Organic farming promoted in Sariaya, Quezon schools

SARIAYA, Quezon—New classrooms and cash prizes were given out to winning public schools in this province last week in a contest conducted to promote organic- and natural-farming practices in local schools.

The “Procesong Gulay para sa Masaganang Buhay—Gulayan sa Paaralan,” now in its third season, is a project of Quezon Second District Rep. Proceso Alcala, supported by Allied Botanical Corp. (ABC).

The announcement of the winners and the awarding of the prizes was held at the Agricultural Trading Post in this town.

The contest aims to raise farming interest among elementary pupils, high-school students and their teachers using environment-friendly and healthy (organic and natural) farming practices.

About 150 public elementary and high schools in the province’s Second District participated in the contest, said Rommel Lopez, ABC corporate communication manager.

Pili Elementary School and Lucena East 3 Elementary School were adjudged the grand winners for the Quezon Division and Lucena Division, respectively. The two schools will each receive three new classrooms and P10,000 cash prize for participating students.

All the prizes came from the Priority Development Assistance Fund of Alcala.

Department of Agriculture Assistant Secretary Dennis Araullo lauded the project for encouraging the younger generation to go into farming.

“Food security is national security, so food production is crucial to the stability of our country,” Araullo said.

Alcala lauded all who supported the project since its inception in 2007. He expressed optimism that the project would inspire the youth of Quezon to return to farming, and hoped that the country’s best vegetable farmers would all come from this province in the future.

He also expressed hope that the project would continue even after his term ends in June this year.

A Liberal Party stalwart in the province, Alcala opted not to seek reelection for his third and final term and instead endorsed the candidacy of his son, Irvin, to the post.

The congressman thanked ABC, which provided the vegetable-seed requirements of the project for free.

ABC is the only fully Filipino vegetable-seed company in the country with a solid research and breeding program, said Lopez.

Willy Co, ABC president, said his company is committed to continually support the project.

Lopez said participating schools planted Condor Quality Seeds, ABC’s seed brand, in their school yards. Highvalue crops such as lettuce, mustard, cauliflower, broccoli and carrots were grown and harvested by teachers and students.
In Photo: Teachers of Pili Elementary School receive a facsimile check worth P20,000 for winning first place in the third season of the “Gulayan sa Paaralan“ project.
Source:
Agri-Commodities
Written by Butch Gunio / Correspondent
Tuesday, 09 March 2010