Cebu Mounts Agro Trade Fair Showcasing Products, Delicacies

(PIA-7) — Local delicacies and products of Cebu will be again be made available for city residents as the province mounts the Agro Trade Fair next month.

Ethel Natera, Cebu provincial information officer, said the local government units will showcase their products and delicacies that they are famous for beginning August 3 to 7.

The activity is in line with the celebration of the 446th Founding Anniversary of Cebu.

One of the featured towns is the Muncipality of Ronda known as home of Cebu’s finest humba.

Other than the humba, Officer-in-Charge (OIC) Provincial Agriculturist Dr. Roldan Saragena said there will also be new camote chips coming from said town.

The product is not yet out in the market except in the neighboring towns.

“What makes it special is that these chips are roasted infusing the technique and formula of its partner Silliman University (SU),” said Dr. Saragena.

Ronda municipal Agriculturist Lilibeth Montaño said SU’s intervention came through the initiative of Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR).

Aside from training the farmers how to make the chips, the program also involved the packaging and the marketing of Ronda’s Best.

The beneficiaries of the program are graduates of Farmer-Scientist Training Program (FSTP) in Barangays Malalay, Langin and Vive.

Aside from camote chips, they were also trained to make banana chips and sayote vegetable salad.

Montaño said some of the products were already introduced in Moalboal and some were given away for promotional purposes.

The town was able to showcase these products to FSTP National Program Leader Dr. Romulo Davide, FSTP-Cebu Province Team, and Cebu Technological University officials in an FSTP graduation rite last June.

The farmers are still in the training stage. She said once they have perfected the craft, these will be approved by SU.

In the meantime, Montaño said SU allowed the farmers to sell the products but they have to use different packaging.

“We could not use the packaging prescribed by SU as they have yet to check quality of the products first,” she added.

Ronda became famous for its unique version of humba pork serving. The town’s original humba is now being served as a signature dish in a restaurant of major hotel in Cebu City.

Dr. Saragena appealed to the participating local government units to offer the lowest price for their farm products in the fair.

Other delicacies include Chicharon of Carcar, Argao’s torta, Asturias’ bingka dawa, Mandaue City’s bingka and tagaktak. (rmn/fcc/PIA7-Cebu with reports from Cebu PIO)