THE Department of Agriculture in Negros Island Region (DA-NIR) is crafting a stronger development roadmap to further boost the organic agriculture industry of the region.
DA Regional Director Joyce Wendam on Thursday, June 29, said the roadmap should capture the thrusts and priorities of the government.
Wendam said all municipalities, cities, and provinces Negros Island should update their respective development plans every year, aligning it with the regional and national development goals.
“By strengthening our development roadmap, we can sustain the gains of the efforts which the government has conducted to boost organic agriculture in Negros,” she said, adding that the roadmap is also vital in maintaining the region’s status as the country’s organic leader.
During the activity, organic focal persons in Negros Occidental were trained on improving their development plans.
Among the roadmap areas that were updated include validation of organic areas, baseline data, projects and thrusts, budget for organic agriculture programs, and standards, among others.
Wendam said the improved roadmap should mainly include measures on increasing agricultural lands devoted to organic, improving product quality, and increasing the number of certified organic farms in the region.
In terms of area, there are currently more than 15,000 hectares of organic areas in Negros Occidental alone with almost 11,400 farmer-practitioners.
The Provincial Government is also pushing for second party certification among local organic farmers so that they can further gain competitive market advantage.
Wendam said the same training and updating activity will be conducted by the DA-NIR for organic focal persons in Negros Oriental during the Regional Organic Agriculture Congress in July this year.
After which, the DA regional office will consolidate the development roadmaps of the two provinces making it an integrated organic agriculture roadmap for the entire Negros, she added.
