ILOILO City – Department of Tourism Region 6 joined the Negros First Transformative Agriculture Summit at Nature’s Village Resort, Talisay City, Negros Occidental on Jan. 31.
The summit addressed issues and concerns in the sugar industry through the proposed implementation of the Negros First Provincial Agriculture Development Program (Negros First PADP). Said program aims to enhance the farm productivity, modernize practices and develop a range of market competitive and economically viable agri-fisheries-livestock and poultry commodities.
DOT 6 regional director Atty. Helen J. Catalbas underscored the importance of the summit for it addresses the key issues and concerns of the Province of Negros such as the dependence on imports of rice, deficits in egg, beef, fruits and vegetables and threat of competition in the sugar industry brought about by import liberalization, alternative sweeteners and labor shortage.
Catalbas stressed that Negros Occidental has a lot more to offer through its tourist destinations besides the sugarcane monocrop. DOT 6 partial 2018 tourist arrivals data shows that Negros Occidental and Bacolod City had 396,562 and 554, 528 tourist arrivals, respectively. Said partial tourist arrivals contributed P18.4 billion receipts for Western Visayas. The combined tourist arrivals of Negros Occidental and Bacolod City was second only to Aklan which had 1,091,569 partial tourist arrivals.
“The Department of Tourism Region 6 recognizes the importance of sugar industry in Negros Occidental but we must also expand beyond that to address other demands, both in services and products. That is also the reason why the DOT Region 6 continuously promotes farm tourism in Western Visayas. Farm tourism does not only highlight attractions but also provide agricultural products that could supply the needs of the various publics”, Director Catalbas said.
The Negros First Transformative Agriculture Summit was participated in by other national government agencies, local government units, sugar bloc sector and various stakeholders from the fisheries, livestock and poultry, forestry and crops sector./PN
