The frost that is being experienced in Atok, Benguet whenever the temperature drops is not a reason for vegetable prices to increase.

Mayor Raymundo Sarac of Atok said Tuesday their town has been known for the frost phenomenon which some unscrupulous big and small vegetable traders use in jacking-up vegetable prices.

He said the area affected whenever the frost phenomenon is experienced is only about 1,000 square meters of vegetable gardens in Barangay Paoay.

“(Just) a portion of Barangay Paoay, 2 percent of the barangay only where frost happens,” he said.

The frost phenomenon is the freezing of dew because of the low temperature in an area. It is usually experienced on the last week of December and other days of January and February.

The mayor said that when there is frost, it does not mean vegetables are damaged because the farmers have already learned how to handle the situation.

Sarac assured the public that the frost phenomenon does not affect the supply thus should not also affect the prices.

He also said that farmers in the area have learned not to plant leafy vegetables during the cold season to avoid being damaged by the frost phenomenon.

“Doon, alam na ng farmers tinatanim nila so ‘yung mga tanim na hindi pwedeng masira pag may frost (farmers there already know what to plant like those that will not be damaged due to frost) like carrots. The farmers do not even worry anymore because they have gotten used to the phenomenon and already know what to plant for the season,” the mayor said in Ilocano.

He also said that farmers have installed the rain bust, an automatic rotating watering system that washes-off the ice on the leaves. Watering is done in the early morning to prevent the sun from heating the leaves covered with ice, which causes wilting.

According to the Department of Agriculture, Benguet province produces about 80 to 85 percent of the highland vegetable needs of the Philippines. The town of Buguias is the top producer, followed by Atok, Mankayan, and others.

Sarac said that about 15 to 20 percent of the total highland vegetable production in Benguet is produced in Atok. (PNA)