Benguet targets high-end nationwide veggie market

By Carlito C. Dar

BAGUIO CITY- - The provincial government of Benguet has embarked on a program to promote highland vegetables for high-end market aside from providing usual needs of wet markets in the country.

Gov. Nestor Fongwan reported this during a recent program of the Department of Agriculture which included briefing and project site visits at Benguet coffee, upland vegetables and other High Value Crop Development Program (HVCDP) projects under the Agri-Pinoy Food Self Sufficiency Program (FSSP).

Fongwan said in pushing for a year round production of their vegetables produce, they are now grouping  their farmers into one through the Benguet Farmers Cooperative  and  pushing for crop production programming scheme among farmers so they can have  production  of  what the market demands even during the off-season.

He also  bared  on potato production, aside from the table type, they are now pushing for capturing supply requirements of food chains through importation of planting materials from New Brunswick, Canada  which are bigger in size, lesser in moisture and sugary types  that are more preferred in making potato chips and French fries.

For the Benguet produced strawberry, Fongwan also reported that aside from the ‘sweet charlie’ variety thrives in open ground and commonly being produced in the capital town of La Trinidad, they  are  continuously working in upgrading and improving their planting materials.

At present they already producing off-season variety – produced in higher elevation and under green houses from the municipality of Atok.

While expressing his gratitude for the support of the government in the agricultural industry of Benguet,  he added they are  looking forward for the completion of the Agri-Pinoy Trading Center in La Trinidad, which  with its processing center capability  would surely boost their goal to access the high-end market.

The Cordillera Administrative Region remains the biggest producer of semi-temperate or highland vegetables that supplies more than 80 percent of the local market, particularly the National Capital Region, other parts of Luzon and even as far as the Visayas Island.

Benguet accounts more than 80 percent of the total vegetable production in Cordillera.