THE National Organic Agriculture Board (NOAB) is pushing for active involvement of stakeholders in the Visayas, especially in Negros Occidental, in the formulation of policies for organic agriculture development.
NOAB Secretary Ronald John Lamano, at the sidelines of the Visayas-wide Stakeholders Consultative Workshop at Nature’s Village Resort in Talisay City on Tuesday, September 4, said the law provides that the Board should convene stakeholders to ensure transparency.
The senior science research specialist of the Bureau of Agriculture and Fishery Standards also said they need to consider the recommendations of the stakeholders in the implementation of organic agriculture programs through policy formulation.
“We are really ensuring that stakeholders, especially organic practitioners, are involved in the policy-making to make the National Organic Agriculture Program (NOAP) more effective and efficient,” he added.
The two-day activity participated by at least 60 organic practitioners and representatives from the academe, local government units (LGUs), and the Department of Agriculture (DA) in Western, Central, and Eastern Visayas was the third leg of the nationwide consultative workshop being conducted by NOAB in 2018.
The same activity was already conducted in Luzon and Mindanao. Another consultative workshop will be conducted among organic agriculture stakeholders in Luzon within 2018.
“These workshops are really geared towards gathering inputs from the stakeholders in line with policy formulation for organic agriculture,” Lamano stressed.
During the activity, participants were oriented on NOAB’s functions, accomplishments and planned activities, among others.
Through the breakout sessions on September 4, stakeholders in the Visayas were able to consolidate their concerns and come up with workshop output which will be presented during the plenary presentation on Wednesday, September 5.
Lamano said the Board will then consolidate the output of the Visayas-wide consultation with those of other regions in Luzon and Mindanao.
“NOAB will again discuss these outputs during its regular meeting. It will also be included in the national organic agriculture plenary resolution making,” he said.
NOAB Director Jerry Dionson, who was also present in the workshop, said among the major concerns raised by stakeholders in the Visayas included the push for longer certification validity period and easier procedures on availing certification assistance.
Some participants also cited the difficulties in availing the programs of various government agencies, he said.
Dionson, who is from Negros Occidental, earlier told SunStar Bacolod that he already moved for the amendment of the implementing rules and regulation (IRR) of Organic Agriculture Act 2010, particularly on extending the certification validity from one to five years.
Another move which he is currently initiating is the “revision” of the guidelines on availing certification assistance for organic farmers.
“Through this consultation, local farmers are assured that their concerns are directly addressed to NOAB,” he said, adding that the Board continues to prioritize programs geared towards the development of organic agriculture practitioners in the country.