Benguet gov't to help farmers sell crops

LA TRINIDAD, Benguet — Members of the Benguet Provincial Board are scheduled to be in Manila from 5 to 6 May 2026, to negotiate with various cities and municipalities regarding potential sales partnerships to help ease the burden of vegetable farmers in disposing of their produce.

A resolution was recently drafted to serve as a formal basis for these negotiations, aiming to establish stronger partnerships for distribution. The results of the proposed meetings will determine the next steps to ensure farmers benefit and to prevent vegetable supplies from going to waste.

The provincial government vowed continued support for the province's farmers through various planned initiatives. Provincial and municipal officials previously met to discuss strategies to assist the agricultural sector, with the provincial government providing augmentation for efforts led by municipal local government units.

The move by the local government was prompted by reports that farmers are struggling to sell their produce due to high fuel costs, which have led to financial losses for many in the province. While some vegetable farmers and traders were able to distribute the vegetables to the public, they did so at much lower prices, and, most of the time, some even opted to give their harvests away for free. Others, unfortunately, were forced to dump their harvests or did not harvest them at all because of the difficulty of transporting them.

Meanwhile, the municipal government of Atok, Benguet, is actively helping farmers in the locality through the project "UBBO," or Unified Buying and Bayanihan Operations. UBBO is a local Igorot term referring to helping each other, especially in hard times. The project is part of the municipality's rescue-buy operations.