DUMAGUETE CITY—Negros Oriental Gov. Roel Degamo is repeatedly encouraging farmers to adopt the natural farming method with the use of organic fertilizers.
For 2014 the provincial government has allocated some P10 million in funds to support the organic agriculture program, Capitol Spokesman Adrian Sedillo said.
According to Sedillo, Degamo wants to make sure there are enough funds to sustain the organic agriculture program in Negros Oriental.
The governor was quoted as saying he believes some of his family members were “victims” of illnesses which he considers to have resulted from intake of food exposed to chemicals, pesticides and non-organic fertilizers.
Degamo, in pushing for organic farming, says this will prevent his constituents, especially the poor in the hinterlands, from similar exposure to unhealthy foods.
Also, the promotion and sustainability of the organic agriculture program is part of the provincial government’s thrust to bolster food security and continue to improve the living conditions of its people, Sedillo quoted the governor as saying.
Further, it is also a part of the chief executive’s health program, as well as with the province’s animal welfare program, Sedillo added.
The governor has appealed to the mayors to continue supporting the province’s organic agriculture program by encouraging their constituents to engage in organic farming.
During the Farm Family Congress and Agri-Fair in the Buglasan Festival concluded last week, Degamo thanked the mayors and stakeholders for their support, citing that the promotion of organic farming can be well promoted in these two activities.
PNA