Headline
Tons of carrots and cabbage dumped in Benguet due to oversupply
Abi Sarabia M., Philippine Canadian Inquirer
August 17, 2026
Photo courtesy: Philippine Information Agency
Tons of carrots and cabbage were dumped in a vacant lot in Tublay, Benguet, due to what was reportedly an oversupply and lack of buyers.
At the La Trinidad Vegetable Trading Post, prices have dropped to five pesos, while some crops may no longer be sold at all because of the excess supply.
Carrots used to sell for 18 to 20 pesos when the produce was of good quality.
But now, prices have dropped to five pesos, and it has become difficult to sell the crop at all.
According to the La Trinidad Vegetable Traders Association, buyers usually prefer better-quality produce, such as imported carrots.
With Benguet experiencing a string of bad weather, many farmers are struggling with their crops.
Aside from this, delivery to the trading post has also been affected by road issues such as landslides.
Because of this, farmers sometimes have to take longer routes, which results in additional transportation costs.
Amid the oversupply, falling prices, and lack of buyers, some farmers have been forced to simply dump their harvest — meaning heavy losses and months of farming work coming to nothing.
Benguet is often referred to as the country’s “Salad Bowl,” supplying nearly 80% of the upland vegetables sold in Metro Manila.
This is not the first time vegetables have been dumped in Benguet, similar incidents have occurred there before, often linked to traders declining to buy from local farmers.
Local officials have previously pointed to vegetable imports as a contributing factor, noting that buyers increasingly source their supply from Manila instead of traveling to Benguet.
The Department of Agriculture has proposed longer-term measures to prevent recurring oversupply, including establishing a proper planting calendar so farmers do not plant or harvest all at the same time, as well as building more cold storage facilities in vegetable-producing areas.
