Yap to keynote organic farming congress
Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap will keynote the 4th National Organic Agriculture Congress which will be held on October 17-18 at the Sarabia Manor Hotel, Iloilo City. Sec. Yap will also award the winner of the Best organic Farm.
About 300 participants and guests are expected to attend the congress which carries the theme "Converging Thrusts for the organic Industry Development in the Philippines.
The event is organized by the Bureau of Agriculture and Fishery Product Standards of the Department of Agriculture and Fishery Product Standards of the Department of Agriculture headed by Dir. Gilbert Layesa, in cooperation with the Western Visayas Agriculture and Resources Research and development Consortium (WESVARRDEC) chaired by Prof. Marilou Ang-Lopez, and the Panay Organic Producers Association, Inc., headed by Ms. Dawn Jamandre.
Representatives from the IFOAM, Department of Trade and Industry, PCARRD, BAFPS and the Organic Producers Trade Association on the topics, "Overview of Organic Agriculture in the Philippines", "The Growing Global Demand for Organic Food", "Enabling Regulatory Mechanisms for Organic Agriculture", and "Organic Trade in the Philippines."
Other presentations in the congress will include "Organic Agriculture: A Winning Platform for Rural Development," "Internal Control System," "Negros: the Organic island," "Building Communities Through organic Agriculture," "Organic Banana: No longer the same Banana,: Nurturing Nature in Farming," "Organic Rice: Feeding the Community," and "Muscovado: The Sweet Success."
The organizers said sessions on Participatory Guarantee System and Organic Farm Conversion and Certification will also be part of the event.
They also said participation in the Congress is by invitation only and those interested can log on to the Website of the Bureau of Agriculture and Fisheries Product Standards at www.bafs.da.gov.ph. (PIA 6)