Photo courtesy of Jaren Lamhi

Some Cordillera farmers went home with empty pockets after failing to sell their harvest at the La Trinidad Trading Post in Benguet due to low demand in vegetables in the region for the past days.

Ifugao farmer Jaren Lamhi dumped a truckload of carrots down a ravine after he was unable to sell them.

“Maraming carrots sa trading post at kaunti lang ang buyer,” he said.

On Monday, a kilo of carrots cost around P1 to P8. It bounced back to P10 to P17 per kilo on Tuesday.

However, farmers in the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) are still taking a hit from the enhanced community quarantine in Luzon, limiting the movement of consumers on the northern island.

“Before even the lockdown, mura naman ang gulay eh. Since February pa. Lalo ngayon na mahirap bumili yung consumers natin,” Melyn Apilis explained.

Apilis asked government to help farmers in Cordillera by availing their harvest to provide food for households affected by the enhanced quarantine.

Rep. Eric Go Yap, Benguet’s legislative caretaker, said he will speak with local government officials to address the issue.

“Makikipag-meeting ako kay governor and sa ibang mayors baka pwede, tayo ang bumili (local government) then i-repack natin, ipamigay natin sa bahay-bahay para meron po silang pangkain,” Yap said.