Monday, October 30, 2006 Baguio tossed saladfest to go 'organic'
ORGANIC vegetable growers will expect increased demand of their produce as preparation for this year's vegetable salad festival requires crops grown free from chemicals.
Jeanine Chan, president of the Baguio Association of Hotels and Inns (Bahai), which is spearheading the "Baguio Tossed Salad Festival", said half of the 1.5 ton vegetables that would be served to the public on November 19 are organic. This endeavor supports the campaign for farmers to shift to organic agriculture.
Several farmers' groups in Benguet are already converting to the traditional method of farming to preserve the environment and promote a healthy lifestyle among consumers.
Chan said Bahai already tapped the organic growers association in La Trinidad to produce the vegetables needed in the tossed salad. The hotels association is targeting more than 15,000 servings of fresh vegetable salad to exceed the 13,000 servings last year.
"We always want to increase the vegetable salad servings each year," she said.
The festival has been included as one of the highlights of the joint Adivay Festival and the foundation anniversary celebration of Benguet in recognition to the fact that the crops used come from the farms in the province. (JC)
(October 30, 2006 issue) Write letter to the editor. Click here. Join the Sun.Star message board. Click here.
