Benguet govt sets up coop to regulate veggie output, prices

The Benguet provincial government has set up a cooperative to regulate the production and stabilize the prices of vegetables from the highland province, its governor said Tuesday. Benguet Governor Nestor Fongwan said the cooperative was formed after the average daily output of vegetables from the province tripled from 1 million kilos to 3 million kilos in December due to the surge in demand during the holiday season. "Producing more than the actual demand is such a waste. We need to regulate the production of vegetables to help stabilize the price and keep output at an economically viable level," Fongwan said in a phone interview. He added that the oversupply has caused vegetable prices to drop after the holidays, which may have bad effects on the livelihood of Benguet’s highland farmers. "Now that the holiday is over, we don’t have a ready market for the surplus vegetables that we produced," he said. Benguet and other adjacent parts of the Cordillera are major producers of temperate-climate vegetables such as cabbages, carrots and lettuce, which are typically in high demand during holidays. At current prices, carrots sells for as low as P15 per kilo; potato, P45 per kilo; broccoli, P7-8 per kilo; cauliflower, P8 – P10 per kilo; lettuce, P10 – P15 per kilo; Baguio beans, P6 – P8 per kilo; radish, P8 – P11 per kilo; cucumber P20 – P28 per kilo; parsley, P40 – P45 per kilo; zucchini, P6 – 8 per kilo; celery, P18 – P20 per kilo; and bell pepper, P50 to P70 per plastic bag. The provincial government decided to set up the cooperative to ensure that vegetable supply will just be sufficient to meet the domestic market demand. This move is expected to stabilize vegetable prices and prevent similar price drops in the future. “Right now, we have several members and we need more to have a batting edge on negotiating with institutional buyers and those with the high-end market," Fongwan said. Benguet provides majority of the cabbage, carrot and lettuce supply in Metro Manila. — With Andreo C. Calonzo/JV, GMANews.TV