Benguet farmers lose millions over turtle-paced road projects

LA TRINIDAD, Benguet – Benguet farmers worry about millions of losses and tons of vegetables left rotting with the turtle-paced road repair projects here.

Road projects along the major artery - Pico National Road – leading to the Trading Post - may even cause heavy snags on vegetable deliveries when the peak season next month comes, businessmen here said as ongoing road repairs have been a headache for the past months not only to them but motorists as well.

Benguet Farmers Marketing Cooperative (BFMC) Executive Manager Augusta Balanoy said financial losses can jack up further if the repairs are not done in time for the December peak season.

Last year, Balanoy said, the farmer’s sad experience led to over P1 million worth of vegetables left rotting when deliveries were stalled because of heavy traffic at the Pico area.

“The trucks were not able to get to the market opening on time, so buyers were not able to purchase the goods,” she said.

Balanoy said buyers during peak season usually purchase goods on December 21-23 in anticipation of the holidays. If deliveries do not come on the early mornings at the market opening, buyers buy from other disposers, leaving highland farmers at a loss.

On December 22 last year, a delivery truck carrying P2.6 million worth of vegetables turned in late to the lowlands and the trader was only able to dispose less than half of the truck-full delivery.

The P20-milion Pico-Puguis concreting project came from the “pork” of Benguet Rep. Ronald Cosalan during the Summer Strawberry Festival, but the contractor has been fixing a drainage problem.

Moreover, the absence of a drainage system in the capital town is feared to affect farmers' produce, too because of floods going into the farms and homes.

Balanoy said, “We do not want to have a repeat of what happened last year.”

Balanoy said stakeholders are now preparing for the peak season as well as in helping the traffic system with the Philippine National Police.

She said disposers, farmers, as well as volunteers are willing to be trained as traffic enforcers just to ensure the steady flow of trucks.