THE City Government of Davao, through the City Agriculturist’s Office (Cagro), and in partnership with the Department of Agriculture-Davao Region (DA-Davao), conducted a food safety caravan on October 22 as part of the Food Safety Month celebration.
During the caravan, farmers from Calinan, Baguio, and Tugbok Districts were given an orientation and briefing on Philippine Good Agricultural Practices (PhilGap) to equip them with the necessary information, as well as encourage them to apply for a PhilGap certificate.
Jeanna Ablen, Cagro Senior Agriculturist, also said in an interview that the caravan aims to emphasize the importance of the safety production practices to avoid food contamination, as well as avoid risking the welfare of farmers.
“Ang Philippine Good Agricultural Practices ang atoang gi-highlight ani tungod kay kung muingon ta’g food safety dapat gikan sa pag-produce hangtod sa pag-prepare na sa atoang pagkaon dapat safety, dapat naa sa maayo nga pag-andam aron ang atoang health, ang atoang kahimsug sa panglawas dili apektado (We highlighted the Philippine Good Agricultural Practices because when we say food safety, we have to make sure that the production and preparation of our food is safe to ensure that what we consume is healthy and won’t harm our body),” she said.
“Kung muingon ta og food sufficiency dapat dili lang nato i-consider ang kadaghanon sa pagkaon, kadaghanon sa agricultural products; atoa sab i-consider ang food safety, dapat safe siya nga kaunon sa atoang konsumante (When we say food sufficiency, we must not only consider the quantity of our food supply and agricultural products; we also have to consider food safety – it should be safe for our consumers to consume),” Ablen added.
She also said that a GAP-certified farm has a higher market potential as its produce is highly recommended.
Dabawenyo farmers are urged to observe and practice agricultural practices that reduce health risks to consumers, such as organic farming, regenerative farming, and PhilGap.
Farmers who are interested in applying for PhilGap certification may reach out to Cagro and DA for assistance and for further details on the guidelines and requirements. CIO