'Frost' in parts of Benguet town won't affect veggie supply
BAGUIO CITY — The frosting phenomenon in parts of Benguet's Atok town will not affect the Cordillera region's daily vegetable production, Mayor Raymundo Sarac said on Friday.
"The frost in Atok happens in a very small portion of a garden, less than a half hectare, and the vegetables are not completely damaged. The frost does not affect the supply and the prices. No, it will not,” he said.
He added that highland vegetables commonly known as "chopsuey" vegetables are also grown by the 12 other towns of the province, including the capital La Trinidad.
Based on data from the Department of Agriculture in the Cordillera Administrative Region (DA-CAR), aside from the whole of Benguet, several other towns in Ifugao and Mountain Province also have highland vegetable products that contribute to the region's average daily yield of two million kilograms.
The Cordillera's average daily vegetable production comprises around 85 percent of the country's total highland vegetable production.
"If it is the whole Benguet that is affected by frost, then we can say the supply is affected which will also affect the prices. As I have said, it is not even one-half jeep load of vegetables if they are even affected," Sarac said.
He said the farmers have learned how to deal with the effects of the frosting.
"The farmers know that since many years ago because frost had been there during cold weather for decades already," he said.
He said among these efforts include scheduling the planting of vegetables that can be harvested as early as November.
Frost happens intermittently from December to February, where the early morning dew freezes as a result of the cold temperature.
On Friday dawn, the Agromet Station at Benguet University in La Trinidad recorded the lowest temperature at 10.7 degrees Celsius -- the lowest temperature reading in the area this year.
Sarac said the farmers have also learned to turn on the water sprinklers at dawn to melt the ice before the heat of the sun shines on the plants, to prevent damage to the plants.
The mayor also said if there is damage due to frost, the farmers would have reported it to the municipal agriculture office.