NAGA CITY--- Gathering here during the observance of World Food Day Thursday last week, some 150 organic farmers in Camarines Sur see opportunity amid the problem of melamine contamination by promoting organic food production to attain food safety and environmentally sound food production.

        Dubbed “Organic Food Conference---Bicolanos, Let’s Go Organic”, the gathering of organic farmers highlighted concern for food safety against the backdrop of contaminated food products from China which made organic farming a more relevant issue today.

        Tony Santos, Bicol coordinator of Pambansang Kilusan ng mga Samahang Magsasaka (Pakisama), said that it is ironic to celebrate the World Food Day because according to him there is nothing to celebrate yet because of the looming food crisis.

        Santos said that in observing the World Food Day it must be recognized that the present dominant agricultural technology has already compromised the safety and quality of the food the people are buying in the market because of agrochemical “bombardment” of food products even in its production stage.

        Lilia Barbonia, senior agriculturist and in-charge of vegetable research of the Department of Agriculture, expressed alarm that the vegetables bought from Bagiuo City and the Cordillera region had been laden with so much chemical inputs that farmers tilling the vegetables would not even consume them.

        Barbonia said that annually the vegetable producers in the Cordillera region consume some 124,933 kg of insecticide and 158,384 kg of fungicide to improve and sustain farm productivity.

        She also noted that the agrochemical inputs cause deterioration of the environment including worsening run-offs and erosion in farms that he said were evident in some 5,500 hectares cultivated with fruits and vegetables in the Cordillera region.

        Rep. Luis R. Villafuerte, speaker of the conference, said that with the growing concern on food safety there is a need to conduct a congressional investigation regarding harmful chemical and additives in the food products sold in the market.

        Villafuerte said that the future of production trend points towards organic production systems to produce health food that he said requires movement at the grassroots level.

        He cited the move in the US to ban “caged method” of poultry production by 2012 because of findings that so much use of growth hormones directly affects the children’s growth. Studies, according to the lawmaker, showed that female children prematurely experience menstruation as an effect of too much consumption of “caged chicken”.

        Villafuerte said that as a phase-out period of caged method of poultry production in the US, the US government now requires labeling of poultry products sold in the market to show whether they are produced through caged method or natural method of ranging and pasturing.

        Santos said that the opportunity of organic products in the market has grown and its expansion has dramatically increased by 30 percent on a yearly basis since it started some 20 years ago.

        He said that with the present condition wherein agrochemical inputs’ prices are soaring and health concerns growing many farmers are turning to organic farming. He explained that in 2001 there were only 3,000 hectares devoted to organic farming which grew to 15,000 hectares in 2005.

         Ruben Evangelista, manager of Upland Marketing Federation, Inc., also showed data on the consistent growth of organic rice consumers in Metro Manila which has grown to P80M-P100M in value in 2008 from a mere P3M-P5M in 2003.

        Evangelista said that based on their study, there are already some 29,900 households at present in Metro Manila who buy one sack of organic rice every month that he said is about 7 percent of the total households among the ABC consumers.

        Santos said that the export market is also a very big potential for organic products from the Philippines which now exports muscovado sugar, fresh and processed banana, essential oil, henna and coconut by-products like oil, coco vinegar and coconut sap wine.