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Going organic offers the best alternative |
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surge of interest in natural and organic products is fast
spreading both in the local and global markets. Consumers
are becoming health- and environment-conscious. Their preferences
are shifting toward safe and organically grown foods. The
premium price of organic products is also attracting producers
to invest in its production.
Indeed,
the potential of organic markets in the Philippines is great.
However, there is more to simply producing organic products.
There are requirements to ensuring the products’ integrity.
Marketing strategies need to be explored. Institutional structures
and other support systems must be in place.
In
this light, PCARRD saw the need to capacitate relevant agencies
in advancing the cause of organic agriculture (OA). Last June
19–23, PCARRD, the Philippine Development Assistance
Program, Inc. |
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(PDAP),
and the Organic Certification Center of the Philippines (OCCP)
jointly sponsored the “Trainers’ Training Course
on Organic Agriculture Development in the Philippines.”
Twenty-three
individuals, 12 from nongovernmental organizations (NGOs)
and 11 from the government participated in this week-long
training held at Arisabel Clubhouse in Los Baños, Laguna.
In
his welcome speech, Dr. Edwin C. Villar, director of Livestock
Research Division of PCARRD emphasized the importance of addressing
all facets of organic agriculture to make it work for individual
farmers and for the economy as a whole.
He
recognized the initiatives of the NGOs in promoting the organic
movement. Likewise, he underscored PCARRD’s support
to OA, as it as one of its priority concerns. The trainers’
training is just one of the activities supportive of this
focus.
The
training course was divided into six sessions, with the first
session providing an overview of OA, as presented by Dr. Digna
O. Manzanilla, director of the Council’s Agricultural
Resources Management Research Division.
The
poverty situation in the country and the role of OA in addressing
food insecurity and chronic poverty were also presented. Mr.
Roel R. Ravanera of the Asia-Japan Partnership Network for
Poverty Reduction (AJPN) talked on the experiences of their
project on enhancing the capacities on sustainable agriculture
toward poverty reduction.
Status
of OA in the Philippines amid the global scenario was also
presented.
“In
Asia, the area under organic management is comparatively small,”
said Jacqueline Alleje of the International Federation of
Organic Movements (IFOAM).
According
to Alleje, the total organic area in Asia is 4.1 million hectares
managed by almost 130,000 farmers. The Asian market for organic
food is valued at about US$750 million.
Moreover,
Alleje said that in the Philippines, the OA industry is still
in its infancy, with very little reliable data on its domestic
market and no reliable estimates of the total number of enterprises
engaged in OA. |
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| Certified
organic products include rice, vegetables, sugar, banana, and
coconut. Export organic products include muscovado sugar, banana
chips, coconut cooking oil, virgin coconut oil, desiccated coconut,
and dried banana leaves. According
to Jerry Pacturan, PDAP’s President, organic market
in the Philippines, though relatively small, is growing at
a significant rate of 10–20% per annum.
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Moreover,
Pacturan said that the organic farming system also favors small
and marginal farmers because it uses processes requiring less external
inputs. While it may be labor-intensive, this could support rural
employment and social justice through fair trade. The premium price
of organic products, usually by a margin of 20–30%, enables
farmers to get higher income than the conventional farmers.
Meanwhile,
Rogelio Colting, president of the Benguet State University; Pio
Javier of the University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB);
and Antonio Santos of OCCP presented some crop production techniques,
principles, elements, and methodologies on soil management; non-pesticide
methods of managing pests; and some insights on the process of shifting
to OA.
While
organic products command higher prices, these require appropriate
market development strategies. Thus, also tackled was the value
chain analysis, as presented by Teresita Oyson of the Department
of Trade and Industry.
The
experiences of Galactic Resources Development Center, as narrated
by its founder Rosalina Tan from the Organic Producers and Trade
Association (OPTA), all the more perked up the discussion. More
marketing strategies and requirements were detailed by Rene Guarin
of Upland Marketing Foundation.
Organic
standards and the requirements for certification were also discussed
by OCCP’s Ms. Lani Limpin. This shed light on doubts about
products in the market if indeed they are genuinely organically
produced.
Research
and development, extension support systems, and extension approaches
under the Philippine context, such as the DA Agri-Kalikasan Program,
were also presented by Dr. Gina Pangga of UPLB and Mr. Dominciano
Ramos of the Bureau of Soils and Water Management. |
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A
field trip to Brgy. Tinurik in Batangas and Tagaytay provided
participants with case studies and practical experiences on
how an organic farming system and a business enterprise can
be established; the requirements and constraints that need
to be addressed to sustain operations; and the challenges
to be hurdled to promote the business, in particular, and
the movement, in general.
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| Capping
the training was the formulation of re-entry plans to ensure
that participants will be able to apply the learnings gained,
transfer the knowledge, and expand the information flow on
organic agriculture. (Ofelia F. Domingo. S&T Media Service)
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Copyright © 2001
Philippine Council for Agriculture, Forestry and Natural Resources Research and Development
Los Baños, Laguna, Philippines
Tel. Nos. (63-049) 536-0014 to 536-0015/ 536-0017 to 536-0020 & 536-0024
Fax Nos. (63-049) 536-0016/ 536-0132
E-mail: pcarrd@pcarrd.dost.gov.ph
All Rights Reserved.
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