THE Department of Agriculture (DA) has allotted P300 million this year for the continuous production of high-value vegetables, Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said on Friday.
“This is a perennial problem — sometimes chili pepper is very expensive, sometimes there is no supply at all. The same goes for bell pepper and tomatoes,” the DA chief noted, saying the money will be used for a program to build greenhouses, drip irrigation, and water-impounding systems to reduce crop exposure to extreme weather and ensure proper crop management.
The program, which the DA calls “White Revolution,“ is modeled after protected cultivation systems in South Korea and Cambodia to boost vegetable production and stabilize the food system.
The agency will enable local seed and seedling production with farmers’ cooperatives and associations instead of individual farmers, and tap women and the youth in preparing planting materials.
Rain shelters and simpler greenhouse structures will protect crops from weather disruptions, reducing the risk of flooding and pest damage, and allowing more effective water usage through drip irrigation and misting systems.
“The objective is to keep producing even during El Niño or La Niña,” Tiu Laurel explained. “With irrigation during dry months and cover during heavy rains, farmers are able to adapt with changing weather conditions and plan their production based on market demand.”
The program will be pilot tested in select municipalities to limit market risks during the initial rollout.
The government-owned Food Terminal Inc. (FTI) has committed to buy the harvests at pre-agreed prices.
“If we ask a community to plant chili or bell pepper, whatever they produce will be bought at a fair price,” Tiu Laurel said, adding that the government will manage the distribution of the produce to public markets.
“If this [will be] successful and farmers can earn from it, the DA will push for its continuation and scale up the system — even under the next administration,“ Tiu Laurel said.
There are only about 500 hectares of greenhouse-covered farms in the country compared to the 52,000 hectares in South Korea, Tiu Laurel said, adding that to have 5,000 hectares of protected farms by 2027 would be a big achievement.
The DA is also building a network of cold-storage facilities to prolong the shelf life of highly perishable vegetables. It is likewise constructing small-scale vegetable processing facilities to minimize food losses and offer a sustainable additional source of income for farmers.
