Farmers shift to organic farming

CEBU - The municipal government of Borbon hopes to implement the organic farming program in its 19 barangays in response to the challenged made by Governor Gwen Garcia.

Mayor Bernard "Butch" Sepulveda and Vice Mayor Neal Vergara gave directives to Robert Vergara, barangay captain of Poblacion and president of the town’s Association of Barangay Councils, to make sure that the program is being implemented in the barangays.

Sepulveda and Vergara believe that the success of the program will defend upon the support of barangay officials.

During her visit to Borbon town, Garcia was informed that the municipality was the first to implement organic farming since last year.

Garcia said she hopes that other municipalities in the province will adopt the organic farming program.

The governor was impressed by the vegetables and other agricultural products in Borbon town that were produced through organic farming.

The municipal government hired the services of Salvio Makinano of the System of Rice Intensification (SRI)-Pilipinas to train farmers on organic farming.

Makinano taught farmers the difference between commercial fertilizers and organic farming.

Organic farming, according to Makinano, can be economically viable for the farmer, healthy for consumer and friendly to the environment.

Municipal councilor Titing Mangubat, chairman of the council committee on agriculture, said the implementation of the organic program is timely with the move of the Department of Agriculture that it will no longer continue its subsidy program for fertilizer and instead realign its funds from capacity building programs to organic farming.

Town farmers said they noticed a big difference in their income after they shift to organic farming.

DA Secretary Arthur Yap said that in the last 18 months of the Arroyo administration, the DA will focus on capacity building programs for farmers to advance organic farming in the country.

Yap said that starting next year, they will focus on providing organic fertilizer and manufacturing support to farmers tilling 400,000 hectares or 10 percent of the estimated four million hectares of rice fields nationwide. – Jose P. Sollano/LPM(THE FREEMAN)