Benguet allows veggie farmers to till; bans chicken dung sale

LA TRINIDAD, Benguet – Gov. Melchor Diclas said vegetable farmers whose crops are ready for harvest will be allowed to tend their farms, This as farmers aired fear the enhanced community quarantine imposed on Luzon will hamper the economic activities of farmers.

"It is about food security," Diclas said as the national government required people to stay in their homes.

A steady supply of vegetables will be ensured, Diclas, a physician, said. "People of Benguet, and the rest of the residents of Luzon need to boost their body resistance by eating nutritious foods like vegetables."

Food production is among industries exempted from work stoppages.

Benguet supplies at least 85% of the different vegetable market needs of the National Capital Region and the rest of the country.

Diclas said vegetable production should go on, but farmers have to practice safety health precautions against COVID-19.

Diclas meanwhile ordered a ban on entry and selling of chicken dung in Benguet to avert an avian flu infection.

He said Benguet cannot afford to have such infection as it deals with the COVID-19 threat.