By FROILAN GALLARDO
Special Correspondent .
TALAKAG, Bukidnon – This town has committed to produce and send some 30 tons of relatively cheap vegetables to the country’s capital each week to help the government stabilize prices of agricultural products there.
Town administrator Alberto Bigcas said they assured Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel Piñol that their farmers can ship 30 tons of vegetables a week to Manila.
Bigcas said in case vegetable prices in Cebu City would spike due to the landslide in Naga City, farmers from Talakag can still fill in the demand.
“We can supply the markets in Manila and Cebu at the same time. Our farmers have enough vegetables to supply the two markets,” he said.
Bigcas said Talakag has 2,974 hectares planted to vegetables and produce 30 tons a week.
Ryan Danio, president of Miarayon Highland Farmers Association, said they welcomed the call from the government and has produced the 20 tons that was supposed to be shipped on Tuesday.
He said the government promised to pay them P1.7 million for the vegetables—based on the prevailing prices in Cagayan de Oro.
“This shipment is a blessing to us. We been looking for a way to enter the vegetable market in Manila,” Danio said.
But a 20-ton shipment of assorted vegetables was delayed after the cargo plane that was supposed to bring it to Manila was aborted due to bad weather in northern Mindanao.
Department of Agriculture assistant regional director Roxana Hojas said the plane should have arrived at Laguindingan airport Tuesday afternoon but was aborted because of bad weather in northern Mindanao.
The plane was supposed to load 20 tons of carrots, cabbage, green chili, cauliflowers for the Manila market which have been reeling from rising prices of vegetables after farms in Baguio and northern Luzon were inundated by typhoon Mangkhut or Ompong.
Piñol has promised to flood the Manila market with vegetables grown in Bukidnon to stabilize the prices.
Hojas said Pinol has ordered the deployment of planes and ships to bring the vegetables to Manila until the prices will stabilize.
It would have been the second delivery to Manila had not the flight been aborted on Tuesday.
On Sunday, eight tons of assorted vegetables were shipped to Manila via a vessel from Cagayan de Oro.
Hohas said they are expecting for the plane to arrive in Laguindigan airport today to pick up more vegetables.
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