BACOLOD City – The Victorias Organic Farmers Association (VOFA) has been identified to be the first operator of “Organik Konek”, an organic agriculture hub or one-stop shop for organic products in Negros Occidental.
“This will address the limited supply of organic inputs, scarcity of farm labor and limited access to processing and marketing facilities and services. We all know that limited supply of organic inputs can affect production and supply of organic products. This results in low adoption of organic technology and non-preferences from the consumers,” said Glenda Himatay, organic agriculture focal person of the Department of Agriculture (DA) in Western Visayas.
With the collaboration of the local government of Victorias, the VOFA and its integrators – the Heredas Farm, Nisols Farm and Martinez Farm – will perform services like production of agricultural inputs, agricultural farm and technical services, consolidation of harvest and marketing, processing, and value adding, training and capacity building.
“The growing demand for organic products has become popular because of their benefits to health and wellness, but supply is very low. We encourage organic farmers to venture, produce and invest more and establish linkages with the bigger market through consolidation and establishment of Organik Konek,” said Maria Lourdes Yasona, project development officer of the National Organic Agriculture Program (NOAP).
Currently, VOFA is producing organic vegetables like papaya, tomatoes, eggplant, lettuce, pechay, ampalaya , pole sitao, cucumber, okra, squash, taro, kangkong and corn. It is sing organic concoctions, vermicompost, compost made from rice straw and animal manure.
VOFA is also raising rabbits and utilize their urine and manure as additional substrates to be thoroughly mixed with mill ash and mudpress for organic fertilizer.
Rhodora Martinez, VOFA president, said the organic hub will not only generate more jobs in the community but will also be a source of livelihood for the association and its members.
She is optimistic that with the establishment of the Organik Konek, VOFA could avail itself of additional interventions on farm machineries, irrigation, seeds and processing facilities which could optimize their production.
The NOAP through the regional counterpart will be responsible for the social preparation, capacity building and institutional development support, and marketing and logistic needs. (DA-6/PN)
