At least 135 farms and five farmers’ cooperatives in the Caraga Region (13) are now certified under the government’s Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) program, strengthening efforts to promote food safety while helping farmers gain access to larger and more stable markets, the Department of Agriculture (DA) said Tuesday.

DA-13 convened the 2026 Caraga Regional Food Safety Summit here Tuesday, a three-day gathering that will run until Thursday.

Around 162 farmers from different provinces in the region are participating in the summit, which aims to showcase food products from GAP-certified farms and facilities and recognize farmers, fisherfolk and other stakeholders for their active compliance with food safety standards.

Plenary sessions on food safety standards and guidelines, led by industry experts, will also be held during the gathering.

“The summit will also link farmers’ organizations and their products with target markets and institutional buyers,” DA-13 said in a statement Tuesday.

The agency added that the gathering will also serve as a venue for consumer education on food safety standards and corresponding certification programs.

Couple Amado and Leonila Antero, both 65 and residents of Purok 4, Barangay Camayahan, Butuan City, are among the GAP-certified farmers participating in the summit.

“We have been into GAP farming since 2014, when we devoted one hectare of our banana farm to the practice,” Leonila said.

She said bananas produced on their GAP-certified farm are sought after by buyers, including large markets that purchase the fruit in bulk.

In September, the couple sold 485 kilograms of bananas in four batches, earning PHP7,274.

This month, two separate buyers purchased a combined 369 kilograms of their GAP-produced bananas worth PHP5,535.

“The production in our one-hectare GAP farm is helping our family earn, aside from the other farm products we produce on the remaining two hectares of land we till,” Leonila said.

She expressed gratitude for the government’s continuing support for farmers through DA’s GAP program.

“We are continuously updated on GAP farming because the DA regularly conducts educational activities for farmers in our area,” Leonila said.

GAP is implemented under Republic Act 10611, or the Food Safety Act of 2013, which seeks to strengthen the country’s food safety regulatory system.

The law also mandates the Department of Agriculture to develop and enforce food safety standards and regulations covering food in the primary production and post-harvest stages of the food supply chain. (PNA)