Davao to expect low supply of veggies due to Luzon calamities

DAVAO CITY Aug. 15 (PIA)- Davao Region is expected to feel the pinch of a low supply of vegetables as Luzon is continually battered by storms.

Ray Acain president of the Vegetable Industry Council in Southern Mindanao (VicsMin) said that as of last week, the region’s vegetable traders have been shipping their veggies to Luzon as Benguet, the chief vegetable producing area in Luzon remains inaccessible as highways to the area remain affected by the typhoon.

Guesting at Club 888 at Marco Polo Davao, Acain said that presently they are shipping 10% of their vegetable produce to Luzon. He also said that the industry is expecting the worst in two weeks time where 60% of their produce will be shipped to Luzon.

He said that the situation is now reflected where prices of vegetables have gone up primarily cabbages which formerly priced at P20 a kilo has skyrocketed to P50. Other vegetables expected to increase are carrots, squash and brocoli. He said that in Tagum there is already a dearth in the supply of squash.

Acain said that the shift in suppy is a business decision as traders normally would ship their produce to markets which offer higher prices which is Luzon. The Vicsmin prexy said the situation is similar to when typhoon Ondoy struck Luzon when the price of cabbage went up to P60.

If the supply problem persist among those that would be affected would be Davao City which consumes around 80 tons of vegetable daily yet it produces only 6-8 tons of veggies, the rest are sourced from other vegetable producing areas in the region. Davao Region produces around 80 tons of vegetables daily. (PIA 11/RG Alama)