DA, Bukidnon farmers partner for product marketing strategy

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Agriculture (DA) is launching a marketing strategy with a farmer organization in Bukidnon after a recent viral dumping of tomatoes in the province.

The DA-Regional Field Office (RFO) 10 and the Lantapan Vegetable Farmers Multi-Purpose Cooperative have partnered for a marketing strategy to help local farmers to widen their market and generate more income.

The Lantapan Vegetable Farmers Multi-Purpose Cooperative is a recipient of a hauling truck through the Enhanced KADIWA Grant capacitating cooperative.

The grant aims to cultivate the organizations of farmers and fishermen’s capacity to provide reliable food commodities to consumers.

In agreeing on a marketing strategy, DA RFO 10 executive director Carlene Collado said the agency and the cooperative were looking to adopt the farmer organization’s existing agreement with Agri Global Ventures Inc.

Adopting the same will offer better market prices and higher profit to the vegetable farmers in the area.

Collado reiterated the RFO’s commitment to deliver “logistics support and facilities through its Kadiwa ni Ani at Kita to the local government units, farmer cooperatives, and associations,” including the Lantapan municipal government.

She urged farmer cooperatives and associations to coordinate with the Municipal Agricultural Office and the DA-10, as well as to participate in the offices’ programs and projects that enhance capacity-building and market linkage.

A photo of the dumped tomatoes went viral on social media platforms, which was validated by the DA’s Agribusiness and Marketing Assistance Division (AMAD).

Based on the AMAD’s investigation, a Lantapan farmer initially tried to sell 56 boxes of tomatoes – or about 1,400 kilograms – to a public market in Cagayan de Oro City.

However, the value of the produce decreased as they had already ripened, forcing the farmer to dump them.

At that time, unripe and good quality tomatoes were sold at P300 per box. But since his produce ripened, they were offered to be bought at P100-150 per box, prompting the farmer to backload his products and get dumped.

In the latter half of 2020, Region 10 (Northern Mindanao Region) produced 34,861 metric tons (MT) of tomatoes, contributing 11.7 percent to the country’s total tomato production of 53,521 MT, based on data from the Philippine Statistics Authority.

The DA continues to work with farmer cooperatives and local government units (LGUs) to assist farmers thru market linkage and post-harvest facilities to minimize loses.

In June 2020, the agency approved the establishment of a P20-million food processing facility in La Trinidad, Benguet to encourage value-adding of harvests and to prevent losses.

DA’s proposed long term solution to prevent this situation is the establishment of trading centers in Region X.

The trading centers will serve as a venue for farmers’ to directly sell their products directly to vendors and traders as a reliable and stable venue for procuring quality produce at the best value.