Over the past years, the Department of Agriculture-Cordillera (DA-CAR) has strategized means to link farmers to institutional buyers in other regions, particularly in the urban areas.
Specifically on tomato that is primarily produced in Ifugao, the tomato farmers from the municipalities of Tinoc and Banaue were linked to various institutional buyers, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.
These buyers included the Ateneo de Manila, Rural Rising Ph, and the Magsasaka Partylist Outlet in which at least 5 metric tons (MT) of tomatoes were being delivered to them per week during the height of the pandemic. Linkage with some institutional buyers continues to date with an addition of other buyers where the tomato farmers, particularly from Ifugao, bring their harvests.
This year, the DA-CAR has linked institutional buyers from the commercial and industrial side in Metro Manila to the tomato farmers of Asipulo, Ifugao. Starting October this year, 4 MT of tomatoes are being delivered to the buyers on a weekly basis following the price of PhP45/kilo as agreed.
Tomato is widely cultivated for its edible fruits which can be either eaten raw or cooked. The crop can be eaten raw in salads, pickled, or used as an ingredient in different dishes. During the peak season, tomato can be harvested continuously up to nine times with an interval of 3 to 7 days for each gathering period.
“Our participation with the World Food Expo (WOFEX) proved to yield results. With their help, we were able to introduce the Cordillera region’s prospect to provide the needs of some companies such as TOSEN Foods, Incorporated,” DA-CAR OIC- Regional Executive Director Atty. Jennilyn M. Dawayan expressed.
Through this initiative, the TOSEN Foods which is a sardines processor in Bulacan has agreed to purchase 40 MT of tomatoes every month starting January 2024. The volume of tomatoes was committed by the tomato-producing municipalities of Asipulo, Hingyon, and Hungduan during a business-to-business discussion.
“We are happy that they continued to consider our farmers in the Cordillera as a source of raw materials starting January 2024,” Dir. Dawayan said.
The DA-CAR also continuously assists the tomato farmers in terms of logistics for the transport of the committed tomatoes to institutional buyers in other regions including Metro Manila. Aside from that, several KADIWA trucks were turned over to interested and qualified local government units and farmers’ cooperatives and associations since last year.
Specifically, in the province of Ifugao, the Tinoc Impugong Farmers Movement Association in Tinoc, Abatan Vegetable Farmers Association, and Ammungan Multipurpose Cooperative received one KADIWA truck each in 2022 for its consolidation and marketing activities. There are additional four KADIWA trucks under procurement to be turned over to the Ifugao provincial government (2), Mayoyao (1), and Kiangan (1) municipal governments this year as continuing logistics support of the agency.
Meanwhile, to boost tomato production, various interventions, specifically hybrid tomato seeds, fertilizers, small irrigation facilities, and agricultural production machineries are being distributed yearly to qualified farmers and associations not only in Ifugao but in other tomato-producing areas in the region. In Ifugao province alone, about 80% of the total allocation for high value crops are being provided to Tinoc municipality being the major high value crop producer in the province.
A tomato processing facility worth PhP3 Million was also constructed under Bayanihan II in 2021 at the Ifugao State University in Lamut, Ifugao to facilitate the processing of tomatoes especially during peak season of harvest. This was originally a PhP5 million-worth project wherein the PhP2M was intended for the procurement of processing equipment, capability training, and trading and consolidation activities. However, this was not realized as the remaining PhP2 million was reverted to the Bureau of Treasury because it was not implemented within the validity period of the fund allocated. The agency is following-up the proposal emanating from the Tinoc municipal government for the remaining needed materials and equipment to operationalize said facility.
The local governments are urged to closely monitor the agricultural production within their areas of jurisdiction especially during the height of harvesting to better assist the farmers in the marketing of their produce and avoid unwanted scenarios such as the dumping of unsold tomatoes being experienced at present. By JBAgrifino
