By Leilanie Adriano/PNA
LAOAG CITY — The newly-opened sunflower farm and vegetable garden in Maruaya village, Piddig town, Ilocos Norte province has become the booming tourist attraction in this northern gateway of Luzon.
As a showcase of diversified organic farming systems and a model of the national government’s initiative program, the local government of Piddig, led by Mayor Georgina Salazar, and the Piddig Organic Agriculture Practitioners Association, Inc., welcomed about 3,000 tourists, including balikbayans and foreign guests from various parts of the world, during its grand opening Thursday.
While seeing a lot of selfie-crazed tourists at the sunflower maze, Noel Gacho, one of the fresh graduates of organic agriculture production in Piddig, said he was delighted to be part of the project.
“I’m so much grateful for this project. In here, I found the key to success,” Gacho said after graduating from a five-month training on organic agriculture production at a school located in the sunflower farm.
Over the years, old farmers like Gacho initially thought of farming as a job for the underprivileged, or those who never had a chance to earn a college degree.
He was, however, proven wrong when Dr. Cris Figuracion, one of the developers of the Piddig sunflower farm and vegetable garden, demonstrated to him how to become a successful farmer-entrepreneur.
With the help of the foundation of Senator Cynthia Villar, departments of tourism, social welfare, agriculture, public works, and trade, the Mariano Marcos State University, and all other public and private stakeholders, the host community — mostly composed of local farmers, transport groups, micro, small and medium entrepreneurs, among others – is now given more job opportunities and alternative livelihood with the influx of tourists visiting the area.
Located about 6 km. from the town proper, the Piddig sunflower and vegetable garden also houses a coffee roasting facility, and food factory school where various skills training courses are offered by the Piddig government in cooperation with the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority.
Mayor Salazar, meanwhile, vowed to sustain the agri-tourism breakthrough in Piddig, with the assistance of all concerned government agencies who had earlier expressed commitment to give hope to people who want to change their lives for the better.
