Naga farmers urged to produce quality crops

By Paulo DS. Papa

Councilor Salvador Del Castillo, chairperson of the Committee on Agriculture of the Sangguniang Panlungsod of Naga City, has encouraged farmers in the city to improve the quality of crops they produce to be able to compete with vegetables from Benguet, Nueva Viscaya and Quezon provinces.

Last December, a group of farmers in Barangay Panicuason expressed dismay on the low buying price for locally grown vegetables and high transport they incur in order to bring their crops to the Naga City People’s Mall.

Lea Jarical, secretary of the Golden Highlands Agriculture Cooperative, requested the city government to limit the entry of vegetables from Benguet and other provinces in order to boost the sales and profits of local producers.

Del Castillo in an interview said that the city government cannot restrict or limit the entry of agricultural crops from other provinces as it will violate the principle of free market, thus farmers from other provinces such as Baguio City, Quezon province and Nueva Viscaya can sell their crops anywhere in the country.

He said vegetable vendors are always after quality crops with a good price. He added that local farmers should strive to improve the quality of their crops so that can compete well in the market.

We cannot limit or ban traders from other regions because the city is a free market. We cannot restrict buyers to choose what they have to buy, he said.

Panicuason, a barangay located at the foot of Mount Isarog, is one of the five upper barangays in the city known as the source of locally grown vegetables.