by Ruth Seligman

The grape industry in Cebu, one of the major islands in the central Philippines, was at its peak in the 1970s. Cebu, in fact, had always been one of the main centres for grapegrowing in this Pacific island nation. However, as the years went by, the industry declined so rapidly that by 1990 there were roughly only twelve hectares of vineyards on the entire island.

"To understand how serious the problem was and the dimensions of the difficulty," explains Michael Atzmon, director of the Afro-Asian Desk at CINADCO (Israel's Ministry of Agriculture's Centre for International Agricultural Development Cooperation), "grapegrowers were getting from the only one variety of grapes they grew, the Cardinal, such a low yield that the country was forced to import grapes, many from California. At the same time, prices were so high that a kilo of grapes cost $6.00 when bought in the better shops and $3.00 in the outdoor markets - but even that was still very high."

Tomy Sigler demonstrating correct planting steps at Mandaue Experimental Station in Cebu, the Phillipines

Deeply troubled about the situation, the Philippines' Minister of Agriculture asked the Israeli Embassy for help in improving his country's grape industry. His request was forwarded to MASHAV (Centre for International Cooperation within Israel's Ministry of Foreign Affairs) which then sent an Israeli grape consultant, Hanan Bazak, to Cebu in the spring of 1991 on a short two-week exploratory mission.

Bazak had a three-pronged mandate: one, to conduct a survey of existing conditions, with an eye to determining why there had been a decline in the industry; two, to investigate other growing areas, potential sites where grapes could be grown on a more profitable and successful scale, and three, to decide what new varieties of grapes could be introduced into the country.

Returning to Israel, Bazak prepared a detailed report which would set the wheels of training and aid in motion. Among the conclusions he had reached, the following were the most salient: one, the Cardinal variety of grapes, widely grown in the Philippines, was not suitable for the country's climate;

Two, the production techniques used there, including pruning and irrigation practices, were outdated, and three, there was an imperative need to provide training on grapegrowing and extension work for Department of Agriculture personnel and private grapegrowers.

"At CINADCO, working in close cooperation with MASHAV," states Atzmon, "we agreed to act on Bazak's recommendations and prepared a three-week on-the-spot course for grapegrowers and extension workers, one to be held in Cebu and the other in La Union."

Michael Atzmon shows Filipino Minister of Agriculture the vines planted in nursery

The course was unlike many of CINADCO's previous courses for it also included a unique component - a practical exercise that would subsequently serve to test the feasibility and profitability of growing two new varieties of grapes in the Philippines. As with many of Israel's international training courses, the participants were required to prepare a practical exercise. In this case, however, the course was designed to utilize the exercise not only as a learning experience, but also as a basis for an on-going experiment. Atzmon elaborates: "Since we were aware of the unsuitability of the Cardinal variety of grapes grown in the Philippines, we brought to the islands two new varieties - the Italia and the Ben-Hana. We didn't, however, know how these plant would behave in a tropical climate. Therefore, for the participants' practical exercise, we decided to entrust them with the responsibility of planting and taking care of these new varieties - both during the course and, even more important, afterwards.

"Here in Israel," adds Atzmon, "we have a cool season during which the grapes lie dormant. When the weather becomes warmer, the higher temperatures force the grapes to ripen, to bloom luxuriantly and evenly. In the Philippines, however, which is a tropical country with different climatic conditions, there is no cooling period. To artificially create a period of dormancy, our experts, Hanan Bazak and Tomy Sigler, determined that it would be possible to put the grapevines into a `situation of stress' by stopping irrigation and severe pruning. All these steps would act as a compensatory element for the lack of of dormancy which doesn't exist in the Philippines.

Two experimental demonstration plots were set up - one in Cebu at the Philippine's Department of Agriculture's Mandaue Experiment Station and the other one in La Union at Don Mariano Marcos Memorial University. "Initially," reports Atzmon, "we worked on plots that were 2.5 dunams in size (a quarter of a hectare), not only to test these new varieties but, equally significant, because this enabled us to do so in a sophisticated manner via grape fertigation." This is one of the latest techniques in drip irrigation wherein the fertilization and irrigation of grapevines take place simultaneously with the fertilizers injected into the drip irrigation system.

Equally important was the need to ascertain when would be the best time to market the grapes in order to get the highest price for them. It was clear that the optimal period would be closest to the Christmas season. However, when the Israelis entered the picture, they found that the local Filipino crops were never ready for market then. "A major reason for this situation," explains Atzmon, "was the fact that the grapegrowers in the Philippines were harvesting their crops two to three times a year in contrast to Israel where we harvest only once a year. This additional picking led to an over-utilization of the plants for, each time one picks, the yield is less." To increase production the Israelis decided that there should be only two harvesting periods.

Atzmon credits MASHAV for its extensive input and support in helping to implement the entire project. "MASHAV," he notes, "agreed to allocate a budget for the project which included supplying the new varieties of grapes. It also covered the costs involved in the irrigation and fertigation systems - from acquisition and transportation to installation."

Working according to a very precise timetable, the Israeli instructors first planted in La Union, simultaneously installing drip irrigation and fertigation systems. There they also set up another experiment in order to see under which conditions the plants would fare best. Two lines of plants were immediately put in an open field, protected from the heat for the first two weeks by a shaded roof made from banana brackets. Many of these plants could not survive the drastic climatic change and would die. The bulk of the plants were planted in the university's nursery which, although open on two sides, had a roof made of tightly meshed nets. After a period of time, when these plants had begun to bloom, they were transferred to the field. "And here," states Atzmon, "we were very lucky. One hundred percent survived."

When this experiment was repeated at Cebu, the same results occurred. Again it was proved that grapevines do not survive well when put immediately outside in open fields, but survive excellently when first placed in nurseries.

From the onset of the project, senior agriculturalists in the Philippine's Department of Agriculture have been sending back to CINADCO a steady stream of progress reports and evaluation studies. "We have also returned to the Philippines to give further instruction," reports Atzmon. "In La Union, where the experimental demonstration plot is a joint project between the university there and the Department of Agriculture, we gave another on-the-spot course two years after the initial one." As in the former one, this course of two weeks' duration was also geared for grapegrowers and extension workers. "In Cebu we also gave a one-week workshop for those who had graduated from the first course, providing them with additional knowledge and information."

At both of these sites the project has been expanded by half a dunam, with each group now working three dunams. The Israeli team has also brought in four additional root stocks, grafting them to existing varieties. "The results so far are very encouraging," stresses Atzmon. "The grape varieties we have sent are responding very well to local conditions and we are continuing to conduct the experiments. Hopefully," he adds, "we will soon be able to send Hanan Bazak back to head another short-term mission which will evaluate in detail the results of this four-year experiment."

As team leader for the entire project, responsible for its methodology and implementation, Atzmon is intimately aware of what has been accomplished. "We have established an on-going experiment to improve grapegrowing in the Philippines," he says enthusiastically, "uniquely setting this experiment within the framework of on-the-spot courses. We are showing the people there how they have the possibility of growing grapes more profitably, increasing their yields and lowering their prices." He envisions the day when grapes will no longer have to be imported "and when the Filipinos will be sufficiently competitive so that they will be able to export grapes themselves.

"There is a great potential in the Philippines," he stresses, "that has still to be realized for growing high yield, good quality grapes." A significant start, however, has been made, aided by an innovative project designed and implemented by Israel.