ATOK, Benguet – Damages inflicted by the frost, popularly known as ‘andap’ is no longer noticeable because farmers already know what to do in protecting their crops that re on their vegetative, flowering or harvestable stages to avoid possible shortage of supply in the markets, Mayor Franklin Smith said here recently.
He admitted that as the temperature continues to drop to single digit in the municipality over the previous days, there were reported frost that formed on the leaves of the vegetable crops that were planted in Engladed, Paoay but the said incidents were isolated and that no damages to agricultural crops were reported by the farmers to the local government.
The local chief executive said that farmers are already familiar with the prevailing weather condition and that they know the measures to be undertaken to get rid of the forest on top of the leaves of vegetables before they will exposed to the sun that will lead to their destruction, thus there were no significant damages that had been inflicted by the frost to the town’s vegetable industry.
“Our farmers are prepared for any eventuality, especially when the temperature will continue to drop in the coming weeks. They already know what to do to spare their crops from the damages that will be inflicted by the frost,” Mayor Smith stressed.
Aside from Atok, the other highly elevated areas in Benguet and Mountain Province where frost usually prevails during this time of the year are Madaymen. Kibungan; Cada in Mankayan and Bauko, Mountain Province and parts of Buguias, Benguet.
Smith explained that even if the temperature drops when there is wind, there will be no frost that will form on top of the leaves of the agricultural crops.
On the other hand, frost happens if there is no wind and the temperature is close to double digit.
According to him, the occurrence of frost is a cycle that is why farmers are often ready to wake up early in the morning when they feel that there is a noticeable drop in the prevailing temperature to sprinkle water on the leaves of their crops where the frost forms to remove the same.
The leaves of the vegetable crops will wilt if the frost will be exposed to direct sunlight that will eventually result to damages that will affect the quality of the vegetable produce.
The cold winds from the winter season in Siberia and China is being blown into the country by the northeast monsoon from November to March that causes the temperature to significantly drop in certain days of the year in highly elevated areas mostly in Northern Luzon.
Mayor Smith pointed out that the drop in temperature and the frost that happens anytime during the cold months serve as an added attraction for foreign and domestic visitors and contributed to the significant growth in tourist arrivals in the municipality annually but what is important is that there are no damages that will be inflicted to the agricultural crops of the farmers.
He called on farmers to be vigilant on the prevailing weather condition so that they could immediately act once frost forms on top of their vegetable plants so that they could implement the necessary strategies to prevent it from damaging their produce. By Dexter A. See