NEWSFLASH

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CAMOTE-COPRA MIX REPLACES CORN

Tacloban City, April 23, 1998 - In two weeks, the government will launch a program that will encourage hog and poultry raisers to use sweet potato (camote) and copra meal as feed substitutes in place of the imported and expensive feed corn, wheat, rye and soybean meal.

Agriculture Secretary Salvador Escudero told President Ramos that the feed substitute was developed by his department and the University of the Philippines in Los Banos. The feed meal was developed with help from the private sector.

Trademarked Kamoco (for Kamote and Copra), the meal is 70% copra meal, processed through the dry-extrusion method to improve digestibility and taste.

The first feed extrusion plant that processes sweet potato and copra as feed substitutes has been set up by the Federation of Pangasinan Farmers Cooperatives and Extrusion Philippines.

Kamoco is now part of the agriculture department's Gintong Ani (Golden Harvest) program for root crops.

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