Benguet (CNN Philippines) — The tension between China and the Philippines have gone beyond the West Philippine Sea as local vegetable traders here are also complaining of fierce and sometimes unfair competition with vegetables coming from China.
Benguet farmers have recently called on the Department of Agriculture and the Bureau of Customs to look into the entry of imported carrots from China which affected the price and marketability of locally produced carrots.
In a 10-page report submitted to DA-Cordillera High Value Commercial Crops Coordinator Joan Bacbac last August 14, Benguet Farmers Multipurpose Cooperative (BMFC) manager Augusta Balanoy said as early as July 2015, the organization, comprised of thousands of vegetable traders and farmers in Benguet, received reports that imported carrots are being sold at Divisoria market in Tondo, Metro Manila during the time when the price of locally produced carrots reached high prices of P30 to P60 per kilo.
According to Balanoy, under the ASEAN Free Trade Agreement and the Asian Economic Community Integration, the free entry of imported vegetables, including carrots, will have to commence in December which is why they are assuming that the imported carrots seen in Metro Manila markets may have been smuggled into the country.
Investigation conducted by Benguet’s largest farmer’s cooperative also showed that the carrots popularly called as “Taiwan carrots” in Metro Manila markets are actually not from Taiwan but are products of China.
Field monitoring of the biggest farmer’s organization in Benguet showed that since the price increase of local carrots that currently range from P30 to P60 per kilo, the imported carrots are brought out from warehouses and are being sold by some unscrupulous traders in Manila at a lower price — usually P5 to P15 lower than the Benguet carrots.
Balanoy said this obvious price disparity has persuaded other buyers such as supermarket chains to shift from buying Benguet carrots and instead buy imported China carrots.
Also, she revealed traders from Metro Manila always base their price in buying Benguet carrots on the price of imported carrots. According to the buyers, if their price is way too high than the imported ones, the local carrots will not be bought.
Benguet carrots vs. China carrots
There is a huge difference between the China-sourced carrots and those that have been sourced from Benguet province.
Balanoy disclosed that the sample of imported carrots collected at Divisoria were observed to have foul odor showing that it has been stored for too long and mixed with rotten and acrid smell.
She added the carrots also rot three days from purchase and black spots and molds start to appear.
Balanoy, in her report, also said carrots from China are uniform in size; some 7 to 8 inches in length and one-fourth kilogram per piece in average and had no original stem but a regrowth of leaves that indicates lengthy storage.
Benguet carrots, she disclosed, are smaller, but are seen to be fresher compared to the imported ones flooding the market. Benguet carrots also have fresh long stems and the color of the vegetable is more vibrant compared to the imported ones.
“We were instructed by the ‘source’ of these [China] goods that if we are to store the imported carrots longer, we should not remove the orange plastic bag. Accordingly, if the orange colored bag will be removed, the rotting will speed up,” she said citing the possibility of placement of chemicals to prolong shelf life of these carrots.
Prevailing prices of carrots at the La Trinidad Vegetable Trading post is at P30 to P50 per kilo this week while the ones coming from China are cheaper by P10 to P15 per kilo than the locally produced ones.
As a representative of local farmers in Benguet, the BFMC sought the help of all concerned agencies especially the Department of Agriculture (DA) in the dissemination of information as to the difference of the local and imported carrots, especially among consumers.
The BFMC stressed concerned agencies such as the DA should allot budget to promote locally produced vegetables to better inform consumers and encourage them to patronize locally produced goods more than the imported ones.
