AS the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) Integration 2015 looms on the horizon, many fear that small- and medium-scale industries in the Philippines might suffer setbacks as foreign companies battle it out for supremacy in the region.
One such industry is the vegetable industry. Benguet province, the so-called Salad Bowl of the Philippines, is gearing up for the competition ahead of Asean integration to secure its place as the country’s primary vegetable source.
This mountainous province in the country’s north—which has a population of about half a million people, with a little over 10 percent of them dependent on agriculture—is home to a wide variety of vegetables, and supplies nearly 70 percent to 80 percent of the demand for vegetables in Luzon and some parts of the Visayas.
Benguet produces, on average, 500,000 metric tons (MT) of vegetables, which decrease and increase slightly every year. Last year the province produced 444,593 MT.
Fears of unfair competition are not unfounded. Everyone is aware that China is a major competitor in the area of carrot distribution. Experts feel that China could flood the Philippine market with its carrots and push aside local ones.
This already happened in 2001, when a typhoon damaged much of the country’s crops, forcing the government to import vegetables from China.
Concern is being raised on the potential threat posed by China’s produce, which are allegedly laced with too many pesticides. Also, the influx of foreign vegetables could put our vegetable industry in a bind, as it compels market forces to bring down prices. Farmers should now even brace themselves for the possible impact of dwindling market prices.
Safety nets, as a solution, must now be put in place, should the imports come in free of tariff. Experts suggest quarantine procedures for vegetables of questionable origins and growth process.
The use of pesticides is a growing menace among local and foreign vegetable producers, which costs millions of pesos in farmers’ health, labor productivity and other disastrous effects in consumers.
One research paper says the most prevalent symptoms of pesticide misuse were “headache [64 percent], muscle pain [61 percent], cough [46 percent], weakness [43 percent], eye pain [40 percent], chest pain [38 percent] and eye redness [34 percent].”
The good news, however, points to the advancement in agricultural studies, as well as laws that help in the strict enforcement of quarantine policies and other guidelines needed for an effective course of action.
Apparently, not all are benefited by free trade, especially when unfair competition tips the scales in favor of foreign producers than local ones. The country’s priority should stem from the need to assist local producers and not simply benefit from importation.
Pesticides have wreaked havoc on our agricultural industry for decades, and no amount of profit can replace the lives lost and endangered in exchange for the legal tender.
Image credits: Jimbo Albano