LA TRINIDAD, Benguet — As heavy rains damage agricultural areas in Benguet, La Trinidad Mayor Roderick Awingan is urging businesses and traders not to use farm losses as a reason to excessively raise vegetable prices.
Awingan’s appeal comes at a sensitive time for the province’s vegetable industry, where weather disruptions can quickly affect production, transportation and market prices.
The mayor’s warning, reported by the Philippine Information Agency, is aimed at preventing agricultural damage from becoming an excuse for what he described as unjustified price increases.
The concern is particularly important because La Trinidad serves as one of the country’s major trading centers for highland vegetables, connecting Benguet farmers with buyers and markets outside the Cordillera. The Department of Agriculture identifies the La Trinidad Vegetable Trading Post and the Benguet Agri-Pinoy Trading Center as important hubs in the region’s vegetable supply chain.
Benguet farmers really are facing weather and market pressures
The mayor’s warning does not mean that agricultural damage is insignificant.
Benguet’s farmers have repeatedly been vulnerable to extreme weather, transportation disruptions and sudden changes in demand.
A similar situation emerged during heavy rains in 2025, when Awingan reported significant damage to strawberry and vegetable farms in La Trinidad. At the time, he said the municipality had recorded nearly ₱17 million in agricultural losses, with the figure expected to increase as assessments continued. Farmers also faced delays of several weeks before new crops could be harvested.
The latest situation therefore comes against a backdrop of an industry already struggling to recover from repeated disruptions.
But the mayor’s message is clear:
Damage to farms should not automatically translate into excessive prices for consumers.
The bigger story: Benguet farmers have also suffered from low prices
Ironically, the vegetable industry’s problem earlier this year was almost the opposite.
Instead of consumers paying too much, farmers were struggling to sell their crops at prices that could cover production and transportation costs.
In April, GMA News reported that some Benguet farmers were giving away harvested vegetables after finding too few buyers amid higher fuel prices. Produce brought to the La Trinidad Vegetable Trading Post was reportedly difficult to sell because of weak buying activity.
The Department of Agriculture-Cordillera likewise reported in April that vegetable supply at the La Trinidad Trading Post remained sufficient, but lower demand and reduced hauling to Metro Manila and lowland markets were hurting farmers, suppliers and vendors. High fuel costs added another burden.
This reveals the unusual pressure facing Benguet’s vegetable sector.
When demand falls, farmers can be left with unsold produce and collapsing farm-gate prices.
When weather damages crops and supply tightens, consumers can face higher prices.
And somewhere between those two extremes sits the complicated network of farmers, assemblers, traders, wholesalers, truckers and retailers.
Why the price at the farm is not the price at the market
One of the industry’s persistent problems is the distance between farm-gate prices and retail prices.
A PIA report in May highlighted complaints from Benguet farmers and stakeholders about low farm-gate prices and the layers involved in marketing vegetables outside the region. Participants in a prayer vigil against vegetable smuggling and imports argued that supply in Benguet could remain sufficient even while retail prices become much higher elsewhere because of multiple marketing layers.
That makes the mayor’s warning particularly significant.
If agricultural damage reduces supply, some increase in prices may be economically understandable.
But if traders or retailers use the news of crop damage to impose increases far beyond what supply conditions justify, farmers and consumers could both lose.
La Trinidad remains a crucial link in the national food supply
The importance of La Trinidad goes well beyond Benguet.
The municipality is a major convergence point for highland and lowland vegetables from the Cordillera and neighboring areas. The Department of Agriculture-CAR recently described La Trinidad as a stabilizing force for farmers, noting that its trading facilities continue to receive produce during both favorable and difficult periods.
The trading post also serves as a major distribution point for vegetables moving toward markets in Metro Manila and other parts of Luzon.
Earlier this year, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. visited both the La Trinidad Vegetable Trading Post and BAPTC after fuel-price increases disrupted agricultural transportation.
During that visit, the government purchased 20 tons of agricultural products from Benguet farmers. The produce was subsequently distributed to underserved communities and government institutions in Metro Manila.
The intervention underscored how closely Benguet’s farm economy is connected to food security in urban areas.
Fuel costs add another layer to the problem
Weather is only part of the equation.
Transportation costs have repeatedly affected Benguet’s farmers because vegetables must travel from mountain farms to major markets.
The DA reported in April that rising fuel prices had reduced hauling activity and weakened demand at the La Trinidad trading post. Farmers could harvest their crops but still struggle to move them profitably to buyers.
The government responded with several measures, including assistance for farmers and interventions intended to reduce the impact of transportation costs. During Marcos’ April visit, officials also announced measures involving diesel prices, local charges and toll fees for vegetable trucks.
The lesson is important:
A vegetable’s final price is shaped by far more than what happens on the farm.
The real challenge may be preventing another cycle
For Benguet farmers, the problem is not simply finding ways to increase prices.
They need stable and fair prices.
That means ensuring that farmers are not forced to sell below production cost during periods of oversupply, while also preventing consumers from being hit with unreasonable increases when weather damages crops.
The Department of Agriculture has been pushing market-linkage initiatives to connect farmers with buyers and improve the movement of produce. La Trinidad’s agricultural officials have also been exploring processing and value-adding facilities that could reduce post-harvest losses and create additional markets for farmers.
For Awingan, however, the immediate concern is simpler: don’t exploit a crisis.
Weather damage is already putting pressure on farmers.
Turning that damage into excessive retail markups could create another problem—one that affects millions of consumers far beyond Benguet.
And with La Trinidad remaining a major gateway for the country’s highland vegetables, the question now is not simply whether prices will move.
It is how much they should move—and who will ultimately pay the price.
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