Balita, June 10, 2011 10:45 pm

By Danny O. Calleja

PILI, Camarines Sur, June 10 — The Department of Agriculture (DA) has launched in Bicol a project aimed at promoting the popular Ilocano dish called “pinakbet” in support to the implementation of its Good Agricultural Practice (GAP) program in Bicol.

GAP is a set of consolidated safety and quality standards formulated by the DA for on-farm fruit and vegetable production based on concept of Hazard Analysis of Critical Control Points (HACCP) and quality management principles focused on farm location, environment, maintenance, farming practices and management.

Farm environment involves the soil and nutrients while maintenance deals with farm hygiene and cleanliness. Farming practices are about methods, techniques in pesticide and fertilizer applications, pest and disease management and postharvest handling. Farm management means farm records, traceability, and staff training.

The project dubbed Establishing of the Code of Practice for “Pinakbet” Vegetables was piloted in the areas of Bicol—Talisay, Camarines Norte; Tabaco City in Albay; and La Huerta Farm in Baao, Camarines Sur. The project aims to help farmers adopt the GAP for fruits and vegetables, DA regional executive director Jose Dayao on Friday said.

The basis of the GAP, according to Dayao is to provide safe and nutritious food products for the consumers by reducing the risk of microbial and pesticide contamination while ensuring the safety of workers and environmental protection.

The pinakbet that is derived from the Ilocano word “pinakebbet” which means “to shivel or “dry up”, is known all over the Philippines as a healthy dish made with different types of vegetables that offer a special balance of flavors added with "bagoong" (shrimp paste).

Unlike other stews, this viand from the Ilocos Region is a bit dry and the sweet taste of squash, the bitterness of ampalaya (bitter gourd), the sticky okra, crisp string beans and the saltiness of the shrimp paste make this an irresistible dish, Dayao said.

The “pinakbet” is given emphasis in the project as the DA regional chief said it deals with a mixture of vegetables grown, maintained and managed in different manners and with the increase in the demand for food comes the increase in awareness for food and environment safety especially in the face of many food-borne illnesses that occur nowadays.

Along this line, the launching of the project held at the La Huerta Farms over the week was highlighted by a vegetable harvest festival attended by the members of the Rural Improvement Club (RIC) of Baao, Organized Vegetable Growers of Libmanan, Camarines Sur and vegetable farmers from Camarines Norte, he said.

Through this project, the DA's intervention for vegetable growers in the region which include vegetable seeds of hybrid and open pollinated varieties, drip irrigation, shallow tube wells, green houses and rain shelters training and extension support, info dissemination thru quad media and postharvest processing facilities would be enhanced, according to its regional coordinator Rosita Imperial.

(PNA) LAP/LAM/LQ/DOC/1335

Source: DA promotes ‘pinakbet’ under good agricultural practice program in Bicol