THE Department of Agriculture will build additional cold storage facilities in key vegetable supply areas in response to the challenges faced by farmers, such as overproduction and post-harvest losses.
There is a significant drop in vegetable prices from the Philippine province of Benguet, as observed by Sandy at the Balintawak Market in Quezon City.
Sandy, a vegetable seller, said an oversupply of vegetables such as cabbage, bell peppers, and green beans, led to reduced demand.
“The problem now is that it’s not in season anymore, and New Year and Christmas are over, so everyone is trying to save money. There’s an abundance of vegetables from Baguio and it hasn’t been sold because there’s an excess in supply and insufficient demand,” Sandy, Vegetable Vendor said.
However, the Agriculture Department said the vegetable supply situation in Benguet is improving.
According to DA Spokesperson Assistant Secretary Arnel de Mesa, based on their monitoring, there is no oversupply of vegetables in the province.
“In the first three days, not many traders went to our trading post, so after that, it returned to normal. In fact, since January 8, transactions returned to the usual level by 12 noon because the products were really stuck at the trading post,” Asec. Arnel de Mesa, Spokesperson, DA stated.
To address the surplus in vegetable supply, constructing additional cold storage facilities in provinces that are the main sources of vegetables for Metro Manila is seen as the solution to prevent possible overproduction and post-harvest losses, which pose a significant challenge to farmers.
“This year, La Union will have one, Baguio will have one, and then one in Taguig at FTI in Quezon, and one in Mindoro,” added De Mesa.
This will greatly help with logistics and the distribution system.
De Mesa added that the agency has allocate P1 billion pesos for the project, with construction targeted to start as soon as possible.
Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. also visited the Food Terminal Incorporated and met with officials to instruct FTI to purchase excess produce directly from farmers and sell them through Kadiwa, bypassing traders.
Philippines to build solar-powered irrigation system in areas vulnerable to El Niño
Meanwhile, the DA is also preparing for the potential impact of the El Niño phenomenon on Philippine agriculture.
As part of the agency’s interventions, they plan to construct solar irrigation projects.
“So, the priority is in areas that will be affected. It’s still in the early stages, and definitely, the Secretary will find ways with this initial P250 million,” De Mesa said.
