Vegetable prices to normalize in 3 weeks - Agri exec

MANILA, Philippines - With its rehabilitation program for farmers in full swing, the Agriculture department expects prices of lowland vegetables to normalize in three weeks' time. Agriculture assistant secretary Salvador Salacup said Tuesday they are now distributing seeds for ampalaya and eggplant to help farmer groups recover from storms "Cosme" and "Frank." "May rehab program ng DA, ang binhi ng ampalaya at talong binibigay natin para maka-recover sila agad. Another three weeks diyan mano-normalize yan (The DA is now implementing a rehabilitation program. It is giving ampalaya and eggplant seeds to farmers so they can recover soonest. We expect prices of lowland-type vegetables to normalize in three weeks)," Salacup said in an interview on dzXL radio. He said prices of lowland-type vegetables had gone up since storm "Cosme" and "Frank" ravaged vegetable-producing areas in Bicol and Southern and Central Luzon. On the other hand, he said "Frank" pounded Pangasinan province, another major vegetable-producing province, when it exited the country. "Tinuhog ang mga lowland-type vegetable areas (The typhoons lashed our provinces that are producers of lowland-type vegetables)," he said. Salacup said he and other DA officials also talked Monday night with Benguet Gov. Nestor Fongwan, who he said assured them of enough supply of highland vegetables like carrots and pechay. In the meantime, he said the DA will continue giving fertilizer support to rice-producing provinces, and is now considering a request from Fongwan to extend similar support to vegetable-producing areas. "We're working on a program, kailangan suportahan ang farmers natin to make sure we are secure in food (We're working on a program to make sure farmers are supported so we can be secure in food)," he said. - GMANews.TV