A farmer in Benguet could not sell 3 tons or more P100,000 worth of potatoes, so he just gave it away.
According to Chris Polig, a friend of the farmer, it takes 5 days for the vegetables to travel from Bakun, Benguet to La Trinidad from the previous 4 hours.
But when it came to the trading post in La Trinidad, the potatoes were almost ruined and could no longer be sold, so some of them were thrown away while others were distributed.
The travel time became longer after many roads in Benguet were closed due to the threat of landslides or caused by continuous rains recently.
Farmers in Benguet also have a problem with fewer buyers in Metro Manila due to tighter quarantine restrictions.
According to the Cordillera Department of Agriculture, more than P13 million worth of crops have been damaged in the region due to bad weather.
According to the Hi-land Farmers Multipurpose Cooperative, the price of vegetables in Benguet has increased by up to P40 due to the low supply caused by the southwest monsoon.
This Wednesday, the price per kilo of cabbage at the La Trinidad trading post is P40 to P60, P15 to P30 for carrots, P30 to P32 for wombok, and P28 to P40 for potatoes.
3 tons of unsold potatoes distributed in Benguet
Last month, the price of some vegetables in Metro Manila markets had increased by up to P40 per kilo due to the continuous rains.
At the Commonwealth Market in Quezon City, for example, here are vegetable prices:
Cabbage – P80 per kilo from P40 -P50
Carrots – P60 per kilo from P40
Potatoes – P50 per kilo from P35
Tomatoes – P80 per kilo from P60
Red/green bell pepper – P140 per kilo from P100
Cucumber and eggplant – P60 per kilo from P35
Ampalaya and beans – P60 per kilo from P40
It is said that many of the vegetables that come are withered or damaged.
According to the Department of Agriculture (DA), vegetables are common to be damaged due to rain or storms during these months.
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