Benguet finds no buyer of veggies in Manila

VEGETABLE delivery trucks who braved the rains and flood arrived in Manila but were disappointed to find out there were few buyers.

Augusta Balanoy, executive director of FarmersDOTnet and manager of the Benguet Farmers Marketing Cooperative, said the number of buyers decreased almost by half because of the floods.

Vegetable trucks that were able to reach Balintawak and Divisoria were unable to unload their goods because of extensive flooding in the greater Manila area.

Normally, there is an average of 85 to 90 trucks plying the route a day but for two days now there have been only close to 50 trucks servicing the route.

This is attributed to the typhoon damage reaching P1,421,683.80 while infrastructure damage has reached P500,000 which includes irrigation, canals, farmlands and greenhouses based on the partial report of the office of the Provincial Agriculturist here.

Crops affected were chayote, sweet pepper, cucumber, cauliflower, broccoli, lettuce, garden peas, snap beans, Chinese cabbage, cabbage, carrots and potatoes.

Balanoy said the effect is seen in the pricing of vegetables. Vegetable price difference range from 30 to 70 percent these days with cauliflower, first class variety sold at 50-60 per kilo while the second and third class are sold at P10 to P20.

The total farmers affected in province have reached 1,582 with 559 hectares suffering from the wrath of the typhoon.

Crops most extensively damaged were potatoes with seedlings P78,798,000 and vegetables wasted pegged at P440,748,020 followed by cabbages, which reached both seedlings P118,584,00 and full blown vegetables P315,654.90.