ILOILO – With Western Visayas still heavily reliant on vegetable supplies from other regions, the upcoming 2025 National Vegetable Congress in Barotac Nuevo town is positioning Iloilo as a future multi-agricultural food hub that could change the region’s food security landscape.
Organized by the Panay Organization for Progressive Agriculture (POPA) Agriculture Cooperative in partnership with the Department of Agriculture (DA), the November 5–7 gathering will bring together around 1,500 stakeholders from across the country to draft a unified roadmap for the vegetable industry and strengthen local production.
POPA Agriculture Cooperative chair Larry Nacionales said the province has the capacity to become a regional hub for multiple commodities.
“It is a very aggressive ambition, but if we help each other, we will work together, I think we can make Iloilo the food hub of Western Visayas,” he said.
Currently, DA data shows Western Visayas sources much of its vegetables from Bukidnon, Cagayan de Oro, and Benguet.
“Western Visayas does not have a sufficient supply of vegetables,” admitted DA Regional Technical Director for Operations Ma. Teresa Solis, adding that the congress should encourage both farmers and consumers to embrace healthier, vegetable-based diets.
She recommended including health and wellness topics in the conference discussions.
Nacionales acknowledged that the region can only provide 20 to 30 percent of its needs, with the rest imported from outside.
“This congress, we will invite local government units to send their farmers to attend to see the market,” he said.
The congress will also feature a regional action planning workshop to revisit industry-supporting laws and the outdated roadmap.
“I hope this congress will serve as an awakening, shifting the minds of our policymakers to look into the aspect of how the vegetable industry is important in our agricultural economy,” Nacionales said.
Participants will also tour Iloilo farms showcasing agricultural innovations as part of the congress’ theme: “Innovative. Resilient. Sustainable. Market-Ready: Revitalizing the Vegetable Industry for a Food-Secure Bagong Pilipinas.”/PN
