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By: Resel Joy Tianero
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Friday, December 16 2016
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ILOILO City – The Mercado de Iloilo served as an advocacy event for local organic farmers to help them expand their market and gain more customers.
Launched on Dec. 10 at Atria Park District in Mandurriao, the market featured freshly produced organic fruits and vegetables.
According to Ritchel Arroyo-Gavan, head organizer of Mercado de Iloilo, the Baptist Center Church in cooperation with the Department of Agriculture Regional Field Office 6 and the city government invited several farmers’ associations from the different towns of the province for a free exhibit wherein they can sell their products.
“We deem it important that organic farmers, the private sector and the consumers should work together to bridge the gap. Thus, we came up with an idea of opening a weekend organic market to promote wellness and safe food consumption in Iloilo City. We have invited key people from the hotels, restaurants, hospitals and schools to see that we have ample supply of organic produce in the province and we need not to source out from other regions,” explained Gavan.
For her part, DA undersecretary Evelyn Laviña encouraged various industry stakeholders to support farmers to go into value-adding and produce quality organic products to obtain premium price in the market.
Meanwhile, Iloilo City mayor Jed Patrick E. Mabilog signified his support to the weekend organic market as it has proven to be successful in some areas in the country. “We would like to learn and adopt the good practices that they have in Davao City as they have been doing a weekend market for a long time already,” he said.
The Philippine Association of Herbal Growers Association, Vegetable Growers Association of Tubungan, Lambunao Organic Farmers Association, Magmainam Upland Farmers Association, Organic Farmers from 2nd IAD, San Dionisio Multi-Sectoral Association, Barotac Nuevo Organic Farmers Association, Namocon Farmers Association of Tigbauan, Talibong Organic Farmers Association of Zarraga, Bowl Lettuce, New Lucena Organic Farmers Association, Tiabas Organic Farmers Association, Jordan Organic Farmers Association, AiO Livelihood, Sooc Women’s Group and Farmless Tablea, among others took part in the two-day event./PN
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