Other towns, provinces meet Cebu’s demand for vegetables

MARKET DAY. A woman passes by a display of vegetables at a roadside in Mandaue City. (SunStar file photo)
MARKET DAY. A woman passes by a display of vegetables at a roadside in Mandaue City. (SunStar file photo)

THE Department of Agriculture (DA) 7 assured that even if the vegetables supplied by Dalaguete are not enough for Cebu, other towns can fill the void.

Gerry Avila, marketing chief of the DA 7, told SunStar Cebu that since Cebu is a center for trade and commerce, it’s not difficult for other areas to substitute vegetables that are lacking.

“Just in case mahutdan gud, ang tendency naay lain mo-substitute nga pwede magamit sa mga Cebuanos like pwede maka source out ta sa mga producers in the nearby areas (Just in case we run out, there is always another place that can substitute the supply for Cebuanos. We can source out from producers in nearby areas),” Avila said.

He cited the City of Naga and the towns of Argao and Alcoy as alternatives that also contribute to Cebu’s vegetable supply, although he said they don’t produce as much as Dalaguete does.

The DA implemented the Production Loan Easy Access (Plea) where an initial P20 million was released to help finance production and increase productivity.

About 350 farmers were able to avail of the program.

“We provide support in the production of vegetables like seeds. We are also strengthening our Dalaguete Agri-Pinoy Trading Center (DAPTC) to facilitate marketing and capacitate farmers to increase production,” he said.

He said that in their monitoring, the supply of vegetables in Cebu remains stable.

Avila said that because of Cebu’s land area and booming population, it remains a net importer.

With a population of 4.8 million as of 2015, Cebu is the most populated area among the four provinces in Central Visayas, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).

For crops, Cebu has a sufficiency level of 2.3 percent.

He admitted that Cebu’s sufficiency levels aren’t high, citing its big population, and that it imports more goods than it can produce.

Avila said that other sources of vegetables in Cebu come from Cagayan De Oro and Luzon.

Rice sufficiency is at 17.3 percent, corn at 205.4 percent, mango at 79.5 percent, unprocessed cassava at 53.4 percent, camote at 106.7 percent, cabbage at 25.5 percent, tomatoes at 21.3 percent, ampalaya at 14.8 percent, string beans at 19.5 percent, squash at 19.5 percent and 117.8 percent for bananas.

What Cebu lacks in crops, it makes up for in its livestock. Cebu has a sufficiency level of 228.5 percent. It has a sufficiency level of 146.2 percent for beef, 124.7 percent for pork, 104.2 percent for chicken, 109.6 percent for goat’s meat, 35.8 percent for duck and 150.9 percent for chicken eggs. (JOB)

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