Undersecretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat of the Department of Agriculture   said yesterday that the agency will introduce bee-keeping for organic honey production to the coffee farmers in Negros Occidental.

Puyat, who attended the opening of the Fresh Start Organic and Natural store and cafe at The District North Point mall in Talisay City , said honey is in demand in the market today and this will become an alternative livelihood for coffee growers while waiting for the harvest season.

She said bee-keeping has already been piloted in Canlaon City and was participated in mostly by women coffee farmers.

Diskwento Caravan kicks off

Seventeen firms joined the “Diskwento Caravan” of the Department of Trade and Industry in Negros Occidental that started yesterday in front of the Bacolod City Hall.

Among thefirms are the Agricultural Producers Cooperative, Bahamas meat shop, Codcod Multi-Purpose Cooperative, Everkeen Marketing, FA Nepan, FARM Inc., Green Harvest Food Inc., Island Merchants Inc. and K5 Distribution Inc.                       

Also joining are the Macro Distribution Inc., Masagana Distribution Inc., NEFEDACO, Negros Organic Rice Industry Association, St. Mark Distributor, Unilab, Victorias Foods Inc. and the National Book store that offers school supplies at discounted prices.

Firms told to disclose
oil hikes calculations

Lawmakers are calling for the disclosure of operations and calculations of oil prices by the oil companies because of the erratic spike in oil prices that puts the transport sector and the motoring public at a disadvantage.

Rep. Rufus Rodriguez (2nd District, Cagayan de Oro City) said in a press release from Congress that the way these oil companies peg the prices of gas and diesel is very unclear to the public because they do not explain how they arrive at a price per liter.

Rodriguez and his brother, Rep. Maximo Rodriguez (Party-list, Abante Mindanao) filed House Bill 4193, which mandates oil companies in the Philippines to disclose to the public a detailed report of their operations and a comprehensive calculation of how they arrive at the price of gas and diesel per liter.

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