Organic farming is the way to go, says Aquino on food security

President Benigno Aquino III. JOAN BONDOC/INQUIRER PHOTO

TARLAC CITY—For a country that consumes the least vegetables in Asia, can the Philippines hope to produce organically grown items for itself and even export some?

For President Benigno Aquino III and Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala, the answer is yes.

To them, organic agriculture is the way of the future not only to address hunger but also to sustain health, the environment and develop the country’s niche in the growing world market for organic agri-industries.

What about a law that would require fastfood chains to include a certain volume of vegetables in their food products as suggested by Tarlac Governor Victor Yap?

Saying it is a solution to alleviate poverty, mitigate hunger and address the growing food requirements of a ballooning population, Mr. Aquino on Tuesday committed the support of his administration to the pursuit of organic agriculture.

Addressing delegates to the 8th National Organic Agriculture Conference  at the Aquino Center in Luisita here, Mr. Aquino promised to implement Republic Act No. 10068 or the Organic Agriculture Act of 2010 “to save Juan dela Cruz from the pangs of hunger.”

He also said that this is part of the Philippine Development Plan of 2011-2016. Going organic in agriculture, he said, would address affordability issues in food production as well as environmental concerns and climate mitigation.

According to him, the implementing rules of RA 10068 had been drafted and he assured the conference delegates that the government would use its resources to facilitate the shift to organic agriculture.

The President said he sees the high potential of organically grown commodities in the world market which would cost $40 billion-$70 billion in 2012.

He encouraged local governments to support ventures in this direction so that the country, he said, could get a share in the market and develop chemical free food commodities.

Later, Alcala told a press briefing that the country is bent on going organic. “This is the future of Philippine agriculture,” he said as he also noted the vast potential of organically grown products.

He said he was confident the country can soon do more organic farming as capabilities and resources are enhanced and the right balance of supply and demand is met.

While organically grown food commodities are making a sweep in the more developed countries, these are yet to catch on Filipinos, he said.

Cost is one factor as organically grown food items are more expensive because production cost is higher than those grown with commercial chemically formulated fertilizers, he said.

He said the only way to lower production cost is for farmers to learn to process their own organic fertilizers and for them to shift to organic farming.

If there are more organic vegetables in the market, prices will go down, he added.