ALL roads lead to Rome, or to Mecca.
How about making that to Negros Occidental? All paths or activities lead to the center of things. This was case during the Roman Empire, when all the empire’s roads radiated out from the capital city, Rome.
Or to Mecca for Muslims who have to perform the hajj at least once in their lifetime.
When it comes to organic agriculture – or make that industry – many people beat a path to Negros Occidental. Lately, Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz was in town to check its livelihood programs. That includes organic agriculture among high school students.
Baldoz noted the growth of organic farming in the province. We can thank organic farming, among other things, that made it seem business-as-usual for the provincial economy.
Last month, Dole signed a memorandum of agreement with the Organic na Negros! Producers and Retailers Association (Onopra) to promote organic farming among the young workers. As vice president, I joined treasurer and organic inspector Esperanza Oebanda and president Ramon Uy Jr., who signed the agreement with Dole in behalf of the organic alliance.
Negrense organic stakeholders are delivering the goods to boost the provincial economy. Even the mall giants are courting organic producers, retailers, and food processors to partner with them.
Two of the biggest Bacolod malls have sales outlets from two of Onopra’s leading members. Another one outside of Bacolod is investing in holding weekend organic markets.
The coming Panaad will again showcase these organic stakeholders. The granddaddy event of 2015 is when Negros Occidental hosts later this year not only the 10th Negros Island Organic Farming Festival but the 12th National Organic Agriculture Conference.
That will be the climax for 2015. Nationwide, Filipinos will make a pilgrimage to Negros Occidental. Call Negros Occidental not sugarcane monoculture but brand organic.
Almost everyone scarcely noted that it’s already the second month of 2015, when Negrenses were supposed to expect doomsday from the near zero tariff regime on the sugarcane industry.
The implementation of the Common Effective Preferential Tariff scheme under the Asean Free Trade Agreement in 2015 may imperil the livelihood of about 62,000 sugar planters and 600,000 sugar workers in the country.
Obviously in the case of Negros Occidental, the escape hatch is to forsake sugar-based livelihoods altogether and shift to other means of earning income. The series of private and state-led organic festivals, not to mention the emergence of mountain farmer entrepreneurs attest it can provide employment for the Negrense working class.
If anything, the frenzied construction of new commercial buildings in Metro Bacolod or even outside shows optimism that the provincial economy will not survive but also thrive.
Finally, at least, the province has something to offer the country if not the world, not bad but good and exciting news.
Instead of the dire effects of climate change, terrorism, government malfeasance and misfeasance, we are proving that the green economy is working not just in ideas but in practice.
Congratulations to us all, fellow Negrense organic stakeholders and green economy builders!
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[bqsanc@yahoo.com]