Farm to fame

Zac Sarian

very Sunday, Zac Sarian stands at the entrance of the Weekend Market at the Food Terminal in Taguig City, welcoming farmers, entrepreneurs, stall holders, and consumers streaming into the market to look at the produce from Southern and Central Luzon.

Zac Sarian started the concept of assembling agriculture lovers, specialists, and hobbyists 31 years ago, right after the EDSA Revolution, and that concept in a sense woke up many people from the slumber stemming from the restrictive environment of Martial Law.

The initial come-on by Sarian was a half-day forum called “AgriKapihan,” where farmers, members of the academe, retirees, and LGU leaders met every first Saturday of the month to discuss all things related to agriculture. With this approach, he energized the agriculture sector, opening its eyes to the challenges and benefits of field.

This is how the idea of the Sunday Market evolved. The “AgriKapihan” crowd brought to the assembly various farm and home products—some raw, others ready to eat—which the attendees bought or sold.

The Zac Sarian concept was multiplied all over the metropolis and in other cities and provinces so much so that the modest Sarian only smiles when it is remarked that imitating the Sunday market is the highest form of flattery for him.

These days, he is at the helm of The Manila Bulletin’s Agriculture pages and monthly Agriculture Magazine, where he is editor. In addition, he has high-readership columns in the Philippine Panorama, Bannawag, Bisaya, Hiligaynon, and Liwayway magazines.

In 1974, Sarian received the Ramon Magsaysay Award for Journalism, Literature, and Creative Communication. The award is the Asian version of the Nobel Prize.

Agriculture has always been something close to Sarian’s heart. As a young man, he worked at his cousin’s farm, raising poultry and attending to dairy farm animals. He would explore opportunities in journalism but with specific focus on his other interest: agriculture.

Sarian, who finished an Agricultural curriculum in high school in his hometown of Batac, Ilocos Sur, wanted to take up Journalism in college, but the University of the Philippines was not offering a full Journalism course at that time. Instead, he took up Foreign Service, with extra subjects related to Journalism.

After college, he sought work at the Department of Agriculture, offering to help in its communications office. His interaction with working journalists helped him find opportunities in the media and publishing industry. He worked by turns at the Manila Chronicle, Business Day, and Manila Times before ultimately finding his home at The Manila Bulletin (MB) in 1991.

When not minding his pages, the 79-year-old Sarian tends to his farm in Teresa, Rizal where he grows trees and vegetable varieties for domestic consumption and for commerce.