BAGUIO CITY – Organizers of international food expositions and well-known chefs will be initiating frequent exchanges between farmers and chefs to contribute in establishing direct linkages between the producers and the consumers for better product knowledge in the future.
World Food Expo (WOFEX) president Joel Pascual said that the group will be organizing frequent exchanges between the farmers and the local, national and international chefs for them to align themselves with the current trend of the times that will ensure the marketability of the quality produce and guarantee sustainability of the market to avoid the unnecessary interventions of enterprising middlemen.
Pascal pointed out that in the case of the farmers, the exchange will mean direct contacts with their prospective buyers who know the needs of consumers while in the case of the chefs, it will guarantee them quality produce for a reasonable period of time without being caught in the midst of the market forces influenced by middlemen.
Further, he added that farmers will also be fully aware what type of agricultural crops to propagate and produce pursuant to the needs of the chefs to be able to command better buying prices of the crops that will earn them better income without being at the mercy of traders who dictate the prices of the vegetable produce while on the part of the chefs, it will be more of the sustained quality of the produce that will be delivered for the consumption of their clients.
“WOFEX has various members from hotels, restaurants and other food establishments that could be tapped to directly link with our local farmers in the Cordillera so that they will no longer be at the mercy of middlemen. We could discuss the kind of vegetables that should be produced and be supplied to our members directly that will be beneficial to our agriculture industry stakeholders,” Pascual stressed.
For her part, Chef Waya Araos Wijangco pointed out the need for the farmers to produce the right kind of vegetables needed by the hotels, restaurants and other food establishments so that they will be able to propagate the right kind of vegetables that are in demand in the market for them to earn the appropriate income from their produce.
She claimed that one of the aspects of the food chain that farmers should be aware of is the sorting of their crops so that they will be able to sell the right variety to where it properly belongs.
In the case of potatoes, Wijangco explained that there are various varieties where farmers could select from but what is in demand now is the variety that is good for French fries but what is being locally produced is not actually the said variety, thus, locally produced potatoes are not usually bought by big food establishments.
On the other hand, she narrated that she was able to buy a variety of squash in the city public market at P30 per piece but the said variety is being sold in other markets in Metro Manila at around P800 per piece because it is one of the preferred varieties, thus, farmers have to be fully aware of the kind and variety of their produce so that they will not be short changed when selling their produce to interested buyers.
Pascual and Wijangco were in town to personally look into and actively participate in the preparation and serving of the paella a la Cordillera that highlighted the culmination program of this year’s Urban Farmers and Fisherfolk month held at the Melvin Jones football field. By Dexter A. See
