CAR pins hopes on quality vegetable output

BAGUIO CITY, Philippines– Quality vegetables produced in the highland region is this city’s edge in the stiff market competition come the ASEAN integration.

The Cordillera Administrative Region faces huge challenges like technological advancement starting next year when the Asian Free Trade Agreement goes to work,  said Regional Agricultural Statistics Officer Juanito Yabes of the Philippine Statistics Authority-Bureau of Agricultural Statistics. 

Even if there are initiatives to adopt mechanized farming, farmers in the region still employ traditional farming, which is below par compared to other Asean countries.

Yabes points out that the Cordillera region is also faced with area limitations,due to its terrain.

Despite these limitations, Yabes said the highland region can be AFTA competitive in the same manner that it is competitive right now compared with other regions in the country.

Cordillera remains as one of the major agricultural producers in the country, churning out 80 percent of the national vegetable production.

Government records cabbage as still the major crop in the region.

The value production report of PSA-BAS said the region was able to produce 99,95.60 metric tons in 2013 with Benguet as the largest contribution at 85,874.21 metric tons.

While Central Luzon is still the top palay producer in the country, Cordillera produces a significant amount, government statistics show. 

In 2013, the Cordilleras produced 460,170.00 metric tons with Kalinga producing the highest with 174,012.00 metric tons.

Aside from these, the region also continues to produce other vegetables, root crops, fruits, flowers, and poultry and livestock products.

Yabes hopes that with the huge contribution of the region in the national production, the government will look into more efforts to empower the agricultural sector in the region.

Such inputs from the national government,  the quality and volume of agricultural produce will move.

But Yabes warns against overlooking the attention that should be given to agriculture in the highlands because it will affect the vegetable supply in the region and in the country.