BACOLOD CITY — The Negros Occidental provincial government launched the “Agribiz Kapihan sa Negros” over the weekend to bring together the key agriculture players and stakeholders in the province.
Some 50 participants attended the event, which was led by Governor Alfredo Marañon Jr., at the Provincial Capitol Social Hall on Saturday.
Marañon said that Negros Occidental, being an agricultural province, has the potential to become the country’s food basket thus, it should keep pace with the latest agricultural trends.
The Agribiz Kapihan is a perfect venue to discuss the future of Negros Occidental’s agriculture, he added.
Arsenio “Toto” Barcelona, president of Harbest Agribusiness Corp., said “Agribiz Kapihan sa Negros” does not require membership since it is not an organization.
“Rather, it is a gathering of friends who want to share and learn insights from each other, who are willing to help mentor the young farmers whose minds and hearts are intertwined with agriculture,” he added.
Among those present during the launching to share their experiences and exchange ideas were veteran agriculture journalist Zacarias “Zac” Sarian, a Ramon Magsaysay awardee for development journalism; and Edgardo Uychiat of the Negros Island Sustainable Agriculture and Rural Development Foundation Inc., who will present Negros Occidental’s organic agriculture initiatives and announced the staging of the 13th Negros Island Organic Farmers Festival in Bacolod City slated from Nov. 28 to Dec. 1.
Lawyer Japhet Masculino, head of the Office of the Provincial Agriculturist, gave an update on the programs and projects undertaken by his office.
The maiden activity was organized by the provincial government with the Negros Economic Development Foundation (NEDF) and Harbest Agribusiness Corporation.
Afterwhich, the “Agribiz Kapihan sa Negros” will be held every third Saturday of the month at the NEDF office, also in this city.
Negros Occidental is the country’s top sugar producer, yielding about 60 percent of the country’s sugar output.
About 54 percent of its 531,016 hectares of agricultural land is sugarcane-based, and raw sugar is the province’s leading traditional export product.
However, competition brought by the high fructose corn syrup, lack of labor, and low prices of sugar, among others, have posed pressing challenges to the industry. These developments have opened doors for diversification to other crops, particularly rice, corn, cassava, coffee, cacao, banana and pineapple.
Negros Occidental is also known as the “organic agriculture capital of the Philippines” for being the country’s leader in organic production. (Nanette Guadalquiver/PNA)
