THE unsellable conditions of his tomato harvest led to a loss of over P1 million in expected profits within a month for a farmer in Barangay Sudlon 2, Cebu City.
Emelio Secretaria, former president of the Cebu City Farmers’ Federation, made rounds on social media after giving away 15,000 kilos of his tomato harvest for free. He owns a four-hectare farm in Sudlon 2.
In an interview on Monday, April 22, 2024, Secretaria said that selling the tomatoes would only yield P300,000 in sales, significantly less than his farming expenses of P800,000. He, however, did not specify why his tomatoes are no longer sellable.
Secretaria said his farm is affected by the ongoing drought, caused by the El Niño phenomenon. He said they do not have enough water to sustain his crops. Crops and plants need water not only to survive but also to bear good fruits.
However, instead of focusing on the negative side, he said he wanted to turn the situation into something positive by giving the tomatoes for free and to prevent them from going to waste.
He said that by giving them away, they wanted consumers to understand the plight of the farmers.
“Gidawat namo nga pildi na. So para mapuslan pa sa mga tawo ug sa nga nanginahanglan mao amo gi-post nga ihatag namo nga libre ug aron ma-feel pud sa mga consumer kung unsay kinabuhi sa farmer,” Secretaria said.
(We have accepted our loss. So that it can still be of use to people in need, that’s why we posted [on Facebook] that we will give [the tomatoes] for free. In this way, consumers can also understand the life of a farmer.)
He said this was not the first time he donated his harvests for free. His family has been doing it since 2011.
Among Secretaria’s beneficiaries are orphanages and educational institutions like Boys and Girls Towns. Secretaria is an alumnus of the Sisters of Mary Boys Town in Minglanilla, Cebu.
He said he also lost 11 of his 15 workers as he could no longer sustain their salaries.
Secretaria said that in March, he thought the water supply would not reach a critical level. He thought the heat would be a typical summer, as his workers were still able to harvest and sell some of their tomatoes.
However, in April, the water supply began to decline critically, prompting them to dig some holes to search for water.
Due to lack of water supply, Secretaria said they could no longer sustain their tomatoes. Other than tomatoes, they also planted ampalaya, which was also affected by the drought.
He said that while they had experienced El Niño before, they were unable to prepare as the water receded rapidly by the start of April.
Secretaria also owned a water impoundment from which his workers get their water for their plants. But is has already dried up but due to El Niño.
He said if the drought persists, his strategy to minimize damage would involve shifting from planting hectares of land to planting by square meters.
“Sugal kay na kay wa pata kabalo kon mahurot unya ang tubig. So, pildi na sad na, pero isip usa ka farmer nga naa tay obligasyon nga mo-provide og pagkaon, pildi or daug, tanom gyud ta,” Secretaria said.
(It’s a gamble because we never know when the water will run out. So, it’s another setback when it happens, but as a farmer with the obligation to provide food, whether we succeed or fail, I will still plant.)
He said he is willing to take the risk of still planting crops even if he is unsure how long the El Niño phenomenon will last.
Meanwhile, Ciriaca Ambrad, 54, a farmer for several decades from Mantalongon, Dalaguete in southern Cebu, said their tomato harvest has not been significantly affected by the drought so far.
“Nagbaligya mi kahapon og usa ka kaeng. Wa man hinuon (nadaot). Mas daot ang kamatis og ting-ulan,” she said on Monday.
(We sold one crate yesterday. Fortunately, it did not get damaged. Tomatoes are more susceptible to damage during the rainy season.)
“Nag-harvest sad ko last month; init na to. Mga gwapa man (I also harvested last month; it was already hot. The crops turned out good),” she added.
Her daughter, Lorraine Mitzi, said the presence of springs in their location provides an alternative source of water.
Aside from tomatoes, Ambrad’s family also plants chayote, beans and cabbage.
“In fairness sa bukid man gud, bisan init kaayo diri, sa amo kay mag fog gihapon. (To be fair, in the countryside, even though it’s very hot here, we still experience fog),” she said. / AML, WBS