Interest-free loans for Baguio City farmers, vendors eyed

By Dexter A. See

BAGUIO CITY – The city legislative body approved on first reading a proposed ordinance providing for interest-free loans to farmers and vendors affected by the imposition and extension of the Luzon enhanced community quarantine (ECQ).

            The ordinance authored by all members of the city council stated it will be a policy of the city government to provide interest-free loan to farmers and vendors whose sources of income are affected by the ECQ due to the fight against the dreaded Corona Virus Disease (COVID) 2019.

            Under the proposed ordinance, each farmer shall be granted a maximum loan of P5,000 as start up for their farms and that only farmers registered with the City Veterinary and Agriculture Office shall be allowed to avail of the loan and the vendors registered with the City Market Authority shall be granted the same.

            The ordinance stipulates that the City Veterinary office and the City Market Authority shall prepare the guidelines and schemes for the availment of loans within 1 week from the approval of the proposed measure.

            The ordinance mandates the city government to provide an initial funding of P5 million from any available source of the city for the aforesaid purpose.

            The ordinance tasks the agricultural services division of the City Veterinary Office and the Office of the Market Supervisor of the City Treasury Office shall be the implementing offices of the proposal and the said offices shall submit to the City Council the number of farmers and vendors who availed of the loan.

            Based on a partial farmers survey conducted by the agricultural services division of the City Veterinary Office, there are some 1,582 farmers in 16 agriculture barangays cultivating farming areas in the city.

            The ordinance cites that the agriculture-based services include farming or planting of crops such as sayote, coffee, strawberry, potato, coffee, broccoli, lettuce, cutflowers and other herbs.

            According to the proposal, farmers normally prepare and plant the volume of vegetables and cutflowers in time for the Baguio flower festival and the summer season where there was supposed to be an influx of tourists to purchase the same.

            However, the cancellation of the flower festival and all other crowd-drawing events for the summer season due to the pandemic affected the income of farmers and vendors alike, following the stoppage of numerous related economic activities.

            During the nearly two months of extended ECQ, the ordinance claims there were less sales or no sales at all of vegetables and cutflowers as these were either distributed for free or sold at very low prices, thus, depleting the capital of the farmers and vendors.

            The ordinance stipulates that the affected farmers and vendors need assistance in the form of interest-free loans for their needed start up capital to resume their economic activities after the projected lifting of the extended ECQ by May 15, 2020.

            The ordinance was referred to the appropriate committee for study and recommendation.