By Danilo P. Padua, PhD
Food security. That’s a major goal of our Dept. of Agriculture. The production of crops to at least a sufficiency level is therefore a sensible target.
Sometimes though, overproduction of some crops are experienced resulting to dumping of produce in various places. We have seen that already in places such as in Tinoc, Ifugao, in Benguet and in Nueva Vizcaya.
A few days ago, vegetable harvests such as cabbage and radish, had been left along the road in Tublay, Benguet where people can just pick them up free of charge. There were no buyers. Also, such vegetable harvests were reportedly shunned by traders in Metro Manila, and even in Pangasinan and La Union but supplies of those veggies in those places are in display; they did not come from CAR.
Was there oversupply of such commodities? Definitely, there is none. In an interview, La Trinidad mayor, Romeo Salda, was emphatic in saying that there is no overflow of harvests, yet farmers are crying. On my personal observation in the town’s two vegetable trading posts , there were no apparent abnormal arrival and departure of trucks/vehicles loaded with the vegetables, proving the statement of the mayor.
Similar thing was observed in Dalaguete, Cebu and in Bukidnon where the same veggies are grown in a much smaller scale, but substantial enough to supply adjoining places. Yet the usual volumes that traders buy in those places were not met.
It doesn’t take a rocket science to put two and two together, to make a conclusion. Even a high school student will not miss it.
The supply and demand principle seems to be inoperable in the country. The usual quantities of locally-produced veggies are not bought, indicating supposed to be an excess in production. Naturally, prices should have been depressed but they are not. Prices in the market are actually high.
Nobody is crying smuggling, the natural explanation of the current vegetable supply status. The situation is weird. Prying eyes of concerned agencies and private individuals/groups are seemingly no longer able to see?
Mabuti pa ang malalaking barko ng China nakikita nila ang mala-dewendeng banka ng Pilipinas and bombarding them with water canons. What gives? Merry days are merrier these days for smugglers?
Digitalization of the agriculture industry should be a vital and urgent way to undertake to protect the industry. As things stand at present, the D.A. can not do it alone. It has to partner with other agencies, as it is doing now, to make a better headway in preventing wayward things to happen . And there comes the rub. Collaboration among concerned agencies is only done an on ad hoc basis, not on a sustained one thus, solution to a problem is only a temporary, fleeting manner.
The “overproduction” problem had come to the attention of our ASEAN neighbors such as Thailand. They are asking, “why are you just allowing the excess production to rot at the roadsides?”
They are actually providing a sensible, doable solution to their question : “dehydrate those vegetables before they rot”.
Well, when there is actual vegetable (or fruit) overproduction, as it happens when there are no weather disturbances or calamities, then that proffered technology should be seriously considered. Among others, Thailand, Vietnam and even Cambodia are doing it. The technology is with us for quite sometime already, and some enterprising individuals are already doing it, albeit not yet in a significant way. We got to scale it up among our enterprising local entrepreneurs.
Our concerned agencies should take note of this. Around ten or so years ago, government units like the DA and DOST, among others, have provided dehydration machines to selected coops or associations in CAR and elsewhere for use in their new business ventures. Some of these were not even used for lack of parts, insufficient technical knowhow, mismatch with the available raw materials, and expensive to operate.
Result? Very little dehydrated vegetable and fruit products took off the ground. Government financial investments with noble intentions went kaput. Precious resources went down the drain, together with the enthusiasm and aspirations of the people concerned. Something has to be adjusted to make the machines functional . Dehydrated veggies and fruits (and even meat) in commercial scales are flying high in our ASEAN neighbors. How about us?
Look at this too. A young but enterprising lady entrepreneur decided to go into the veggie and fruit dehydration business. She bought a dehydrator from Thailand after satisfying all the requirements of importing such machines. She coughed up a hard-earned money amounting to more than PhP250,000.00. She asked the help of a certified broker to facilitate things.
Problem is, the customs is requiring her to pay an additional cost of PhP70,000.00 so she could take out the machine and start using it. At the moment, the machine is sleeping uncomfortably in the Customs warehouse. Help from other government agencies for her is definitely needed. I hope her enthusiasm to help solve some farmers’ problem, and helping herself and the community in the process, will not be unceremoniously extinguished by this happenstance.
By the way, the Dept of Science and Technology has a SET-UP program (Small Enterprise Technology Upgrading Program) to assist MSMEs in terms of new technologies; technical manpower; technical manpower training; product standards and testing facilities; appropriate packaging and product labeling, and many more.
Their priority sectors are: Food processing; Furniture; Gifts, decors, handicrafts; Agriculture/Marine/Aquaculture/Forestry/Livestock; Metals and engineering; ICT; Health and wellness products; Halal products and Services; Energy and Environment; Creative industry; and Other regional industry priorities.
Ms Nerralyn Leona of the DOST- CAR informed that the agency, thru its SET-UP, could provide some interest-free loans to deserving proposals of MSMEs which is payable in 3-5 years time. She encourages interested parties to visit its provincial office beside UC in Baguio or the CAR regional office at Km6, La Trinidad, Benguet (inside the BSU campus).
