ATOK, Benguet – Farmers from this vegetable-producing town started to experience frost over the past several days following the sudden drop in the temperature.
However, Mayor Franklin Smith said that very minimal damages on agricultural crops were reported because farmers are already fully aware of what to do with their plants once temperature starts to drop with the prevalence of the northeast monsoon.
He claimed that when the temperature in the municipality dropped to 8 and 9 degrees Celsius early this week, frost also started to form on top of the leaves of the plants of farmers but agriculture industry stakeholders were quick to institute the appropriate measures to remove the frost by simply spraying or sprinkling water to remove the same to prevent the leaves of the plants from being burned when exposed to sunlight.
On March 4-6, 2023, temperature in the municipality dropped to zero degrees Celsius that paved the way for frost to form on top of the leaves of plants although there was no significant damage to crops that was reported during that time.
Smith claimed that if there were crops that were damaged by the frost, these were the ones that were not given immediate attention by those who planted the same but it will not have an effect on the supply of highland vegetables being traded in various trading centers in the capital town of La Trinidad.
The mayor explained that the agricultural crops get their nutrients from their leaves that is why when the leaves of the plants are burned when the frost forms on them are exposed to sunlight, the plants eventually die resulting to heavy losses on the part of the farmers.
For his part, Bauko Mayor Randy Awisan disclosed that some areas in the municipality also realized the presence of frost following the significant drop in the prevailing temperature over the past several days.
He emphasized that being a normal occurrence during the cold season, residents are familiar with what to do, which is why damages to their crops remain minimal.
He pointed out that farmers learned their lessons in the past that is why they know how to deal with the situation, especially when they experience a drop in the early morning temperature with the prevalence of the enhanced northeast monsoon.
Frost, popularly known as ‘Andap’ in the local dialect, are ice crystals that form on the leaves of plants once temperature drops to single digit at the height of the enhanced northeast monsoon that prevails from November to late February.
Further, frost is usually experienced by people living in highly elevated areas in Benguet, particularly the towns of Atok, Kibungan, Buguias, Mankayan and Kabayan and in Mountain Province, specifically the municipality of Bauko where the famous Cada vegetable farms are situated.
Both local officials urged farmers in their respective municipalities to remain vigilant because the temperature will further drop in the coming months that will further trigger the formation of frost on plants so that they will be able to mitigate its effect on their agricultural crops. By Dexter A. See