Benguet farmers dump veggie produce due to oversupply, lack of buyers

Truckloads of carrots, pechay and cabbage were reportedly dumped along a roadside in Tublay, Benguet, with farmers blaming an oversupply of vegetables and a lack of buyers.

In a cellphone video obtained by Youscooper Grail Polig, residents were seen collecting some of the discarded vegetables, which they said would be fed to their livestock.

According to an "Unang Balita" report, some farmers said long queues at trading centers could take up to two days.

By the time they were able to unload their produce, the vegetables had deteriorated in quality and there were few buyers, forcing them to dispose of their harvest.

The incident came amid concerns over low farmgate prices despite rising retail prices of agricultural products.

The Department of Agriculture has yet to issue a statement on the reported vegetable dumping in Tublay.

In a separate dzBB report, Samahang Industriya ng Agrikultura (SINAG) executive director Jayson Cainglet said agricultural prices should not increase despite the impact of bad weather on the agriculture sector.

Cainglet said farmgate prices remained low in various trading areas, with farmers bearing losses even as retail prices increased.

“Karaniwan, ang talagang kumikita diyan, hindi naman 'yung mga farmer, kundi talagang 'yung mga biyahero at mga trader,” Cainglet said.

(Usually, the ones who really profit from this are not the farmers, but the haulers and traders.)

He said price increases were not justified, particularly as farmers were still struggling with losses caused by recent storms and the southwest monsoon or Habagat.

“Kawawa rin ang consumers dahil nabayo na tayo ng bagyo at ng habagat. Pagdating sa presyuhan, hindi talaga justified,” he said.

(Consumers are also bearing the brunt because we have already been battered by storms and the southwest monsoon. When it comes to prices, the increases are really not justified.)

Cainglet urged local governments and the Department of Agriculture to speed up the distribution of assistance to farmers and fisherfolk affected by the bad weather.

“'Yung kagyat na tulong, 'yun po talaga ang inaasahan ng ating mga farmer and even po 'yung ating mga mangingisda,” he said.

(The immediate assistance is really what our farmers and even our fisherfolk are counting on.)

He also called for the immediate distribution of replacement boats and other equipment needed by fisherfolk to resume fishing activities.

Cainglet said fuel subsidies should likewise be distributed immediately, particularly with diesel prices expected to rise.

“Marami pa ring hindi nakakatanggap (Many still have not received [the subsidy],” he said.— MCG, GMA News