• RICHARD T. CABALLERO JR.
The Office of the Provincial Agriculturist (OPA) of Negros Occidental has maintained its stance on the sales figures from the Terra Madre Asia and Pacific (TMAP) event, which was hosted jointly by the city government of Bacolod and the provincial government, which indicate that local organic farmers did not significantly benefit from the event.
According to initial reports from Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson, organic farmers generated only around P185,000 in sales from the exhibitors of TMAP. That figure suggests that TMAP only contributed 6.5 percent of the organic farmers: P2.8 million total sales.
However, TMAP organizers have contested the sales figures, asserting that they had purchased approximately P1.4 million worth of products from the booths operated by local organic farmers at the North Capitol Road.
In an interview, Lacson said that the Office of the Provincial Agriculturist (OPA) insists on their information.
“It [OPA] stands by its figures that those were the sales that were sold from the exhibitors that were stationed on the south capitol road,” he said.
Amid the disagreement, Lacson ordered the OPA to consolidate its data with that of TMAP. In response, he disclosed, “The OPA has already requested TMAP to share their data.”
Lacson had previously said that the province will stand by the data of the OPA, but they will admit their mistake if they are proven to be wrong.
TMAP was held in conjunction with the 18th Negros Island Organic Farmers’ Festival, and the event was designed to encourage exhibitors to purchase raw ingredients directly from local farmers, fostering a mutually beneficial relationship between producers and buyers.*
