Ilocos Norte board moves to institutionalize organic farming

By Leilanie G. Adriano

Staff Reporter

LAOAG CITY—Members of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan (SP) in this province is moving to institutionalize the practice of organic agriculture in the province to ensure healthy foods and cope with the international organic agriculture movement.

A draft provincial ordinance no. 2014-06-025 was passed for second reading at the SP session hall to encourage all farmers in the province to adopt a sustainable habit of organic farming which will eventually pay off in the long run.

This is also in support of Republic Act 10068 or the so-called Organic Agriculture Act 2010, which aims to “cumulatively condition and enrich the fertility of the soil, increase farm productivity, reduce pollution and destruction of the environment, prevent the depletion of natural resources, further protect the health of farmers, consumers, and the general public, and save on imported farm inputs.”

Provincial agriculturist Norma Lagmay, who was invited as resource speaker during the deliberation of the passage of organic agriculture ordinance said the institutionalization of organic farming in the entire province of Ilocos Norte is in support of the Department of Agriculture’s promotion of organic farming as a way helping farmers reduce cost of farming inputs and at the same time protect the environment and welfare of the public through the consumption of chemical-free agricultural products.

With the vast potential of organically-grown commodities in the world estimated to be a $70-billion industry, Lagmay said it is high time that the government intensify its efforts enable farmers to shift to organic agriculture, which President Aquino described as “a solution to alleviate poverty, mitigate hunger and address the growing food requirements of a ballooning population.”

Meanwhile, Ms. Lagmay has also cited a World Health Organization survey that Filipinos are one of those who have the shortest life span in the world due to wide use of chemical fertilizers, herbicides and pesticides in growing plants and animals, posing health hazards to people who regularly eat meat, poultry and fish from animal and aquaculture farms using synthetic substance.

To do away with chemical farming, Ms. Lagmay said an ordinance meant to institutionalize the adoption of organic farming here and providing funds for the implementation of such ordinance will ensure sustainable agriculture development in Ilocos Norte.

Under the proposed ordinance jointly sponsored by Ilocos Norte Vice Governor Eugenio Angelo M. Barba, SP member Albert Chua and the Committee on Agriculture, all farmers in the province shall be retrained to become updated about the latest technologies on organic farming and to set up demonstration farms on organic farming.

Also, an initial budget of at least P500,000 shall be allotted by the provincial government to jumpstart the program with a financial counterpart from the DA.

Said resolution however was deferred later to finalize the salient features of the said ordinance.