LA TRINIDAD, Benguet -- A farmer was seen cutting up dozens of yet to be
harvested cabbages to turn them into fertilizers instead of selling them
because he could not afford the high cost of transporting them to the market.
Samuel Daniel said he shot the video in April this year when cabbages were priced around P5 to P10 per kilo at the vegetable trading post here.
The plummeting prices, he said, caused him to lose his capital worth P10,000.
"Basura na sa garden, ang gawin na lang natin ganito, para maging abono. Wala akong naibenta ngayon," Daniel said in Tina Panganiban-Perez’s report on “24 Oras." (These are now garbage in the vegetable garden, we will just turn these into fertilizer. I wasn't able to sell any.)
“Kung aanihin ko po ‘yung aking repolyo tapos ibebenta doon sa La Trinidad, Benguet sa bagsakan ng gulay ay aabutin po kami ng tatlo hanggang apat na oras bago ibyahe ‘yung gulay namin. Tapos ‘yung mga tao po na maghahakot sa garden, binabayaran po namin,” he added.
(If I harvest the cabbages and sell them at the La Trinidad, Benguet outpost, it will take three to four hours to get there. We also need to pay for the farm workers.)
Daniel appealed to the government to put in place policies that would stabilize vegetable prices in the province.
“‘Yung sistema po ng pagbili ng gulay sa bagsakan ng La Trinidad, Benguet, sana po mag-stable ng presyo ng kahit ‘yung P30 pataas. Ganoon ‘yung presyo sana para hindi ‘yung biglang bumaba, biglang tumaas. Wala. ‘Yung kumikita po, ‘yung mga naghahakot po ng gulay papuntang Maynila,” he said.
(I hope the government can stabilize prices in La Trinidad, Benguet to P30 up. That should be the price and it should not change suddenly. The only ones who profit from here are those who supply vegetables in Manila.)
The Dept. of Agriculture (DA) said it is now trying to reach out to Daniel to offer assistance.
“With this particular TikTok, ngayon po ay nakausap ko po si Mayor at sabi ko, hanapin natin ‘yan. Puntahan na natin sila, one farm after another,” DA Undersecretary Kristine Evangelista said.
(With this particular TikTok, we already coordinated with the mayor. We said we should reach out to them and help them one farm after another.)
Last week, the DA met with the local government, municipal agriculturists, and Benguet farmers to help them connect with buyers who purchase in bulk. It also distributed a truck to the provincial government to help farmers transport their crops to the trading post.
“We have a standing directive na dapat walang masasayang. At tutulong dapat ang aming mga regional field offices basta may advance coordination. Mayroon naman tayong ibibigay ulit na mga vegetable seeds para makapagtanim uli sila,” Agriculture Secretary William Dar said.
(We have a standing directive that nothing should be wasted. Our regional offices are also mandated to help as long as there’s advanced coordination. We will give the farmers vegetable seeds so they can plant again.) – Sundy Locus/LDF, GMA News
Samuel Daniel said he shot the video in April this year when cabbages were priced around P5 to P10 per kilo at the vegetable trading post here.
The plummeting prices, he said, caused him to lose his capital worth P10,000.
"Basura na sa garden, ang gawin na lang natin ganito, para maging abono. Wala akong naibenta ngayon," Daniel said in Tina Panganiban-Perez’s report on “24 Oras." (These are now garbage in the vegetable garden, we will just turn these into fertilizer. I wasn't able to sell any.)
“Kung aanihin ko po ‘yung aking repolyo tapos ibebenta doon sa La Trinidad, Benguet sa bagsakan ng gulay ay aabutin po kami ng tatlo hanggang apat na oras bago ibyahe ‘yung gulay namin. Tapos ‘yung mga tao po na maghahakot sa garden, binabayaran po namin,” he added.
(If I harvest the cabbages and sell them at the La Trinidad, Benguet outpost, it will take three to four hours to get there. We also need to pay for the farm workers.)
Daniel appealed to the government to put in place policies that would stabilize vegetable prices in the province.
“‘Yung sistema po ng pagbili ng gulay sa bagsakan ng La Trinidad, Benguet, sana po mag-stable ng presyo ng kahit ‘yung P30 pataas. Ganoon ‘yung presyo sana para hindi ‘yung biglang bumaba, biglang tumaas. Wala. ‘Yung kumikita po, ‘yung mga naghahakot po ng gulay papuntang Maynila,” he said.
(I hope the government can stabilize prices in La Trinidad, Benguet to P30 up. That should be the price and it should not change suddenly. The only ones who profit from here are those who supply vegetables in Manila.)
The Dept. of Agriculture (DA) said it is now trying to reach out to Daniel to offer assistance.
“With this particular TikTok, ngayon po ay nakausap ko po si Mayor at sabi ko, hanapin natin ‘yan. Puntahan na natin sila, one farm after another,” DA Undersecretary Kristine Evangelista said.
(With this particular TikTok, we already coordinated with the mayor. We said we should reach out to them and help them one farm after another.)
Last week, the DA met with the local government, municipal agriculturists, and Benguet farmers to help them connect with buyers who purchase in bulk. It also distributed a truck to the provincial government to help farmers transport their crops to the trading post.
“We have a standing directive na dapat walang masasayang. At tutulong dapat ang aming mga regional field offices basta may advance coordination. Mayroon naman tayong ibibigay ulit na mga vegetable seeds para makapagtanim uli sila,” Agriculture Secretary William Dar said.
(We have a standing directive that nothing should be wasted. Our regional offices are also mandated to help as long as there’s advanced coordination. We will give the farmers vegetable seeds so they can plant again.) – Sundy Locus/LDF, GMA News
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