BENGUET is eyeing construction of vegetable processing facilities in five municipalities.

Governor Melchor Diclas, during the Provincial Inter Agency Task Force Meeting on Monday, July 7, disclosed the proposal for the possible set-up of a processing center for other Benguet towns that was earlier discussed with Secretary William Dar of the Department of Agriculture (DA).

"If the processing facility in Benguet State University (BSU) will be successful, we can also expand for far-flung towns of Benguet such as Mankayan, Buguias, Kabayan, Kibungan, Bakun," Diclas said.

Dar, in his visit in the province last June, announced an initial P20 million funding for the put-up of processing facility at BSU funded by the DA through the Bureau of Agricultural Research (BAR).

Aside from the processing facility in BSU in La Trinidad, another processing facility is also eyed in Buguias where a satellite campus of BSU is located.

Once a processing center is put up in the area, a link with the academe will be in the works for research purposes.

"It is still a plan depending on the funding from the DA but we are pushing for it to address overproduction (of vegetables)," Diclas said.

Diclas said a processing facility will be a big help but it does not mean that all the problems for marketing will be solved, adding there is still uncertainty with the capacity of the processing facility.

Diclas remains bullish on a proposal for another vegetable processing facility to be considered.

Cordillera supplies 80 percent of Metro Manila's highland vegetables coming from Benguet and Mt. Province.

Benguet is home to big vegetable trading areas such as the La Trinidad Vegetable Trading Post and Benguet Agri-Pinoy Trading Center, delivering vegetables to key markets in Manila such as Divisoria and Balintawak and other areas in the country like La Union, Ilocos, Pangasinan, Tarlac, Palawan, Cebu and Iloilo, among others.