• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
The inaugural Terra Madre Asia and Pacific (TMAP), held from Nov. 19 to 23 in Bacolod City, gathered about 75,000 visitors and generated P46.59 million in total sales.
Organizers released the figures Thursday as they touted the international slow food event, which was attended by about 2,500 delegates from 25 countries, as an “overwhelming success.”
“These figures are based on consolidated reports of actual sales over the five-day period. The figure only covers event-related data,” TMAP 2025 executive director Reena Gamboa said in a statement.
She added that the income from hotel bookings, restaurant sales, tourist arrivals, and other tourist-related activities is calculated separately.
The total amount was generated from sales in major events, such as street food exhibitions, restaurant and bar takeovers, slow food travel, taste workshops, and donations from coffee and slow drinks.
The highest earner was the street food exhibition along the North Capitol Road, which drew 50,000 visitors to the booths of 107 exhibitors, while an additional 25,000 in foot traffic was recorded for events inside the Capitol Lagoon.
“We are proud to have formed bonds with farmers, fisherfolk, food producers, and cooks within the Asia-Pacific region to ensure good, clean, and fair food for all,” Gamboa said.
TMAP 2025 co-chair Ramon Uy Jr. said exhibitors of the 18th Negros Island Organic Farmers Festival, which was held concurrently on South Capitol Road, earned about P1.4 million from the slow food event.
He noted that chefs, mixologists, slow food communities, and Cooks Alliance members sourced local ingredients from organic farmers and fisherfolk.
“These ingredients were then used in food and drinks at the taste workshop, cooking demonstrations, community cook-off, street food exhibition, and slow drinks. With Terra Madre, we have put Bacolod City, Negros Occidental, and the Philippines in the global gastronomy map,” Uy said.
Meanwhile, Negros Occidental Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson on Thursday suggested comparing the data of the TMAP 2025 organizers with that of the Office of the Provincial Agriculturist (OPA) on the sales generated during the five-day simultaneous events held last week.
Of the P2.8-million sales during the 18th Negros Island Organic Farmers Festival, only 6.5 percent or P185,000 came from the TMAP, Lacson said.
“For as long as the OPA will stand by its data, we will stand by it. After OPA compares its data with Terra Madre, let’s see what the story is,” the governor said.
“There is a need to verify the figures as Bacolod City Lone District Rep. Alfredo Abelardo Benitez also suggested comparing notes,” Lacson added.
The governor earlier expressed dismay that the TMAP 2025, co-organized by the provincial government, did not provide the anticipated economic boost or income for local farmers.
Lacson said he had envisioned the TMAP 2025 as a prime opportunity to connect Negros’ organic farmers directly with international chefs and delegates, fostering sales and promoting the region’s agricultural products.
The integration of the organic farmers’ festival with Terra Madre was specifically designed to achieve this goal, he said. | GB
