In Benguet, climate change clouds strawberry fest

LA TRINIDAD, Benguet—Farmers celebrated this year’s Strawberry Festival on March 18, with the dire fate of their iconic produce in the back of their minds.

Officials and agriculturists reported that extreme weather patterns and expanding urban development had resulted in a marked decrease in the production of this town’s strawberries, which are staple take-home gifts for tourists.

But officials said they could  tap technology to improve yield of strawberry fields in the town.

Fely Ticbaen, municipal agriculturist, said strawberry farmers used to harvest an average of 21 tons per hectare. But by 2000, production fell to an average of 16 to 18 tons, she said.

“This is the effect of climate change. Rains came too early and it denuded the strawberry fields in La Trinidad. Too much rain affected the pollination of the strawberries,” she said.

“It is easy for the strawberry fields to be flooded because these are situated in a valley,” said Miguel Bagtila, a strawberry farmer.

Ticbaen said the rise of buildings at the town center also reduced the number of strawberry farms here. Urbanization encroached into farms, trimming the 77 ha of strawberry farms here to 66 ha, she said.

In spite of this, La Trinidad remains the country’s top producer of strawberries, Ticbaen said. The farms are mostly in the villages of Poblacion, Betag and Puguis.

Other Benguet towns such as Tublay, Buguias and Tuba have also begun producing strawberries, Ticbaen said.

“La Trinidad is still ‘strawberry fields forever’ because it is the most productive of all towns. Other provinces in the Philippines such as Bukidnon tried to grow strawberries, but [their produce] do not have the (sweet) taste [of our berries],” she said.

She said lackluster profits from recent harvests have not encouraged berry farmers to use chemical fertilizers and have kept their fields organic.

“The Bureau of Plant and Industry conducts surprise visits to these farms to conduct a series of pesticide residue analyses. So far, no strawberry has been detected to have traces of excess chemicals. These farmers use makosako (wood vinegar) to eliminate pests,” she said.

Mayor Gregorio Abalos Jr. said officials had considered popularizing hydroponics, a method by which strawberries could be grown inside containers using chemical nutrients instead of soil. Desiree Caluza, Inquirer Northern Luzon