News Details

Nat’l Vegetable Congress to Position Iloilo as Multi-Agri Food Hub

NPO

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August 16, 2025

ILOILO CITY – The 2025 National Vegetable Congress will highlight Western Visayas’ agricultural potential, with Iloilo being pushed as a multi-agricultural food hub.

The three-day congress, set from Nov. 5 to 7 in Barotac Nuevo, is organized by the Panay Organization for Progressive Agriculture (POPA) Agriculture Cooperative in partnership with the Department of Agriculture (DA). It is expected to gather around 1,500 participants nationwide.

POPA Agriculture Cooperative chair Larry Nacionales said on Friday that one of their goals is to establish Iloilo as the food hub of Western Visayas, capitalizing on its role as a multi-commodity province.

“It is a very aggressive ambition, but if we help each other, we will work together, I think we can make Iloilo the food hub of Western Visayas,” Nacionales said during the launch event in Mandurriao district.

DA Regional Technical Director for Operations Ma. Teresa Solis noted that Western Visayas remains reliant on vegetable supplies from Bukidnon, Cagayan de Oro, and Benguet, underscoring the need to boost local production. She also recommended that the congress integrate discussions on health, wellness, and promoting vegetable consumption.

Nacionales added that while the region can supply 20 to 30 percent of its vegetable needs, the rest is still sourced from outside. He said the congress will include a regional action planning workshop aimed at crafting a unified Vegetable Industry Roadmap, alongside discussions on revisiting laws supporting the sector.

“I hope this congress will serve as an awakening, shifting the minds of our policymakers to look into the aspect of how the vegetable industry is important in our agricultural economy,” he stressed.

Participants will also have the opportunity to visit selected farms in Iloilo showcasing agricultural innovations and best practices.

The congress will carry the theme: “Innovative. Resilient. Sustainable. Market-Ready: Revitalizing the Vegetable Industry for a Food-Secure Bagong Pilipinas.”

— NPO News Team / PNA-PR