March 28, 2024

The City Veterinary and Agriculture Office (CVAO) is asking the city council to craft an ordinance that would regulate and ensure that honey sold in Baguio City is not adulterated or mixed with sugar.

This came in the heels of the crackdown by the city government on deceptive practices at the public market, such as the mislabeling of imported oranges as “Sagada” orange.

CVAO Senior Agriculturist Marcelina Tabelin said during a recent consultation with stakeholders of the city’s agriculture sector, a beekeepers’ group said a lot of adulterated honey products are being sold to the public.

Tabelin said there is a need to stop the practice by crafting an ordinance that would ensure that the honey sold at the public market are genuine and those selling adulterated ones are penalized.

She said the beekeepers’ group also informed officials the honey they produce and sell at the market are put in original containers.

Tabelin said adulterated honey products are usually put in recycled containers, such as bottles of alcoholic drinks.

She assured CVAO will coordinate with other concerned agencies like the Department of Trade and Industry to address the concern.

There are around 3,000 registered urban farmers in Baguio who are attending to a total farmland area of about 186 hectares, according to Tabelin.

Mayor Benjamin Magalong, who called for the conduct of the consultation among stakeholders in the agriculture sector, assured the city government’s support to the urban farmers.

He also ordered that consultations with the agriculture sector be held every quarter. The next consultation will be held in November to gather inputs from those engaged in urban farming and for their concerns to be addressed. – Gaby B. Keith