DA pushes organic agri to provinces in CV

by Renan Ansing

SIQUIJOR, November 17 PIA) --The Department of Agriculture in Central Visayas is pushing for organic farming through a series of trainer's training on organic agriculture that the Agricultural Training Institute scheduled in the four provinces in the region, the first batch of which was conducted recently in Siquijor province.

Other batches are set this week in Cebu, and on December, Negros Oriental and Bohol.

Agricultural Program Coordinating Officer of the Department of Agriculture Bernadith Bunado said the training is about the implementation of Organic Agriculture Act of 2010 (Republic Act 10068).

It is the state policy to promote, propagate, further develop the practice of organic agriculture that will cumulatively condition, enrich soil fertility, increased farm productivity, reducing pollution and destruction of the environment.

“As much as possible, we need to prevent depletion of our natural resources which ultimately protect the health of farmers, consumers and the general public,” Bunado said . 

Economic-wise, organic agriculture reduces and saves imported farm inputs, she added.

Bunado also said a comprehensive program relative to these considerations will likely be formulated taking into account our available materials for organic fertilizers and pesticides.

As frontlines in the agriculture sector, Bunado encourage the participants and all farmers to go organic. (PIA-Siquijor/RAC/RAnsing)

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Siquijor guv vows to support organic,

eco food production model

by Rizalie A. Calibo

SIQUIJOR, Nov. 15, 2011 (PIA)--Siquijor Governor Orlando A. Fua, Jr. recently vowed to institutionalize funding in support of the shift to sustainable organic and ecological food production model in the province.

During the trainers’ training on organic agriculture last week Fua lauded the Department of Agriculture in taking the lead in promoting sustainable organic and ecological agriculture.

He said farmers are becoming heavily dependent on agro-chemicals on their day to day farming activities.

Admitting that a shift to organic agriculture makes farmers double their efforts in the beginning in order to meet the desired production, Fua however promised he would support all the efforts to enhance farm productivity and raise farmers’ income in the province.

It must be noted that President Benigno Aquino III has earlier directed the Department of Agriculture (DA) to allocate two percent of its annual budget for programs and policies on organic agriculture.

The President gave the directive in his keynote speech during the opening of the 8th National Organic Agriculture Conference (NOAC) in Tarlac also last week.

He said such allocation is stipulated under Republic Act 10068 otherwise known as the Organic Agriculture Act of 2010.

Aquino said that “organic agriculture, as stated by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, has the potential to increase farm productivity thereby increasing farmers’ wages and provide food for all.”

“Through organic agriculture, farmers are ensured of cumulatively conditioning and enriching the fertility of the soil, reduce pollution and destruction of the environment, prevent depletion of natural resources, and further protect the health of farmers, consumers and the general public,” he added. (PIA-Siquijor/RACalibo)