The City Government of Davao will look into developing organic farming as a long-term solution to the decreasing volume of fruit produced in the city due to climate change. During the Durian Festival launch at the SM Lanang Premier event grounds on August 11, City Councilor Marissa Abella said they discovered that organically-grown fruits are much more resilient with climate changes and excess rain as compared to those grown using synthetic fertilizers.
During the Durian Festival launch at the SM Lanang Premier event grounds on August 11, City Councilor Marissa Abella said they discovered that organically-grown fruits are much more resilient with climate changes and excess rain as compared to those grown using synthetic fertilizers.
“I observed that these organic fruits can withstand drought. When doing organic processes, when they start to flower, the flowers do not just fall down the ground despite the rain. Maybe we can do that – make organic available to the market. The synthetic fertilizers are the ones destroying the trees. These synthetic chemicals destroy the good microbes,” said Abella who is also the head of the city council’s committee on food and agriculture.
She also said this is also an opportunity for the fruit farmers to plant more and rehabilitate more crops using organic and natural approach for the crop maintenance. Abella urged the farmers to go back to the basic for natural inputs of crop production wherein about 80 percent of the entire process should be using natural means and only about 20 percent use of synthetic fertilizers.
She said the event went to Thailand for an event about organic farming and had discovered there herself how organically grown crops can indeed withstand drought or rain.
“Rehabilitation will only take up to 7 months only. We really have to act and come up with this research and development of the government and give it to the industries,” said Abella adding this would be in coordination with the different national agencies.
As for the fruits to be sold on Kadayawan Festival, she said there would still be enough supplies from the city while some would be sourced out from different provinces in the region.
