An official of the Department of AgricultureWestern Visayas urged local journalists to write more agriculture stories that are substantial and accurate, during the Bright Leaf Agricultural Journalism awards roadshow at L’Fisher Hotel, Bacolod City, Tuesday.
VictoricoNabor, executive assistant of the DAWestern Visayas Director, said he hopes the media will write or air stories that are important for the farmers, now that the agriculture sector has been given more attention by the government through implementing more projects and programs.
The Bright Leaf Agriculture Journalism awards is one of the highest awardgiving bodies that honor the outstanding work of the Filipino journalists who promote development and awareness issues relating to the agriculture situation in the county.
“Without the media, it will be hard for us to extend new technology to our farmers”, he said, adding,“especially now the sector is facing more challenges on climate change.”
He also said that through the help of writers and broadcasters, it will be possible to encourage farmers to practice ‘climatesmart’ agriculture.
The awardgiving body is sponsored by the Philip MorrisFortune Tobacco Corporation that is running its 11 th year this 2017 and Bacolod was the 5 th of the key cities they will be visiting
nationwide.
PMFTC External Affairs Director BayenTingasaid the Bright Leaf awards aim to highlight the agriculture sector and show the challenges they are currently facing.
She encouraged the media to help educate the public on the situation of farmers in the country, adding that through this competition they could bridge the need of the agri sector through journalism.
Bacolod Rep.Greg Gasataya also said the role of journalists in the province has been very significant as they raise issues that need to be solved, especially on the crisis in the sugar industry.
He said that by writing about the plight of the farmers, the media makes government give more attention and help to address their problems.
Gasataya was with Nabor as the keynote speaker of the event.The agriculture journalism awards will give recognitions in 10 categories, which are the Agriculture Story of the Year, Business Sugar crisis will force MSMEs to innovate City gov’t acting on delinquent market, Manokan stall holders Work, study applications on DA urges more substantial, accurate agriculture stories Tobacco Story of the Year, Agriculture Photo of the Year, Tobacco Photo of the Year, Best Agriculture TV Program/Segment, Best Agriculture Radio Program/Segment, and Best Agriculture News and Feature Stories published in national and regional newspapers .
The winner of the best agriculture and tobacco story and photo of the year will receive P50,000, a Bright Leaf trophy, iPad and an Asian Trip ticket during the awarding which will be on Nov. 17 this year.
With this year’s theme, “A Tribute”, Bright Leaf recognizes the agricultural sector’s pivotal role in nationbuilding, through the journalists and their stories, its press release said.The stories that will enter the competition should be published or aired between Sept. 1, 2016 and Aug. 31, 2017