BAYOMBONG, Nueva Vizcaya (PIA) - - The Department of Agriculture (DA) is expected to authorize organic farmers in Kayapa as community - based inspectors and accreditors of their fellow farmers in compliance with set standards for organic farming.

DA Regional Executive Director Narciso Edillo said the Bureau of Agriculture & Fisheries Standards (BAFS) recently conducted a pre-inspection in Kayapa town to assess and verify the level of compliance of the Core

Participatory Guarantee System (PGS) Group farmer-members with the applicable current Philippine National Standard (PNS) related to Organic Agriculture and Accreditation requirements.

The BAFS inspection team visited the  Core PGS Farmer-Members’ of Nileng’s Farm (Crop production) Risca’s Farm (crop production), Elaw Organic Farm (Crop Production,) Codnita’s Farm (Crop Production), JRV’s Farm (Crop production), and Mendoza’s Farm (livestock Production).

Edillo said the activity seeks to further determine the farmers’ compliance to organic farming regulations and provide recommendations in preparation for the actual inspection for certification of BAFS.

He said 5 among the pre-inspected six farmer-members will be chosen to comprise the five Core PGS Group which will be certified by BAFS as a prerequisite for Accreditation as Organic Certifying Body (OCB).

“They will be  authorized to provide inspection and certification services to their peers or co-members who are practicing organic farming,” Edillo said.

He said the BAFS Inspection Team were assisted by DA-RFO2 Organic Agriculture Program, Regulatory Division, and ATI-RTC 02 with Kayapa  Mayor Elizabeth Balasya and  Municipal Agriculturist  Rufin Fernandez during the  three-day pre-inspection.

Mayor Balasya said the DA initiative will ensure the compliance of Kayapa organic farmers on organic farming standards and regulations.(OTB/BME/PIA NVizcaya)