Tublay farmer vies for Nat'l Gawad Saka plum

A FARMER from Tublay, Benguet will gun for the National Gawad Saka High Value Crops Farmer Category of the Department of Agriculture.

Having been a cancer survivor, Rebecca Faustino of Nalseb, Ambassador Tublay, reconsidered to follow through GAP certification to ensure the production of safe and quality vegetable products for their consumption and that of potential consumers.

Faustino, who owns and manages La Faustino Farm with the helped of her husband Lito and their youngest son Rex is one of the first PhilGAP registered farms in the Cordillera which produces high value crops such as bell pepper, broccoli, tomato, lettuce, aragula, spinach, and strawberry.

Jallyne Remoquillo and Julie Solis from the DA Central Office High Value Crops and Development Program together with Flora Jarilla and Lorna Villegas from Bureau of Plant and Industries Los Baños composed the validation team which assessed Faustino.

Among the 14 Regions that submitted their entries for the said category, seven

were shortlisted including Faustino for the national finalist. The validation team are on the process of validating the shortlisted finalist up to the end of September of this year.

National Gawad Saka Winners will be proclaimed in October.

“I have been praying for it because I have done my very best not to frustrate the Department of Agriculture and the Municipality of Tublay who are helping me,” Faustino said adding she wanted to share all the good practices they do in the farm so other farmers will also enjoy working in their own farms.

Fuastino encouraged other farmers to imitate their good practices so that they will become partners in meeting the demand of the market adding “in farming there is a future.”