Benguet farmers laud Marcos for swift aid amid rising costs
LA TRINIDAD, Benguet — Farmers at the Benguet Agri-Pinoy Trading Center (BAPTC) expressed gratitude to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. for personally visiting the area and rolling out immediate support to address challenges brought by rising fuel and logistics costs.
Florence Ayban, a vegetable farmer from Buguias, said the President’s visit gave farmers renewed hope, especially as many have been struggling with unsold produce and post-harvest losses. She noted that vegetables often go to waste due to a lack of buyers, leading to financial strain among growers.
Ayban also welcomed the government’s move to grant a one-month toll fee waiver for agricultural trucks, saying it would help reduce transport costs and ease the burden on farmers. She expressed hope that such support would continue.
Another farmer, Jasper Cabinta, who has been cultivating vegetables for nearly four decades, said the assistance provided by the Department of Agriculture (DA) to 45 farmer cooperatives and associations would help improve productivity. He also called for additional support, including transport vehicles and better packaging facilities for produce distribution.
The DA regional office distributed around P15.8 million worth of interventions, including farm machinery, fertilizers, irrigation materials, and a P7.25 million Kadiwa cash grant to support farmers’ operations.
Agriculture Secretary Francisco P. Tiu Laurel Jr. said the visit aimed to allow the President to assess conditions on the ground while presenting concrete assistance plans developed after consultations with stakeholders earlier in April.
Among the measures announced were the distribution of seeds and fertilizers to support replanting, as well as toll fee exemptions for trucks transporting agricultural goods from Benguet to Metro Manila via major expressways such as North Luzon Expressway, Tarlac–Pangasinan–La Union Expressway, and Subic–Clark–Tarlac Expressway. These exemptions are expected to generate savings of P1,000 to P3,000 per trip.
Tiu Laurel also cited a planned fuel subsidy of P10 per liter for agricultural trucks and ongoing coordination with the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) to extend assistance through its TUPAD program to drivers, conductors, and farmers.
Under the program, farmers may also receive temporary employment opportunities, including work on irrigation canal projects, alongside continued support for farm inputs.
NPO News Team | Philippine News Agency - PR
