Benguet farmers dump tons of carrots amid oversupply, price collapse; urge gov’t aid

May 26, 2025 , 11:54 AM

By Bea Rollo

(May 26, 2025) — Local farmers in Benguet have begun giving away or discarding tons of freshly harvested carrots, saying they can no longer earn from their produce amid an oversupply crisis.

Some farmers were dumping sacks of carrots along the roadside, saying it’s more practical than spending more on transportation and storage.

The buying price has plummeted to as low as P15 to P20 per kilo, and last week, prices dipped to just P3 to P5 per kilo— far below the production cost of over P30 per kilo.

According to the Samahang Industriya ng Agrikultura (SINAG), the oversupply is due to unusual weather conditions.

“Wala raw kasing summer sa Benguet ngayon. Since March, nag-uulan, so that’s good for the carrots. Malaki ‘yung harvest, nagkasabay-sabay,” said Jayson Cainglet, executive director of SINAG.

“‘Yung mga nagbabagsak sa Divisoria, may sinasabing merong presence kasi ng imported carrots, eh. So, legal man siya o illegal, nakaapekto rin sa presyo na bumagsak pa lalo,” he added.

Cainglet also warned that the presence of smuggled or imported carrots has worsened the market glut, pushing prices down even further.

Meanwhile, in Manila’s Trabajo Market, carrots are still being sold for P70 to P120 per kilo.

SINAG is urging the government to step in by purchasing surplus carrots and directly distributing them to public markets. They also called for long-term solutions such as the establishment of post-harvest facilities and the implementation of a floor price to protect farmers from exploitation by traders.

“Tulungan ang farmers na makabili ng carrots at ibenta sa markets para may kitain naman ‘yung ating farmers,” Cainglet added.

(With reports from Kari Cator, News5)
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