Direct farmer to consumer through Cooperatives is solution to Benguet farmer's woes

Just like other parts of the country where the agriculture sector is being confronted by different problems including the effects of climate change, the provincial government is addressing the concerns of vegetable farmers in the province through marketing cooperatives and crop programming.


This was bared by Vice Governor Crescencio Pacalso in a situationer on the vegetable industry of Benguet during the Regional Cooperative Month Celebration held on October 27.




Pacalso reported that in the profiling they did involved more than 27,000 farmers in the province, capitalization remains to be the number one hindrance in improving their production; control of pest/diseases, irrigation, and soil management are some of the other concerns.

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For the post-harvest problems, veggie farmers need road improvement and post-harvest facility and technology.

Pacalso also affirmed that middlemen make the price of vegetables higher when it reach the consumers but at lesser income to the farmers.
Pacalso reported that in partnership with the farmers themselves, they have already organized a farmers marketing cooperative that is already registered with the Cooperative Development Authority and is now coming up with a plan that would help improve the agricultural industry in Benguet.

According to Pacalso, if the cooperative markets the vegetables of farmer members, it would hasten the disposal of produce; eliminate the mark-up of middle men that will result to higher income for farmers; and most important of all, consumers would get a better price for their vegetables.

Pacalso also stressed that as members of the marketing cooperative, farmers will get their fair share from all the gains of the coop, aside from the assistance the cooperative could provide in terms of additional capitalization, needed equipments, as well as being a conduit to other technical assistance that government agencies and non-government organizations offer.

On the problem of lack or over supply of some varieties of vegetable produce, Pacalso also reported that the province is now working into crop programming, which is just timely and necessary, to improve the production of the province’s vegetable industry.

According to Pacalso, without proper crop programming some farmers tend to dedicate large track of their farmlands to a single product which results to over-supply of some vegetables and lack of supply to some variety of vegetables.
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