‘DA making organic products more affordable’

THE Department of Agriculture (DA) is consistently working on making organic products more affordable to bring them to the table of all Filipinos by pushing more farmers to go organic, its top official said.

Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala, who spoke before delegates of the 12th National Organic Agriculture Congress at the SMX Convention Center in Bacolod City Thursday, pointed out that the DA is initiating efforts to correct the misconception that organic products are expensive and can only be availed by few.

Currently, organic products are still expensive only because the supply is limited and insufficient to meet the market demand, he said.

“But by increasing the number of organic farmers, we increase the supply, and prices will eventually go down,” the DA chief added.

“The department continues to encourage backyard farmers to practice organic farming system even just for their family consumption,” Alcala said, noting that by going organic, production cost and input value are being lessened.

DA records showed that the country is still below the five percent target in terms of farms devoted to organic.

The market share of organic product is still not huge, yet is moving and continues to snowball, Alcala said.

Moreover, the agriculture chief said the DA is now having talks with the Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) regarding the move to expand organic sugar production in the province.

Alcala said that Negros Occidental, having sugarcane as a major crop, has really a big potential for organic sugar and has the capacity to compete in the international market.

“Along with the SRA, we are encouraging sugar planters in the province to go organic and take advantage of the premium product with competitive market price,” he said.

For his part, Governor Alfredo Marañon Jr. said the international market awaits organic products, which is why, farmers who would go organic is assured of buyers.

Marañon said that in terms of certification, the Philippines will get assistance from International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM) which was assured by its president Andre Leu, who is in the province for the 12th National Organic Agriculture Congress.

There are already organic farms in the province that are IFOAM-certified, he added.

At present, organic products from the province is still insufficient to meet the local demand.

“There's great potential in organic because the demand is growing as many people realize that consuming chemical-free products is good for the health,” the governor said.

“We would like to encourage more farmers to go organic," he added.

Moreover, Marañon said the turnout of participants in the ongoing organic agriculture festival and congress is beyond their expectation.

More than 2,000 participants arrived although the organizers were expecting only expecting 1,800.

Participants from as far as Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, Nueva Viscaya, Bicol, and Ilocos are here, the governor said. (with reports from TDE)

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