THE government should extend subsidies, such as input subsidy and preferential tariff similar to those given to chemical agriculture, to develop the organic-farming industry.

Minus the subsidies to organic farming, the government can consider removing funding support to chemical agriculture to “level the playing field,” Pablito Villegas, member of the board of trustees of the Organic Producers and Trade Association (Opta), said.

Villegas said in lieu of subsidy, the government could give industry players incentives through lower costs of doing business in organic-farming. He cited the case of the municipality of Baras, the organic farming capital of Rizal, which extends as much as 25-percent discount on the cost of registering an organic enterprise. He said costly certification and other regulations should not be used to “strangle” the growth of the industry.

“We also want the government to patronize organic-fertilizer industry products in the country or make a strong effort to enable farmers to be able to produce their own organic fertilizers,” he said.

Villegas said businesses in organic farming could also be given tax breaks under the Barangay Micro Business Enterprise Act because they use 100-percent basic raw material.

Aside from these measures, he also batted for the adoption of the “polluters pay principle” and the creation of a marketing infrastructure—an organic wholesale exchange market—which could serve the needs of both the local and export markets.

“This is a global market of more than $50 billion, [wherein] we must be able to participate. We are only producing less than $10 million worth organic products domestically,” Villegas noted.

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Written by Jennifer A. Ng