|
Thursday, January 09, 2003
Cold wave threatens Benguet vegetables
By Harley Palangchao
LA TRINIDAD -- The cold weather in Baguio and Benguet may be good for the tourism sector but it certainly is posing a threat to vegetable farmers in the province, said an agriculture official.
Villaming Balmeo, supervising agriculturist of the Benguet Provincial Agriculture Office, said highland leafy vegetables would be "burned" black by the icy frost, which occurs during extremely cold temperatures.
On the other hand, visitors to the city were observed to have extended their stay so they could experience the so-called Baguio chill.
Nevertheless, the drop in cold weather is posing a threat to vegetables in the country's salad bowl.
Last year, the agriculture office also reported that vast tracts of vegetable farms planted with cabbages, carrots, pechay, and other leafy vegetables were burned after the frost covering the leaves thaw. Andap is the Kankana-ey term for frost.
Balmeo, however, reported that up to now, their office has yet to receive reports from the municipal agriculturists about the presence of frost in the vegetables.
The towns of Atok, Bakun, Buguias, Kibungan, Kapangan, Mankayan, Bokod and La Trinidad are the main sources of vegetable products sent to the La Trinidad Trading Post before they are distributed in other parts of the country.
Over the weekend, the regional Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pag-asa) also reported that the city's temperature dipped to a low of 10.2 degrees Celsius, adding that the mercury is expected to continue to drop to a low of eight degrees Celsius.
Weather observer Pedro Rios, in an interview, said the temperature in Benguet is usually less than a degree Celsius compared to the city's temperature.
Rios explained that when the temperature in Baguio is at 10 degrees Celsius, it's nine degrees Celsius in Benguet.
Pagasa records showed that from January 1 to December 26, 2002, the average mean temperature was recorded at 19.63 degree Celsius, lower than the mean average of 19.8 degrees Celsius from 1961 to 2001. Sun.Star Baguio |
|
|
|
 |
| click
to comment on this article or discuss it with other readers |
[return to top]
[home]
|
|
Alibi of cop suspect in Dacer slay confirmed