Andre Leu, president of the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM) said that Negros Island is on the right path in terms of organic agriculture. Leu recognized Negros as among the first to explore and eventually champion the paradigm shift in the agriculture sector. (IFOAM Organics International, the global umbrella body for the organic sector, has 800 member-organizations from 120 countries in the world).

“Organic products of Negros have notable traceability and credibility and local organic farmers and producers are doing very well thus, the island has really the snowballing chances of getting a place in the international market,” Leu said before a crowd of about 2,000 at the SMX Bacolod Convention Center on Wednesday.

The organic industry leader also recognized some of the best initiatives of both the government and the private sectors in the country in the development of organic agriculture, particularly on the organization of farms. He added that Negros amid its emerging organic agriculture industry has still a lot of potential opportunities to explore. Having sugar as its major crop, Leu said that Negros should take advantage by expanding its production of organic sugar which has a market value five times higher than the world price.

Leu, who said that organic is the fastest growing multi-product of the agriculture sector in the world, further urged industry advocates to be resilient and regenerate by making things better “as regenerative organic agriculture improves the resources it uses, rather than destroys or depletes them.”

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