Vegetable growers wish Filipinos would eat more greens

Filipinos have big appetites. It is often said that eating is this country’s national pastime. Every occasion is an excuse to celebrate and gorge on mouth-watering dishes. But there’s the rub. While the health conscious tribe is increasing, the majority of the population still prefers to munch on cholesterol-rich foods. Filipinos simply do not eat enough of their greens or vegetables.

At the recent 4th National Vegetable Congress in Davao City, Agriculture Secretary Domingo F. Panganiban pointed out that while the United States‚ per capita consumption of vegetables is at 200 kilograms annually, the Philippines ranks lowest in the region at just 40 kilograms.

Data by the DA’s Agricultural Marketing Assistance Service show that per capita consumption of the pricier temperate vegetables such as cabbage and carrot usually preferred by the higher income class, has been declining since 1993. The per capita consumption of cabbage has gone down to only 2.86 kgs in 2003 from 5.97 kgs in 1993 while carrot consumption has been fluctuating within 0.40 kg to 0.47 kg.

There has not been much improvement either in the consumption of the "pinakbet variety" which is what is generally bought by the lower income class because they are cheaper than temperate vegetables. Tomato consumption has been constant from 1992 to 1993 and there has been a modest rise in eggplant consumption though while bitter gourd or "ampalaya" consumption saw a 0.50 kg increase in consumption, mainly due to its perceived therapeutic properties, especially for those with diabetes.

Panganiban said the DA is currently drawing up a campaign which will be jointly implemented with the National Nutrition Council (NNC) and the Department of Health to encourage Filipinos to eat more vegetables.

If we could just increase vegetable consumption from 40 kilograms to 69 kilograms which is the healthy dosage recommended by the NNC, then not only would we be growing a healthier population, we would also be giving the local vegetable industry more room to grow as well," stressed Panganiban.

The initial effort would be to raise the per capita consumption of at least 50 percent of the total Philippine population. This would in turn, increase the minimum demand for vegetables by at least 2.4 million metric tons a year from the current average level of 1.68 million MT. The annual local consumption peaks at 3.4 million MT, usually during the Christmas holidays, Lenten season and the fiesta season.

"Not only will the Filipinos increase the nutritional value of their dietary regimen if they increase their vegetable intake, it will also redound to greater benefits to the local vegetable sector having a bigger market in the domestic front," said Panganiban.

AMAS director Francisco Ramos III on the other hand, noted that the plan to launch a campaign to persuade Filipinos to eat more vegetables, should pay proper attention to changing the food preferences of the greater majority of the population.

"While production is admittedly low, the country’s food preference affects the productivity behavior of farmers. Should there be an increase in consumption, local demand will also increase and farmers will be more encouraged to produce more," he noted.

Vegetable producers can do their part by going into value-adding to prod consumers to increase their budget for vegetables.

"It’s not so much a question of affordability, but also of preferences by consumers and, of course quality. Those in the lower income bracket tend to be unmindful of the quality of the cut-up vegetables that are wrapped in convenient plastic packs in wet markets or the regular palengkes. This isn’t always safe because air blown into the plastic bags are done by vendors who blow air through their mouths directly into the bags and they could be carrying viruses that could be transmitted to unsuspecting customers," said Ramos, adding that the campaign should also make consumers aware of such unsanitary practices and give them better options.

The upper income and middle income groups on the one hand are where vegetable producers can expand their market for semi-processed and processed vegetables such as pre-packed vegetable salads and frozen vegetables.

"This is already being done by several vegetable producers, including those producing organic vegetables and the concept that would evolve is that more of these products will be branded and producers would compete on that level, again this would be good for consumers," noted Ramos.

Currently, institutional buyers such as five-star hotels and restaurants that require a wide variety of vegetables are getting the bulk of high-quality vegetables, both from domestic and foreign sources.

Australia remains the top supplier of lettuce, celery, cauliflower and broccoli capturing, 75 percent of the fresh/chilled vegetable market. On the other hand, China is the Philippines biggest supplier of carrot, dried mungbean, garlic, tomato paste and onion.

"If we could get a bigger share of that market, then there would certainly be more incentive for producers like us to invest not only on new farm areas, but most especially in post-harvest facilities such as cold chain and vegetable processing technology," said Roger Gualberto, president of the Vegetable Industry Council of Southern Mindanao Inc. (VICSMIN).

In Mindanao, vegetable production is emerging as one of major revenue earners. In particular, members of the VICSMIN and Northern Mindanao Vegetable Producers Association, have been increasing production volume on account of its expanding client base that now includes major fastfood chains, restaurants, supermarkets and hotels in Manila, Cebu, Cagayan de Oro and Davao.

Last year, the growth of out-shipment generated by vegetable producers in the region topped 53 percent which translates into a total volume of 1,978 metric tons compared to 1,290 metric tons in the previous year. In 2005, the combined sales of small and corporate farms to institutional markets totaled P129 million, a record 96 percent growth compared to only P66 million in 2004.

Favorable weather has also been contributing to increasing production of high value commercial crops such as lettuce, broccoli, potato, sweet corn, salad tomato, bell pepper, carrots and various tropical vegetables throughout the year.

The increase was also attributed to the wider adoption of cluster farming, a marketing scheme wherein small farmers consolidate their produce to provide the volume required by institutional customers. The cluster scheme was formulated by the DA with the assistance of the United States Agency for International Development’s Growth With Equity in Mindanao program.

But still, producers said they have barely scratched the surface of their potential market.

"The majority of the population is what we want to capture. Right now, it is mostly just the institutional buyers and a limited foreign market in the Asian region that we are catering to," said Gualberto.