BY: ANGELICA ARQUERO

As monsoon rains continue to pour over the Cordillera region, the prices of many highland vegetables from Benguet have started to spike, bringing concern to both buyers and sellers.

Nanay Maria, a regular buyer from Pangasinan, traveled all the way to the Baguio City Public Market hoping to save money on bulk purchases for her small eatery.

“I usually go to La Trinidad to buy because it’s cheaper there,” she said. But she was shocked to see that carrots, which previously sold at 20 pesos per kilo, now cost 50 pesos.

“How can I price the food in my canteen now?” she asked. “600 pesos used to be enough, I’d still have plenty with 1,000 pesos. Now it’s not even enough.”

To keep her small business afloat, she’s been forced to reduce the serving size of vegetables in her dishes.

Sellers are also struggling.

Vegetable vendor Maria Agayo shared that more produce is rotting than being sold.

“We lose a lot to rot, that’s really our enemy, especially during the rainy season,” she said. “Instead of making a profit, we’re losing money. The bell pepper price went up because so many vegetables got damaged by the rains.”

Nora Ganase, president of the League of Associations at the La Trinidad Vegetable Trading Post, confirmed the situation.

“Prices have gone up, and at the same time, orders are fewer,” she said in a phone interview. “By the time the vegetables reach Manila, they’re already spoiled. Buyers complain about it.”

To prevent further losses, some farmers are now wrapping vegetables in paper to protect them from the rain, an added expense.

A recent price monitoring report from the Benguet AgriPinoy Trading Center showed the following changes between June 30 and July 7, 2025:

• Cabbage increased from 12 pesos to 22 pesos per kg to 10 pesos to 25 pesos per kg 
• Potatoes rose from 5 pesos to 30 pesos per kg to 7 pesos to 38 pesos per kg 
• Carrots went from 4 pesos to 40 pesos kg to 7 pesos to 42 pesos per kg 
• Broccoli jumped from 10 pesos to 50 pesos per kg to 20 pesos to 70 pesos per kg 
• Beans decreased from 40 pesos to 60 pesos per kg to 30 pesos to 35 pesos per kg 
• Wombok dropped from 12 pesos to 22 pesos per kg to 6 pesos to 15 pesos kg

Ganase also appealed for more support from government agencies.

“We’re requesting for dryers through our cooperative so we can start processing the vegetables into dried goods. That way, they won’t spoil so easily,” she said.

With rains expected to continue, further price increases may be on the horizon.