MANILA, Philippines -- This seems to be the season for agricultural events which our farmers, agri-entrepreneurs, businessmen as well as people in the academe should attend.

Agri-Fisheries Forum — One such event is the Agriculture and Fisheries Technology Forum (AFTF) that will be held starting today, August 11 and will end up to Sunday, August 14. This will be held at the Megatrade Hall 2 of SM Megamall in Mandaluyong City under the auspices of the Bureau of Agricultural Research (BAR) of the Department of Agriculture.

The event will tackle organic farming and other topics related to sustainable agriculture, climate change and others. Organically grown adlai and native pigs will be featured in cooking demonstrations. Adlai is being popularized by BAR because it is a staple of some Filipino natives in Mindanao that is rich in fiber, protein and energy. It is a herbal medicine that is considered anti-inflammatory, anti-allergenic, anti-mutagen, and anti-diabetes. There will be free tasting of food using adlai, stevia and native pigs.

Aside from the seminars and workshops on organic food production and processing, there are other interesting agricultural gatherings that are coming up.

Techno-Gabay Summit — One of them is the Regional Techno- Gabay Summit that will be held on August 15 to 17 at the Southern Luzon State University (SLSU) in Lucban, Quezon.

Among the features of the event will be a trade fair and agricultural exhibits. According to Nickie Esmero, other highlights will be the presentation of the completed science and technology-based farms (STBFs), a poster competition for on-going ST-BFs, the announcement of the Best Regional Partner Member Agency (PMA), and Best Regional Farmers’ Information and Technology Services Center (FITS Center), and the Malapapaya Harvest Festival. Malapapaya is a forest species that is fast-growing and is used in making many important household articles.

Esmero is the Regional Techno- Gaby Program coordinator of the Southern Tagalog Agriculture Resources Research and Development Consortium (STARRDEC).

Coconut Festival — Also coming up is the 10th Coconut Festival which will also be held at the Megatrade Hall of SM Megamall in Mandaluyong City from August 25 to 28.

The event will highlight the versatility of the coconut through exhibits of various food and non-food products and byproducts by traders from all over the country, according to PCA Administrator Euclides G. Forbes.

This year’s celebration will provide a venue for information sharing, trading and market matching activities which will promote business opportunities from the coconut to attest that indeed the coconut is the Tree of Life.

There will be free lectures on the latest technology and product updates.

One focus of the festival will be the opportunities in utilizing the coconut husk for making into geotextiles and organic fertilizers. According to Agriculture Sec. Proceso J. Alcala, the country could generate revenues of at least $225 million annually by processing the husks into these high-value products.

Agrilink Trade Show — Of course, the most anticipated agricultural gathering will be the 2011 edition of Agrilink which will be held on October 6 to 8 at the World Trade Center-Metro Manila. Make sure to visit this event because you will be able to observe the latest developments in agribusiness that include fisheries and the food business.