ZAMBOANGA Sibugay Governor Wilter Palma has reiterated his commitment to quality and chemical-free agricultural products through organic farming.
The governor, in signing the executive order creating the organic farming council in the province, sought to reduce the use of synthetic fertilizers and pesticides.
Palma signed Executive Order 1011-09-05-16-009 that creates the Zamboanga Sibugay Technical Committee on Organic Agriculture.
The order sets a policy for sustainable development of the agriculture sector through environment-friendly farming strategies and techniques. A technical committee has been created to ensure productivity.
Palma said the order is consistent with the declared policy under Republic Act (RA) 10068, otherwise known as the Organic Agriculture Act of 2010.
Organic farming in the country started many years before RA 10068 was signed into law on April 6, 2010.
The Organic Agriculture Act of 2010 called for the promotion and development of organically-grown farms in the country.
The law aims to promote and develop organic agriculture as a farming system that would enhance competitiveness of the country agricultural products in the world market. It also calls for the protection of the integrity of organic products through the approved organic certification procedures and standards.
The provincial order is the concrete manifestation of the Provincial Government’s commitment to creating a green farming technology, Palma said.
The technical committee, in collaboration with the Department of Agriculture and other partners, will push for a sustained activity to promote and develop organic farming in the province.
The technical committee is tasked to formulate and implement plans and programs consistent with the framework of RA 10068.
It will also provide a model organic farm to promote environmental management and improved nutrition in the pursuit of the government’s thrust for food security by adopting the integrated system on agricultural development framework.
Palma chairs the technical committee while his vice chair is Eugenio Sinoy, one of the organic farming advocates in the province. (VoxPop Philippines)