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Monday, September 20, 2004
Farmers, traders deny Benguet veggie cartel
By Jane Cadalig
MEMBERS of the Benguet Truckers and Traders Association (BTTA) denied alleged vegetable cartel at the La Trinidad Trading Post, saying the practice of such is not possible.
BTTA President Benito Hipolito explained that cartel implies the control of prices and hoarding, which is impossible since vegetables are highly perishable goods.
"I-stock mo yan ng dalawang araw, lusaw yan. Paano ka magho-hoard nyan? The farmers and the middlemen at the trading post still control the prices. If there is an oversupply, of course the price lowers," Hipolito lamented, adding that they are also supporting the crop zoning program being proposed by the Benguet provincial government to improve the local vegetable industry.
Under the proposed scheme, farmers are to follow a systematic schedule of planting varied crops in different seasons to avoid over production at certain times of the year, and to ensure that there will be a continuous production of different types of vegetables for the whole year to maintain good prices.
A local weekly newspaper earlier reported that truckers and traders are allegedly conniving with each other to control the prices of vegetable produce.
"I challenge the public officials who announced that presence of (vegetable) cartel to show their evidences. We are willing to face them and their allegations. They just have to produce their basis in saying those things," Hipolito stressed.
During the Sept. 16 consultation at the Benguet Capitol on the proposed establishment of trading post at Buguias, Board Member Johnny Uy also clarified that vegetable cartel is impossible.
"There is no cartel in vegetables because unlike rice, (the product) easily spoil."
BTTA National Treasurer Charmaine Hora also pointed out that they (truckers and traders) are helping the farmers in their battle against smuggling and over-importation by hauling in tons of vegetables daily even if they sometimes lose.
"We are helping the farmers (prove) that Benguet can produce enough vegetable to supply the whole nation," Hora said.
Around 1,000 to 1,500 tons of vegetables are being hauled daily by the truckers from the trading center, which are delivered to the different parts of the country to as far as Mindanao.
Sen. Manuel Roxas, in his recent visit to La Trinidad, also proposed for the establishment of a supply chain where farmers could directly market their produce to the buyers without passing through middlemen.
Roxas said that consumers have always complained on high prices of vegetables, while farmers on the other hand grieve the low buying price.
He claimed the transfer of a product from one agent to another causes increase in the prices at the market even when prices at the source are low.
Benguet traders earlier emphasized they are not the ones raising the prices, but the middlemen in Manila.
Hora also explained that traders here add only a (minimal) P1-P2 to the trading post buying price when they sell the produce in Manila.
"The association in fact, has a written agreement that any member who will not abide by this (agreement) will be fined P10,000."
(September 20, 2004 issue)
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