BAGUIO CITY, Philippines — Benguet farmers dumped Chinese cabbage and carrots along Labey-Lacamen Road in Tublay town on Sunday, Aug. 16, after falling vegetable prices and a lack of buyers left them unable to sell their harvests.
Some farmers said vegetable prices had dropped significantly while buyers had become scarce, with some traders stopping purchases altogether.
The farmers said transporting their produce to trading centers in La Trinidad would only increase their losses because of additional transportation costs. They decided to leave the vegetables along the roadside rather than spend more money bringing unsold crops to the markets.
The farmers appealed for government assistance as persistent heavy rains also disrupted their livelihoods and affected vegetable production.
Many farmers in Benguet depend on crop sales as their primary source of income.
Benguet remains one of the country’s major vegetable-producing areas, supplying an estimated 70% to 80% of Luzon’s demand, including Metro Manila.
The farmers’ situation highlights the challenges faced by vegetable growers when low farm-gate prices, weak demand and high transportation costs leave them with few options for selling their produce.
