STRAWBERRIES grown by farmers Jason Edwas, Jana Dicang, Jacqueline Buena, and Martha Bulangan were this year’s winner in the sweetest and biggest strawberry contest.
Among the 54 entries for the sweetest and biggest strawberry in the Benguet capital town, farmers Edwas bagged first place for biggest strawberry weighing 570 grams in the open category and Dicang for biggest strawberry Sweet Charlie category weighing 410 grams.
The sweetest strawberries were cultivated by Buena for sweetest strawberry Sweet Charlie category with 9.63 brix and Bulangan in the sweetest strawberry open category with 9.36 brix.
A refracto meter was utilized to measure the sweetness of the strawberries.
On Friday, March 8, freshly picked strawberries were entered into the contest by strawberry farmers from the 16 barangays of La Trinidad.
Nida Organo, municipal senior agriculturist, said an increase of participants was observed this year prior to the strict regulations of one entry per individual.
Prizes range from P2, 000 to P5, 000 and a consolation prize of P1, 000 each.
The activity is part of the 38th Strawberry Festival of the town which started March 4 until the 31st. Strawberry cultivation was initiated early 1900 by the Americans who established an agricultural school in 1916.
In the previous years, different strawberry varieties were introduced in the town including Tioga, Toyonaka, Sweet Charlie, and Haronaka.
Meanwhile, Mayor Romeo Salda urged farmers to continue the one touch strawberry technology which was introduced last year to improve the quality of strawberry.