Why Igorots in Metro Manila directly
source goods from farmers
Two pesos a kilo for cabbage. Four pesos
for cucumber.
After spending money
to bring their produce to the nearest vegetable trading post in the last week
of July, Cordilleran farmers were given a cruel rate, crushing their hope of
raising cash to buy seeds for the next harvest.
A Sad Story for New-Gen Farmers
Shereen Umayat and
Jessica Dapliyan, two young farmers from Sagada, had a cheaper option for their
next maturing vegetables- let the plants rot in the farmland to stop having
additional expenses.
Asked how much she has
spent for her cucumber, Umayat computed it to be at least P40, 000.
While there are active
programs like Sustainable Sagada and Rural Rising organized to help ease the situation, not all produce in the remote Mountain Province town can be
accommodated.
Dapliyan, a former innkeeper who shifted to farming following travel bans, started giving away her
cabbage produce for free in September after unsuccessful attempts to sell what
her family has been working since community quarantine restrictions were
implemented.
Trying the Metro Manila Market
For generations,
farmers in Sagada and other towns of the Cordilleras have been trading in
marketplaces within the mountainous region and going to the lowlands is not
part of their regular routine. But as they run out of options, they are forced
to seek help outside the highlands.
Tapping Metro
Manila-based Cordillerans or Igorots was the first move. Upon learning about
the crisis, Christian Aligo, a Marketing Communications practitioner living in
Quezon City, started the “The Sagada
Harvests Project” on Facebook.
With the assistance
from Umayat, Menchie Buking of the Department of Agrarian Reform Mt. Province
(DAR MP) and other concerned locals, The
Sagada Harvests Project is able to sell out about three tons of produce in
its first two runs.
Alongside Aligo are
other Metro Manila-based Igorots including Luisa Gay Pugong, Jenny Lyn Likigan,
Bing Podes Laguipen, and Hector Ngales who transformed themselves into vendors
after their day job to help address the crisis.
Joining the force is
the couple Atty. Pio and Noemie Jeanet Daoas who now spend their weekends on
vegetables. With the help of dedicated riders, the couple delivers the goods
within Taguig City at only P20.
A Trade Friendlier to Farmers
As agreed, it is the
farmers who set the price of their produce. Currently, in marketplaces, it is
the multi-level middle-men who dictate the price and get a bigger portion of
it.
When the rate at the
La Trinidad trading post for cabbage was P2 per kilo, The Sagada Harvests Project purchased the vegetable at P20 per
kilo-- as dictated by the farmers.
To further assist the
Igorot vendors, DAR’s Sagada Linksfarmers
Consolidation Center opened its doors to help screen quality produce prior
to shipping.
Recently, the regional
office of the Department of Agriculture (DA) also offered transportation
assistance to help lower expenses.
Meanwhile, local food
producers Gabay Wines and Food Preserves and Masferre Country Inn &
Restaurant has been doing experiments for delicate items like wild blueberry,
wheat bread, and goat cheese products to check on the shelf-life of the
products when offered in places with a warmer climate.
To know more about The Sagada Harvest Project and a list of Igorot vendors who
directly source their goods from farmers, contact Aligo at 0956-174-8464
(Globe) or visit www.facebook.com/sagadaharvests now.
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