- MITCH M. LIPA
The town of Murcia, which is positioning itself to be the food basket of Negros Occidental, is showcasing the agricultural produce of its 23 barangays in “Murcia’s Best Harvest Agri Fair” from Feb. 1 to 28 at the municipal covered court.
The local government believes this will give visitors the chance to select food items either for family consumption or for business and retail.
“This is what the local government aims to improve – to have an identity that any kind of food can be found in the municipality,” Mayor Gerry Rojas said.
Daily supply of Murcia’s best products from root crops to vegetables is produced by more than 10 farmers associations supported by the local government unit.
Everyday for the month of February, an array of fresh vegetables from the upland farmers are available and a buyer doesn’t need not to go to Canlaon City in Negros Oriental to buy in volume.
Producing native chicken as well as broilers, Murcia is the home of the biggest egg producer in the province. Fighting cock farms, which is another industry of the province, are also in the town because of the favorable weather.
From banana chips to coffee and its by-products brings, a selection of agri-based food from small entrepreneurs will entice visitors to taste a sample.
An organizer said they are also producing a good variety of coffee that supplies the demand of a popular coffee bar in Bacolod City.
Different kinds of fruits such as banana, guava and pineapple, are also available in the agri fair.
The COVID-19 pandemic brings in plant lovers or the plantitas and plantitos for a variety of indoor and garden plants to choose from. Murcia has endemic flowers found at the foot of Mt. Kanlaon at Mambukal Resort in Barangay Minoyan.
Murcia is known for its Tinabu-ay market day every Sunday, and sells different varieties of dried fish from Cadiz City and San Carlos City in the north and Hinigaran and Ilog in the south.
One area of the public market is closed to traffic during market day, but because of pandemic, the Sunday market day has been suspended.
Those who want to visit the agri fair are advised to observe health protocols, organizer said. – MML
