Weather disturbances that struck the agriculture sector in the last quarter of 2024 did not stop residents of Villasis town in Pangasinan to be grateful for their harvests.

During the Talong (eggplant) Festival celebrations on Thursday, representatives of all the 21 villages simultaneously cooked in one venue their own version of Pinakbet, a dish of different vegetable sauteed in fish sauce, using their own produce.

Each vegetable pack consisted of 30 kilos eggplant, 10 kilos bitter gourd, 10 kilos tomato, four kilos of lady’s finger, and two kilos of green chili, which were all bought by the municipal government from the farmers.

Roberto Padilla, high value commercial development program municipal coordinator, said they bought the vegetables at farm gate prices.

The eggplants were bought at PHP110 per kilo; bitter gourd, PHP110 per kilo; tomato, PHP65 per kilo; lady’s finger; PHP65 per kilo; and the green chili, PHP80 per kilo.

“Ang saya kasi may involvement ang mga tao especially doon sa Pinkabet sa Kawa at Talong Cookfest na kung saan talagang lumabas ang creativity ng mga taga-Villasis (It was so much fun because of the people’s involvement especially in cooking the Pinakbet sa Kawa and Talong cookfest, where the culinary creativity of the residents of Villasis was highlighted),” said Rodz Manandeg, social media personality and resident of Calasiao town.

He said among his favorites at the cook fest are lasagna, sushi roll, samgyup, and pizza, all made from eggplant as the main ingredient.

The town, dubbed as the vegetable bowl of Pangasinan, introduced the festival 19 years ago as a thanksgiving and encouragement to the farmers, especially those planting eggplants.

In 2024, the harvested land area of eggplant in the town was reduced by 20 to 30 percent from the 400 hectares plantation due to the weather disturbances in the last quarter of the year.

“This January, the standing crops were reduced due to the past typhoons but the farmers are somewhat glad that the price is good. Although, the land area was reduced, the production was not affected as they were planting hybrid,” Padilla said.

Main eggplant areas in the town are in the villages of Pias and Caramotan. There are also plantations in the villages of San Blas, Lipay, Puelay, Barangobong and Amamperez.

Padilla said the farm input subsidy program institutionalized by Mayor Nonato Abrenica more than a decade ago is a big help to the farmers.

The municipal government also gives fertilizer subsidy to the farmers twice a year.

During the Farmers Day of this year’s festival, the municipal government turned over to several farmers associations three tractors and three multi-cultivators and other farm equipment.

Abrenica said Villasis remains to be the top producer of eggplant in the Ilocos Region and is a major supplier of eggplant at the public markets in Metro Manila. (PNA)