TUBLAY, Benguet — Farmers along Labey-Lacamen Road in Tublay were forced to discard piles of unsold Chinese cabbage, locally known as wombok, and carrots after their produce was rejected at the trading post on Sunday, 16 August 2026.

A viral social media post showed heaps of vegetables dumped along the road, highlighting the financial difficulties faced by highland farmers amid low farm-gate prices, strict quality standards and a shortage of wholesale buyers.

Farm-gate prices for some vegetables have reportedly fallen to single-digit levels, leaving farmers unable to recover the costs of seeds, fertilizer, harvesting, packaging, fuel and transportation.

For farmers whose produce is rejected by traders, bringing the vegetables to major trading centers such as the La Trinidad Vegetable Trading Post can result in further losses because of vehicle rental, hauling and fuel expenses.

Some farmers have instead opted to leave mature crops in their fields or discard produce already brought to roadside collection points rather than incur additional transportation costs.

The problem reflects a long-standing vulnerability in Benguet's agricultural sector, where simultaneous harvests can create an oversupply that drives farm-gate prices below production costs.

Persistent monsoon rains have compounded the situation by damaging crops, accelerating spoilage and affecting the quality of vegetables required by commercial buyers.

Bad weather has also disrupted transportation along major routes connecting Benguet's farms with trading centers and markets in the lowlands.

Benguet is a major source of highland vegetables supplied to Metro Manila and other parts of Luzon, making disruptions to its agricultural sector a concern for both farmers and consumers.

Farm groups have repeatedly pushed for measures such as direct government purchasing, additional cold storage facilities and transportation assistance to prevent usable produce from going to waste during periods of oversupply.

Without interventions to address falling prices, spoilage and market access, farmers risk entering the next planting cycle carrying losses from their previous harvest.