Benguet farmers are throwing away truckloads of vegetables they worked to grow after plunging prices, scarce buyers and costly trips to trading centers left some with little reason to bring their harvests to market.
Along the Labey-Lacamen Road in Tublay on Sunday, August 16, Chinese cabbage and carrots were dumped by farmers who said selling their produce could mean spending even more while earning too little from their crops.
Some farmers said vegetable prices had dropped sharply while buyers had become scarce or stopped purchasing altogether. Bringing produce to trading centers in La Trinidad would add transportation costs, pushing them to discard their harvest instead.
Long queues have made the problem worse. Some farmers said waits at trading centers can stretch up to two days. By the time they unload, vegetables may have already deteriorated in quality and there were few buyers. Residents were seen collecting discarded vegetables to feed livestock.
Heavy rains have also affected farming and vegetable production in Benguet. The province supplies around 70 to 80 percent of vegetable demand in Luzon, including Metro Manila.
Samahang Industriya ng Agrikultura executive director Jayson Cainglet said farmgate prices remain low in several trading areas even as retail prices rise.
“Karaniwan, ang talagang kumikita diyan, hindi naman ‘yung mga farmer, kundi talagang ‘yung mga biyahero at mga trader,” Cainglet said.
He also said price increases were not justified while farmers continue absorbing losses from recent storms and Habagat.
“Kawawa rin ang consumers dahil nabayo na tayo ng bagyo at ng habagat. Pagdating sa presyuhan, hindi talaga justified,” he said.
Cainglet urged local governments and the Department of Agriculture to speed up assistance for affected farmers and fisherfolk. The DA had yet to issue a statement on the reported vegetable dumping in Tublay as of Monday morning.
