Philippine Harvest at Central Square continues to celebrate and promote the richness of Philippine agriculture through a three-day food and travel fair dubbed “Philippine Harvest: Sustainable Living, Food, and Travel,” that highlights farm tourism, local food, and tourist destinations around the country. This is the second edition under the helm of the Department of Tourism which was showcased at Central Square, Bonifacio High Street Central, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig City last August 24 to 26, 2018. Central Square, the premiere lifestyle destination in the heart of the city, has been home to the Philippine Harvest series since 2016.
As an avenue where you can buy, bring home and enjoy organic, artisanal, natural, and indigenous products, the 1st edition themed “Philippine Harvest: Celebration of Philippine Food Destinations,” highlighted culinary destinations like Bicol, Negros Occidental, Cebu, and Davao. The four-day fair also served as an invitation to farmers, fisherfolk, and farm practitioners for an interactive dialogue and local food exhibition. Now on its 2nd run with the Department of Tourism, Philippine Harvest continues to celebrate good food and pay homage to the people that produce them.
“At the core of our programs and projects in the Department is our sustainable and responsible tourism advocacy which we aim to promote with this edition of Philippine Harvest,” shared DOT Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat.
SSI (Stores Specialists, Inc.) Group and Central Square in partnership with the Department of Tourism and the Tourism Promotions Board have brought together DOT-accredited farm sites across the different regions together with selected travel agencies and thirty local food exhibitors.
The food and travel expo will also present mini-lectures on sustainable tourism and sustainable dining, organized by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) Philippines.
“We hope to develop sustainable farm tourism as a dependable source of income for Filipinos in line with implementation of the Farm Tourism Development Act of 2016, which serves as one of our strategies for countryside development,” added Secretary Romulo-Puyat.
Among the Luzon-based farm tour operators joining the cause are the Terra Verde Eco Farm from Maragondon Cavite, Layog Country Farm from Mountain Province, Amancio’s Dairy and Produce Farm from Cordon Isabela, Tam-An Eco-Tourism Farm from Bayombong, Nueva Vizcaya, The FarmHouse by EDL from Capas, Tarlac, and Amadeo Nurture Farmacy from Cavite.
The Visayas and Mindanao contingents include Sonrisa Farm from Magarao, Camarines Sur, Ephrathah Farms Corp. from Iloilo, BinahonAgroforesty Farm from Lantapan, Bukidnon, and Mariano’s Blooming Agri-Tourism Park from Tupi, South Cotabato.
Local produce from the partner exhibitors will also be bannered in the food show. These include dried seafood, coffee, heirloom rice, chocolate, craft beers, fruit wines, fresh fruits, and local sausages, among others.
SSI Group President Anton Huang said, “As we continue to provide lifestyle offerings to our consumers, we at SSI are proud to, once again, showcase the best of what the Philippines has to offer—not only for our guests to appreciate the Philippines’ finest flavors, but also to create more awareness when it comes to how our travels impact our planet. Travel has become a big part of all of our lives and this is our way of practicing this advocacy here in our own backyard, and presenting Filipino travelers with options and ideas.”
Stay hungry,
thehungrychef
Nathaniel C. Uy
The Hungry Chef 