Ambassador Alistair MacDonald, head of the European Commission Delegation to the Philippines, yesterday lauded the Alter Trade Group for the success of their European Union-funded sustainable organic culture project in Negros Occidental.

MacDonald, who met with reporters in Bacolod before visiting farmer beneficiaries La Castellana, said the Alter Trade initiative, "Nurturing Learning Communities on Organic Agriculture for Exports to European Market," is one of the most successful programs the EU has funded in the Philippines.

"The EU very much appreciates the efforts of Alter Trade, as a very effective project implementor, and the hardwork of the farmers themselves, in successfully completing this important project, and thus helping increase farm incomes and promote sustainable development in some of the poorer areas of Negros Occidental," he said.

The P10.18-million EU grant funded various activities for Alter Trade-assisted agrarian reform farming communities such as farming technology transfers through Farmers' Field Schools, educational tours, video documentaries and radio program. Alter Trade also established a Learning Resource Center at their office in Brgy. Bata, Bacolod City.

In November last year, Alter Trade organized an International Conference on Organic Agriculture in Bacolod that linked Negros producers with other organic practitioners, traders and consumers in the Philippines and Europe, Japan, Korea and East Timor.

MacDonald said more than 1,500 farmers in the province directly benefited from the project, and the cooperation between the EU, and Alter Trade is seen to help bring a sustainable increase in farmers' income through awareness on higher-value organic farming and the marketing of organic and Fair Trade products to European markets.

MacDonald said interested groups can also submit proposals to the European Commission for funding under the Small Projects Facility which provides grants to non-profit organizations in the Philippines.

In La Castellana yesterday, MacDonald held a dialog with farmer beneficiaries at Hacienda Isabel, Brgy. Sag-ang who earned a net income of P2.8 million in their 2006 production project and recently acquired a tractor and a post-harvest truck.

Alter Trade is assisting agrarian reform beneficiaries in adopting organic farming systems to rehabilitate the soil and ecology in the province and to provide safer foods for consumers.

The beneficiaries farms are inspected yearly by an international agency and are certified organic based on the EU rules as stipulated in Regulation 2092/91, Naturland and Bio Suisse Standards. Alter Trade exports its certified organic Mascobado sugar to Germany, France, Italy, Austria and Switzerland.

MacDonald said there is a growing market for organic products not only in Europe but in Japan and Korea as well, and even in the Philippines.

"There's an increasing consumer awareness on the importance of organically-produced food in a healthy diet. The consumer is willing to pay more (for it) ," he said.

At the press conference in L'Fisher Hotel, MacDonald was joined by Jose Maria Valencia, chief of staff of Gov. Joseph Marañon, who assured him and the Alter Trade officials of the provincial government's commitment to organic agriculture.

Also present were Norma Mugar, president of ATFI and chairperson of Alter Trade Corp.; Edwin Marthine Lopez, Alter Trade Foundation Inc. executive director; and Earl Parreño, vice president of Alter Trade Corp.*NLG

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