BAGUIO CITY – In a groundbreaking address delivered at the Highland Vegetable Stakeholders Dialogue, Department of Agriculture-Cordillera (DA-CAR) Officer in Charge-Regional Executive Director (OIC-RED) Atty. Jennilyn Dawayan emphasized the need for collaborative efforts to address the recent challenges faced by highland vegetable farmers in the region.
RED Dawayan’s speech unfolded as follows:
“We are gathered today when we are faced with lower prices of vegetables than the usual price you experienced in July to early December of last year.
This activity is an offshoot of discussions we had with various stakeholders and, of course, coupled with the letter report of vegetable players in September of 2023.
In her address, Dawayan expressed elation at the inclusiveness of the discussions, declaring that “this is not the last one we will hold to hear your voices. “
She pointed out that DA’s experts were around as “little knowledge is dangerous.” She elaborated further that “the battleground is not in the news and not in the social media. There is no glory in mudslinging when DA or LGUs (local government units) are pitted against each other. There is a better feeling when concerns are appropriately raised and solutions are collectively addressed and decided. Every country has continuously developed with strong private-public collaboration. To a large degree, the vegetable industry ecosystem is VUCA (volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous).
She then elaborated on the acronym: VOLATILE, because it is rapidly affected by shocks like, for example, war. UNCERTAIN, because we are still determining when the next typhoon might come that will affect our crops. COMPLEX, because of key players affected by farmers, agricultural supply providers, truckers, trading center operators, government, market facilitators, consumers, and AMBIGUOUS—just as we thought we knew the issues and concerns, we did not know.
She envisioned the day “that the farmer’s decision to plant will be based on a business decision. There are markets available for farmers. If there are none, they can go to another venture, or they can plant other crops. We long for the day that the farmer is empowered to price their produce firmly based on its production cost (using appropriate technologies that also lower its cost) and a markup. He will not be taken advantage of and is being “helped” NOT because the prices in the trading posts are low, but because he is being helped by appropriate market links. So, that is why these discussions should pursue expanding on the grounds.”
Ultimately, the speech focused on empowering farmers to make business-oriented decisions, envisioning a future where farmers base planting decisions on market demands. RED Dawayan expressed a desire for farmers to set fair prices for their produce, determined by production costs and a reasonable markup. This, the director emphasized, would protect farmers from exploitation and ensure they receive genuine assistance through appropriate market links.
The Highland Vegetable Stakeholders Dialogue, held on Jan.17, 2024, at Wangal in La Trinidad, Benguet, served as a platform for updates on key initiatives such as the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), food safety, Food Lane Project implementation, and government efforts to combat smuggling.
The dialogue also provided a space for the local governments to align their programs and projects to develop and strengthen farmers to mitigate the effects of RCEP on the local vegetable industry. By JBPeralta
