Tuesday, November 14, 2006 Vegetable, fruit sales to rise during summit
THE demand for Cebu’s high-valued crops is expected to increase this year especially during the 12th Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit, an official from the Department of Agriculture (DA) 7 said.
“Considering that most of the delegates come from Muslim countries, their diet will include mostly vegetables and fruits,” said DA 7 Crops Division Chief Jorge Paculba.
Paculba said the department has forecasted an expected increase in the demand for vegetables like carrots, lettuce, broccoli, cauliflower, and Chinese herbs, as well as fruits like papaya and banana that will be needed by several hotels and restaurants for their menu.
“Foreigners prefer table bananas and solo papayas because they are sweet and do not rot easily,” he told Sun.Star Cebu yesterday.
Paculba said the demand for high-valued crops also goes up during the months of December and January due to the holiday season and the annual Sinulog celebration.
However, he added that despite a strong demand for high-valued crops, most of the province’s vegetables and fruits are “imported” from other provinces.
Supply
However, the province exports vegetables like ampalaya, talong and tomatoes to neighboring provinces like Samar and Leyte, specifically Ormoc City.
According to Paculba, most of the vegetables like broccoli, lettuce, red cabbage, carrots and cauliflower comes from the municipalities of Dalaguete, Alcoy and Argao.
“Because of unpredictable weather conditions and increasing population, the supply of crops could not meet the increasing demand,” he said.
But low cost greenhouses are now being set up in different municipalities in the province to ensure steady supply of vegetables even during the rainy season.
Meanwhile, he said that as Cebu is pushing to become the one of the most popular destinations in Asia, “it should not forget the agricultural sector.”
“Tourism should go in tandem with agriculture if the province wants to attract more visitors,” he said. (MMM)
