Benguet farmers fret over effects of cold weather on vegetables

BAGUIO CITY — Highland farmers in Benguet province are starting to worry over the possible adverse effects of cold weather on their vegetable farms as the temperature continues to dip below the normal level of between 12 to 13 degrees Celsius since January 9. PAGASA on Friday said the lowest temperature in the province it recorded this year was at 9.5^o C. Baguio Market Vendors Association president Victor Calimlim said Benguet farmers are bracing for "frost attack" during the coldest temperature, usually happening in February. Calimlim said some of the farmers are covering their vegetables with plastic to keep their plants warm.   According to Salvador Olinares, PAGASA weather specialist, the temperature they recorded on January 18  at 5:15 a.m. was at 9.5^o C, the coldest this month.   He said that at this time of year, the normal temperature is between 12 to 13^o  C.   But in the afternoon, fog coming down from the mountains brings cold wind at around 5 p.m. up to midnight.   Olinares said the cold temperature is due to amihan  or the cold front, which is coming from mainland China and from the Siberian winds.   He said that every year, Baguio City experiences cold temperature due to the cold front, and that January and February is the mid-harvest season for the highland vegetable farmers. Frost (or tiny ice crystal deposits) is a major threat to vegetables grown in the province.    Also, PAGASA officials said they are monitoring the temperature in the region because the ice formation in China continues to thicken, even as the Siberian winds continue to affect the northern part of the country. — Thom Picana /LBG, GMA News