Benguet farmers brace for frost as temperature drops
BAGUIO CITY—Frost has begun settling over vegetable gardens in the highlands of Benguet, but farmers said its early onset remained light and manageable—an annual occurrence they have learned to live with.
Pj Haight, a farmer from Sitio Englandad in Barangay Paoay, Atok town, said frost started descending on their gardens shortly after Christmas, affecting about a hectare of vegetable plots, including his own and those of neighboring farmers.
“It’s the same area that gets covered by frost every year,” Haight told the Inquirer.
When contacted on Monday, Haight was in Baguio City, 46.4 kilometers from Atok, or about a two-hour drive, purchasing a water pump that had recently broken. The pump, he explained, is used to irrigate crops—considered the most effective way to lessen frost damage.
“It’s just a light warm-up,” Haight said, noting the frost remained light for now and was expected to thicken as colder months progress, usually peaking in February.
“This is an annual phenomenon that we’ve learned to live with,” he added.
Beyond sprinkling water on crops, Haight said farmers in his village plant frost-resilient vegetables and carefully schedule planting so crops mature before the height of frost season.
Scheduled planting
This year, they planted carrots and radish, along with cabbage roses and flowers. Last year, they planted cabbage.
Their crops are ready for harvest, and while frost may affect quality, Haight said the impact would likely be minimal.
“At most, instead of qualifying as first class, they’ll drop to second class and be sold at a lower price,” he said.
Farmers, however, opted to delay harvesting until after the New Year due to long queues at the trading post in the Benguet capital, La Trinidad.
“If we harvest now, it would take three to four days before we could sell because of the long lines. By then, the crops would become second class anyway,” Haight said.
Tourist attraction
Aside from farming, Haight also operates a transient house in their village, offering guests garden views and the chance to experience frost firsthand.
“We showed our guests the frost this morning before heading out to buy a water pump. They enjoyed taking photos,” he said.
According to Haight, the combination of vegetable and flower gardens and cold temperatures draws visitors to their area.
“Experiencing the frost is an added bonus if they happen to catch it,” he said.
Frost in the village typically appears early in the morning. Haight said it was observed at around 6 a.m. on Dec. 28 and again at about the same time the following day.
Data from the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration-Benguet State University Agromet Station in La Trinidad showed the lowest temperature recorded on Sunday was 12.1 degrees Celsius, dropping further to 10.6C on Monday.
Benguet’s vegetable gardens supply at least 85 percent of the country’s vegetable demand.
Ida Pagtan, division chief of the administrative and finance department of the Department of Agriculture (DA)-Cordillera Administrative Region, said Atok farmers have long adapted to frost conditions.
She added that the DA provides assistance, including water pumps and hoses, to help farmers protect their crops during the cold season.
