Philippines: ‘Safety nets’ sought for vegetable industry
Solon cites need to protect farmers from importation impact

The national government must provide the "safety nets" to protect the local vegetable industry from the serious effects of a comprehensive economic package signed between the Philippine and Chinese governments, Benguet Rep. Samuel Dangwa said.

With the signing of the controversial Pest Risk Analysis (PRA) that paves the way for the entry of imported carrots from China, Congressman Dangwa said, the Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI) must already prepare the needed "safety nets" to counter its projected serious impact on the local vegetable growers in the coming months.

He said he foresees tons of Chinese carrots flooding the local markets as soon as the PRA is in full force and effect. This will surely prejudice the livelihood of thousands of farmers in the province who rely on vegetable farming as their primary source of income.

Dangwa said that the BPI must already identify the province in China where the imported carrots would come from and the time of the year when the product is allowed to enter the country so that local farmers would still be able to supply the demand for carrots during the peak season.

In fact, the Benguet lawmaker said, the local growers can supply the demand of carrots in the country, and that’s why he is appealing to the BPI to make sure that local producers would not be at a losing end in the implementation of the agreement on the importation of carrots.

Dangwa said that the government must prioritize and patronize local products like vegetables because these are more delicious and tasty than the imported ones.

However, he said that the lack of programming by the local farmers greatly affects them because there are months when there is a low supply of the products.

That’s why there is a need to import from other countries such as China, he said.

Dangwa believes that the government has provided the needed support for the local vegetable industry, particularly in terms of farm-to-market roads and postharvest facilities, but the cooperation of farmers in terms of crop programming must be strictly observed to ensure a steady supply of quality vegetables throughout the year.

With a year-round supply, there would be no reason to allow the entry of imported vegetables in the country, he said.

He also said that imported carrots must strictly come from the areas specified under the PRA and not from any other province in China because the pests in carrots produced in non-corporate farms might infect the local produce to the detriment of the vegetable industry.

Source: mb.com.ph