CAMIGUIN (PIA) — The provincial government of Camiguin is promoting organic farming through grassroots programs to reduce dependence on chemical fertilizers and pesticides.
Aligned with the province’s Organic Agriculture Ordinance, the initiative focuses on restoring soil quality and minimizing health risks linked to inorganic inputs.
“Unta we will go back sa atong kinaiyahan. Mabalik nato ang katambok sa atong yuta, dili na gahi, and dili ta maggamit og synthetic fertilizer. Ato silang tudluan [mag-uuma]. It’s not just a click of our hand nga mubalhin ta from inorganic to organic. Proseso gyud ni siya. Mao nang ato gyung gipahingusgan,” said Louis Bollozos, chairperson of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan’s Committee on Agriculture.
(Hopefully, we will return to our natural ways. We can restore the richness of our soil so it’s no longer hard, and we won’t need to use synthetic fertilizers. We need to teach them [farmers]. Transitioning from inorganic to organic isn’t something that happens with just a snap of a finger. It’s really a process—that’s why we are working hard to push for it.)
To support the transition, the province created the Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering (ABE) Division under the Provincial Agriculture Department. The division is authorized to hire engineers to assist with irrigation, post-harvest systems, and related infrastructure.
Provincial Agriculturist Aida Chan said support programs remain in place, including the Plant Now, Pay Later (PNPL) scheme. With a 2.5 percent annual interest rate, PNPL offers capital assistance to farmers, fisherfolk, processors, and sari-sari store owners, payable within a year.
The Provincial Plant Nursery also supplies planting materials, including fruit trees like lanzones and other high-value crops, to residents and tourists.
Other efforts include localized information materials, school gardening (Gulayan sa Paaralan), and freshwater habitat production.
Moreover, the Kadiwa sa Kapitolyo Market provides a venue for farmers to sell produce directly to buyers. In the first quarter, organic product sales exceeded P700,000.
“Makita nato sa Kadiwa nga daghan ta’g produkto, pinaagi sa mga vegetable seeds nga gihatag nato sa atong farmers,” said Chan.
(We can see through Kadiwa that we have plenty of produce, thanks to the vegetable seeds we provided to our farmers.)
With only 15 certified organic farmers in the province, Chan urged others to begin with small-scale efforts.
“Mag-start lang ta gamay. Start ta sa atong backyard, silong sa atong panimalay. Ila-ilahon nato atong yuta, ipa-analyze nato sa Regional Soil Laboratory,” she said.
(Let’s start small. Let’s begin in our backyards, outside our homes. Let your soil be analyzed by the Regional Soil Laboratory.)
She added that the local government plans to expand these efforts to build a more sustainable agricultural system in the province. (HSGA/PIA-10)
