SUFFICIENT SUPPLY. Agriculture Undersecretary Kristine Evangelista joins the Laging Handa public briefing on Tuesday (August 2, 2022). She assured that the supply of highland vegetables is sufficient, despite the rise in recorded agriculture damage, following the magnitude 7.0 earthquake in Abra. (Screengrab)
MANILA – The supply of highland vegetables from Northern Luzon remains sufficient despite the agricultural damage hitting PHP263 million following the July 27 magnitude 7 earthquake, the Department of Agriculture (DA) assured the public Tuesday.
In a Viber message, DA Undersecretary Kristine Evangelista confirmed supply sufficiency despite millions worth of damage to agricultural products, particularly the supply coming from affected areas in the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) and the Ilocos Region.
The DA-Disaster Risk Reduction Management Operations Center’s latest bulletin showed millions of losses including damage to irrigation systems, farm-to-market roads and farm structures.
Moreover, during Evangelista’s interview at the Laging Handa public briefing, she noted that the “inflow and outflow of agricultural commodities” are back to normal.
“Ang Benguet po ang source natin ng highland vegetables, ninety-two percent (92%) of highland vegetables na nakikita po natin dito sa Metro Manila ay galing sa Benguet… So far, sufficient po iyong supply; iyong out-volume po na nanggagaling from Benguet at dinadala dito po, sa Divisoria at sa Balintawak po kadalasan ang bagsakan niyan ay bumalik na po sa normal,” she explained.
(Benguet is the source of our highland vegetables, 92 percent of the highland vegetables we see in Metro Manila come from Benguet… So far, the supply is sufficient; the volume coming from Benguet, transported here, in Divisoria, and in Balintawak, which usually are the receiving end, is back to normal.)
Volume outflow on July 31, which hit 859 metric tons, delivered to Divisoria, Balintawak and other areas in Metro Manila is now higher than the pre-earthquake record of 838 metric tons last July 26, according to the DA.
Evangelista said that prices of highland vegetables have also gone back to the pre-earthquake price.
“Sa ating mga trading posts pagdating po sa Benguet ‘no, normal na po ang presyo – bumalik na po sa pre-lindol ang ating mga presyo pati po iyong volume of commodities that is being traded in Benguet,” she said.
(In our trading posts in Benguet, the price is [now] normal, it went back to the pre-quake price, even the volume of commodities being traded in Benguet.)
She also assured that the DA’s Kadiwa on Wheels is operating to provide affordable vegetables in the affected areas.
Likewise, Evangelista said that they are quickly assisting affected residents by distributing rice, corn, and other vegetable seeds, vitamins, and biologics for livestock and poultry, as well as financial assistance and credit and rehabilitation programs. (PNA)
