RP’s ‘strawberry capital’ under siege from mites

LA TRINIDAD, Benguet — These strawberry fields may not be forever.

One hundred hectares of strawberry fields here are under siege from predatory mites just as La Trinidad Valley celebrates a strawberry cake festival this month.

Agriculturist Norma Ticbaan said that the strawberry fields in the nation’s "strawberry capital" — mostly the sections in open areas that are more prone to predatory attacks — are endangered by mites.

The exact extent of devastation, officials say, is not yet known.

Ticbaan, however, doused fears that the vast plantation would be wiped out as other farms have instituted preventive measures such as "greenhouses."

A farmer can harvest as much as 13,000 tons of strawberries per hectare during a cropping season. More than 100 hectares of strawberry plantations are being cultivated by farmers at La Trinidad Valley, a must-see spot for tourists.

Efforts are now being undertaken to stem the problem as Mayor Nestor Fongwan has sought the assistance of Agriculture Secretary Leonardo Montemayor.

"We are now working with the DA (Department of Agriculture), the Benguet State University and the provincial government in our bid to protect the strawberry fields from mites attack," he said.

Montemayor has already approved the initial fund release for the construction of a center where experts on pests and insects could propagate predatory mites that could kill the pests.

"Experts from the BSU are also conducting research how they could produce other predatory insects that could kill the eggs of these mites," the mayor added.

On March 18, local folks will bake a giant strawberry cake during the town fiesta here. The giant cake will be assembled at the Lednicky Hall of the town hall and will be opened to public viewing at P10 a ticket. Viewers may partake of the cake afterward.

A sequel of the giant carrot cake baked during Benguet Day last November, the giant strawberry cake will not beat any world record, officials say, but it is the town’s thanksgiving gesture for the past year’s bountiful harvest.

Simultaneous with the viewing of the giant cake is a strawberry product competition featuring a variety of gustatory delights and a strawberry-picking contest in at least 88 farms in Barangay Puguis.

Previously known as the "vegetable salad bowl" of the Philippines, La Trinidad is now more widely known as the "strawberry field" of the country, although it is also famous for being the "rose capital" for its cutflower industry that has flourished because of its perfect climate.

Last year, the deadly "potato leaf miner" pest devastated the vast highland potato plantations in northern Benguet towns, causing millions of pesos in losses to farmers.

The pest of still unknown origin burrowed into the leaves of the tubers and wilted them, causing panic among farmers who scrambled for pesticides including kerosene sprays.

Anti-pesticide advocate Dr. Charles Cheung, who wrote an award-winning book on the extent of pesticide use among Benguet farmers, said natural pest control mechanisms have been destroyed in highland farms because of agricultural inputs of multinational pesticide and fungicide firms.