The 9th Regional Organic Agriculture Congress opened on Tuesday, October 24, to collaboratively examine and strategize the future of organic agriculture in Western Visayas, Negros Occidental Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson said.
Lacson, who spoke at the opening of the congress at the Negros Residences in Bacolod City, pointed out that Western Visayas has always been one of the top performers not just in agricultural production but also in organic agriculture.
“We are meeting today with a multifaceted agenda aimed at furthering our knowledge, awareness, and commitment to sustainable agriculture and its methods,” he said.
He said sustainable agriculture is vital for the economic development of the region, the well-being of communities, mitigating the destruction of the environment, preventing further depletion of natural resources, and also to protect the health of farmers, consumers, and the general public.
“As we have this knowledge-sharing and collaboration, let us recognize the greater purpose that unites us, that is, to create a sustainable and organic future for Western Visayas,” he said.
Undersecretary Zamzamin Ampatuan, Department of Agriculture representative to the National Organic Agriculture Board, stressed the importance of campaigning to get more farmers, especially from the younger generation, to engage in organic agriculture.
Organic agriculture accounts for only about 8 percent of the country’s agricultural produce, he said.
Organic produce exhibit booths at the Ayala Malls Capitol Central Fiesta Market also officially opened Tuesday morning.
The congress themed, Kabuhayang OA (Organic Agriculture), Kinabukasang OK, will run until Friday, October 27.*