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.

Puyat will be visiting coffee farms in Negros Occidental today to introduce bee keeping to farmers and at the same time conduct a study on how to expand bee keeping in the province.

Puyat added that the thrust of the National Organic Agriculture Board is to help organic farmers have their products certified by the Organic Certification Center of the Philippines and NISARD Certification Services,  so they can sell them in the market, but it is too expensive.

To help organic farmers have their products certified, NOAB has launched a program where the agency itself pays for the certification of the organic products.

NOAB also gives organic farmers demo farms, organic feeds, teaches them how to make organic fertilizers and helps them promote their products.

Meanwhile, Puyat said that, so far, there are no reported incidents of dried up organic farms due to extreme heat brought by the summer season

However, she said, DA has a fund and a contingency plan to aid organic farmers in case their crops are affected by the dry spell.*APN

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