MANILA, Philippines - The country’s best agriculture and environment writers in 2009 will be conferred the BINHI (Agriculture Journalism) awards on March 5.
The awards will be given by the Philippine Agricultural Journalists, Inc. (PAJ), an organization of agriculture and environment editors, reporters, and correspondents; information officers of government and private agriculture agencies; and industry associations.
The award winners will receive cash prizes and trophies at a program marking the 33rd anniversary celebration of PAJ to be held at the Department of Agriculture-Bureau of Soils and Water Management (DA-BSWM) along the Elliptical Road in Diliman, Quezon City.
Theme of the affair is “Agriculture Journalism in a Period of Change.”
To deliver inspirational talks are former Agriculture Secretary and now Sorsogon Rep. Salvador H. Escudero III, Rep. Abraham Mitra of Palawan, and Henry Lim Bon Liong, president and CEO of Sterling Group of Companies/SL Agritech Corp.
The 2009 BINHI Awards cover the contest period Jan. 1, 2008 to June 30, 2009.
The awards have eight categories: Agricultural Journalist, Agriculture Beat Reporter, Environmental Journalist, Photojournalist, Agriculture Magazine, Newsletter, Radio Program, and Media/Information Campaign.
The PAJ, in partnership with major agribusiness companies, has been giving the BINHI Awards since 1978 “to raise the bar of reportage and coverage of the major developments and issues in the Philippine countryside,” said PAJ president Sanny Galvez. – Rudy A. Fernandez