The Provincial Government of Ilocos Norte (PGIN), through the Office of the Provincial Agriculture (OPAg), held its 1st Provincial Organic Agriculture Congress at the Ilocos Norte Centennial Arena, on January 17.
The hosting of the event is in accordance with Republic Act No. 10068, which was designed to promote, propagate, develop, and put into practice the use of organic agriculture in the Philippines.
“I am glad to hear that under the leadership of Governor Marcos Manotoc, mayroon kayong movement dito, ‘yong Barangay Eco-farm. I would congratulate also Ma’am Cecilia [Araneta-Marcos] for the leadership. This is a laudable effort and this complements the call of the president that the local government units should play significant part in our campaign for food security, food sufficiency, and food accessibility,” Department of Agriculture Undersecretary, Engr. Zamzamin L. Ampatuan, said.
During his speech, Undersecretary Ampatuan also explained the objectives of the event, which envision increasing the volume of production in the province through expanding organic production areas, adoption of appropriate organic agriculture technologies, and learning new innovative approaches.
Meanwhile, Engr. Ma. Teresa L. Bacnat, OIC of OPAg, commended the province’s organic farmers, noting that despite organic farming being expensive and time-consuming, Ilocos Norte’s organic farmers consider the province’s residents’ food safety.
“I know na the Provincial Government of Ilocos Norte is always here to support you. So, sana huwag po kayong madiscourage kahit po kumbaga mas mahirap nating ibenta ang ating mga organic. I’m sure na susuportahan po ng gobyerno ang ating organic agriculture sa ating probinsiya,” Engr. Bacnat added.
Moreover, OPAg also recognized the province’s Outstanding Organic Agriculture Practitioners during the congress, with Juan Paulo Enrico M. Valenciano of Banna taking first place in the individual category and Organiko nga Mannalon ti San Nicolas taking first place in the organization category.
In the school category, Dingras’ Barong Elementary School won first place at the elementary level, and Dumalneg National High School won first place in the secondary level.
“This event is a great way to encourage everyone to start doing organic farming in their community, especially now that those fertilizers and sprays are causing so many diseases. I am also pleased to see the organic farmer associations from our province attending our program,” said Board Member Jonathan Toralba, Chairperson of the Committee on Agriculture of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan.
Over 300 organic farmers from the province’s respective municipalities participated in the congress, showcasing their organic agriculture products. －Mariell Pahinag, PGIN-CMO.
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