Garlic oversupply due to DA Region 2’s cut in purchase —Batanes gov

Batanes Governor Marilou Cayco on Thursday said there is an oversupply of garlic in her province because the Department of Agriculture (DA) in Region 2 reduced its purchase.

“Kaya po nagkaganoon dahil dati binibili ng Department of Agriculture sa Region 2 at ito ay pinapamahagi sa mga farmers para ho pananim po nila. Pero ngayong taon kumunti ang kanilang binili,” she said at a public briefing.

(This happened because the Department of Agriculture in Region 2 was previously buying garlic and it was distributed among farmers for their crops. But this year, the department decreased its purchase.)

Cayco added that the provincial government had bought some of the farmers' excess garlic and was marketing it to potential buyers. She said that only 20 tons of excess garlic were left.

DA Undersecretary Domingo Panganiban earlier attributed the oversupply of agricultural goods in some areas of the country to the lack of value chain activities. According to him, some farmers do not have markets for their produce.

“It has been happening for the last four or five years. Ang una wala tayong value chain na activity na nangyayari after harvest eh. Ang mga magsasaka natin kapag umani ng gulay, pinagbibili lang nila sa kanilang local market. Walang mamimili sa kanila pagdating sa Manila or dalhin sa Pangasinan o dalhin sa Quezon City o kahit saan dito sa Kalakhang Maynila,” DA Senior Undersecretary Domingo Panganiban said.

(It has been happening for the last four or five years. First, we don’t have value chain activities after the harvest. Farmers only sell at their local markets. No one from Manila, Pangasinan, Quezon City, or anywhere here in Metro Manila can buy from them.)

“We shall strengthen the value acts system approach. Na mayroon tayong crop na bibilhin at may mga mamimili [that we have crops to sell and we have buyers],” he added. — BM, GMA News