In Mandaue, residents use containers to grow veggies

CEBU, Philippines - Realizing the importance of vegetable farming, residents in the highly urbanized city of Mandaue have converted their houses into havens for vegetables with the use of recycled containers.

Sharon Mangadlao, assistant city agriculturist said Mayor Jonas Cortes who is himself an agriculturist has been promoting agriculture in the 27 barangays.

She said Cortes has organized an annual inter-barangay contest which would reward the best gardener in each of the two categories, namely, backyard gardening and container gardening.

In another category, a reward awaits the barangay with the highest number of gardens.

For every category, P20,000 will go to the first prize winner, the second prize winner will get P15,000 and P10,000 will go to the third prize winner.

Two thousand pesos will each go to 20 consolation prize winners.

Rogelio Sulad, last year’s winner in the container category, emerged champion in the national contest while Paknaan’s Alma Rosell won second in the backyard category.

Starting yesterday, judges from the regional agriculture office evaluated the contestants in time for the awarding during the opening program of the nutrition month in July.

“This is a laudable project for it helps residents become productive in food production and stay healthy by promoting vegetable farming,” said Ernie Manatag, president of the Association of Barangay Councils (ABC) who also caused the conversion of a one-hectare national government  property in his barangay Subangdaku into a vegetable plantation.  (FREEMAN)