to root crops and 41 percent to cereals.

To fulfill the objectives of the velero road map, the NAST and the Umali Foundation also emphasized that there is a need to intensify peanut and mungbean production in rotation with rice and corn. This will need P217.5 million for five years.

The University of the Philippines in Los Baños, Laguna, Isabela State University and Central Mindanao University currently have their crop-improvement facilities. There are 15 more sites for cropping system throughout the country.

Pests are obviously the main woes of farmers. Therefore, another means to achieve the goal before 2020 is to have an integrated pest-management system across the nation. This will involve P100 million in five years.

Industry data showed that pesticide usage is prevalent in tomato, eggplant, peanut, mung bean and sweet potato.

The NAST and the D.L. Umali Foundation have also envisioned to develop bioinculants or biofertilizers for velero and upland crops. This will entail P137 million for five years, or P45 million for the first year and P23 million for the succeeding years.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has recommended a minimum intake of 200 grams of vegetables a day—aside from the 200 grams
needed consumption of fruits.

In Asia, only China surpassed the needed consumption of vegetables on a per-day basis.

Villareal said the low consumption of vegetables in the Philippines is due to their low supply, poor profitability and the bloating population of the country.

"Losses are due to pests, since we now have a low level in supply of fertilizer," he said, adding acceptability of eating vegetables in the country has continued to wane because of pesticide residues.

Apart from the country's decreasing per capita consumption, he said the Philippines has poor profitability of vegetables compared with other Asian countries—like Bangladesh, Cambodia and Vietnam—because of high transportation costs.

From 1978 to 1993, there was a downslope of consumption of vegetables in every Filipino from 140 grams down to 100 grams a day. From 1993, the uphill climb started to be apparent, moving to a little bit over the 100-gram mark in 2003.

The Ilocos region, Cordillera Autonomous Region, Southern Tagalog, Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao, Bicol region, Metro Manila, Western Visayas and Western Mindanao are on track toward fulfilling the minimum requirements of the WHO in vegetable intake.