Farmers in Bayombong, Nueva Vizcaya have resorted to dumping over 20 crates of bell peppers by the roadside after their crops were damaged by continuous rains, making them unsellable.

Bayombong’s Agriculture Office is monitoring the vegetable farms affected by the weather closely.

Municipal Agriculturist Jemarie Bahatan encouraged farmers to make use of government insurance programs.

“Actually, ini-encourage namin sila na mag-avail ng crop insurance, ‘yung programa ng Philippine Crop Insurance Corporation, kasi ito ang immediate na ma-avail ng farmers na assistance in case na may mga ganitong kalamidad,” Bahatan said.

In Dagupan City, Janice Diaz, a vegetable vendor, shared that she purchased only 20 kilograms of bell peppers from the Urdaneta Bagsakan Market on September 23, 2024.

Diaz said she buys fewer bell peppers now due to their quick spoilage.

“Sa limang kilo, isang kilo doon nabubulok na kaya talagang ang ginagawa namin, inihahabol din namin ang presyo,” she said.

Bell peppers in Dagupan’s Malimgas Public Market are currently priced at P120 per kilogram, down from P160 the previous week, but vendors report fewer supplies and continued spoilage.

"Pinamimigay na lang namin kapag nalusaw na," Diaz said.