Big demand, small supply Farmers urge to go organic – group

FARMERS should take advantage of the increasing demand for organic food such as rice and vegetables by shifting to organic farming, a consortium of nongovernment organization said.

Citing newspaper reports, Lawyer Efren Moncupa, lead convenor of Go Organic! Philippines said an increasing number of Filipinos are now becoming more aware of and more responsible about their health by eating healthy, fresh and organic dishes.

The report said that from an estimated 95 hectares planted with organic rice in 1997, the area increased to 14,538 hectares in 2004. It is estimated that there are now at least 36,709 organic-rice farmers in the country.

While saying that the organic industry is indeed still small and in its infancy stage until now, Moncupa said more and more farmers are switching or shifting to organic farming.

“Now is the best time to shift to organic farming,” Moncupa said, adding that by going organic, farmers can actually reduce production costs and increase income while consumers can be assured of a healthier food.

According to Moncupa, the report cited studies showing that diabetes, heart disease, hypertension and some cancer-related diseases are caused by eating unhealthy foods.

Dr. Susan Balingit of the Slow Food Movement, which advocates healthy lifestyle, said Filipinos can stay healthy, active and young by eating organically-grown food, or food produced in farms without those harmful chemical fertilizers and pesticides.

Balingit was one of the guests during the Press Lunch organized by Go Organic! Philippines during the last day of the 5th Eco-Products International Fair (EPIF) held at the SMX Convention Center in Pasay City, wherein guests were treated to a sumptuous organic lunch which included native lechon, adobo sa gata using free range chicken, mushroom soup, organic vegetable salad, red rice, pritong hito.

Go Organic! Philippines led by the Philippine Rural Reconstruction Movement (PRRM) and the La Liga Policy Institute (LLPI) is currently taking the lead in implementing the Organic Fields Support Program – Phase 1, a partnership project with the Department of Agriculture led by Sec. Arthur C. Yap and the Bureau of Soils and Water Management (BSWM).

The program, which aims to promote organic farming in the Philippines, is now considered a key strategy in achieving the country’s rice self-sufficiency targets, through proven effective organic systems and technologies, and use of natural or organic fertilizer instead of the expensive agrochemicals used in conventional farming.

Go Organic! Philippines is currently training 600 farmers on these sustainable agriculture practices in six pilot cities and towns in Luzon. The training, which started in December last year will be completed at the end of April.

Once completed, the training will provide the farmers with the basic tool in organic farming such as knowledge in organic fertilizer and organic pesticide production.

A former agrarian reform undersecretary, Moncupa underscored the need for more technical support at the field level and marketing at the consumer end.

Technical support and marketing, he said, are important to boost organic-rice production and move the organic-rice industry into the mainstream market.