The Department of Agriculture (DA) – Cordillera said the supply and prices of highland vegetables in the region remain stable.
“We continue to have the two million kilos average daily supply of assorted highland vegetables even after the calamities. This will assure that families who will gather for events during the long weekend and Undas vacation will enjoy our vegetables,” Dr. Cameron Odsey, DA-Cordillera director, said in a phone interview on Thursday.
The latest available data shows that the region has a total commodity inflow of 1,844,300 kg. in various trading facilities in Benguet’s capital town of La Trinidad on October 24.
Odsey said this is separate from the average of 150,000 kg. beginning inventory for the day.
Monitored commodities were from the Benguet Agripinoy Trading Center (334,300 kg.); La Trinidad Vegetable Trading Center (576,000 kg.); and private trading centers in the town (934,000 kg.).
Odsey said the figure does not include the production of farmers that are directly purchased by institutional buyers and those that are directly brought to the markets by farmers’ organizations.
Based on the average daily trading data of vegetables, the commodities brought to Divisoria in Manila were about 395,000 kg., which is about 24 percent of the production; 335,000 kg. or about 20 percent in Central Luzon; 327,000 kg. or about 20 percent in Calabarzon; 235,000 kg. in Balintawak; 177,000 kg. in different markets at the National Capital Region; 154,000 kg. in Ilocos and Cagayan Valley; and about 30,000 kg. for other parts of Luzon, the Visayas, and Mindanao.
“Prices of commodities differ per day but (our) monitoring report shows we have lower prices as compared to the previous weeks,” Odsey said.
He added that no major destruction of vegetables was recorded amid bad weather experienced in the region.
“Hindi tayo tinamaan directly ng typhoon, pati ng lindol ngayong October kaya maganda ang harvest ng farmers (We were not directly hit by typhoons and the earthquake this October, that is why we continue to have a good harvest),” he said. (PNA)
