JUST when farmers in Cebu City’s upland barangays were supposed to benefit from a glut of harvests in the middle of this year after months of friendly weather, the pandemic restricted movement of buyers. As a result, many of the produce were stuck not far from their farms and farmers had to sell them at really low prices.
City Agriculturist Joselito Baclayon said many of the products from April to June were sold at home or at the Transcentral Highway at a price drop of 87.5 percent from the pre-pandemic prices.
Even while these products were transported to the city, the usual bulk buyers, such as restaurants, hotels, businesses, schools, transportation and tourism, were also shut down when the city was placed under enhanced community quarantine.
In September when the city eased out of the strict lockdowns, farmers started to descend with their harvests in the usual marketplaces. Unfortunately, a series of bad weather, said Baclayon, damaged some P55 million worth of crops in 211 hectares of agricultural land in 15 mountain barangays.
To help the farmers, the Department of Agriculture (DA) 7 has tapped the assistance of Ulay Agro Industrial Enterprises with a memorandum of agreement under its Kadiwa Program, which links farmers directly with food consumers, bypassing the middleman. Ulay has been helping out farmers groups in Cebu not only in production, but also with marketing, facilitating mall spaces for farmers. DA 7 Director Salvador Diputado said the agency has set up Kadiwa Farmers Market stalls in Cebu malls.
In the time of the health crisis, Diputado said, a lot of people have turned to plant-based diet to boost their immune system.
“Our products remain attractive because people want fresh, affordable and more importantly, healthy food to protect themselves more during this time. Buying local products directly from farmers and not from middlemen has also been ingrained in the public’s mind,” the regional chief said.
On top of all these is also the fact that as we open up the economy, it is important that the public must understand the good economics in buying local produce. This will help the farmers regain profitable work and enliven the local economy.
The holiday season is pretty much around the corner and it will help if we buy local.