Prices of farm products from Mayon’s slopes soar

LEGAZPI CITY — Even before Mt. Mayon in Albay could unleash its worst explosion, prices of vegetables and other agricultural products grown on its slopes have already started to soar up to 100 percent of their pre-eruption market prices.

No human activity has been allowed within a seven-kilometer distance from the crater and eight kilometers in the southeast sector for over a month now.

Archimedes Reynoso, Albay’s provincial agriculturist, told The STAR his office has yet to consolidate data regarding the damage to plantations around the volcano.

The lava has already advanced up to 6.8 kilometers from the crater in the southeast sector facing this city and the towns of Sto. Domingo and Daraga, he added.

Reynoso said it is difficult for them to guess as they might be feeding the public with wrong information on the damage wrought to agricultural crops by Mayon’s imminent eruption.

The volcano’s very fertile middle and down slopes running to thousands of hectares are being planted with vegetables that supply over 50 percent of the province’s agricultural needs, he added.

Abundantly planted along Mayon’s slopes are ampalaya, eggplants, cabbage, pechay, Baguio beans, carrots, corn, peanuts, root crops, tomatoes, pepper and citrus, data from the local agriculture department here showed.

Market-goers said that if one could buy a bundle of vegetables for only P12 before the eruption, now the prices vary from P18 to P20 a bundle.

"Like this gabi (showing the vegetable), it was three bundles at P5 before Mayon turned restive," Jenny Arnaldo said. "Now I bought it at P5 per two bundles."

Ampalaya that sold before for P20 per kilo now sells for P28 to P35 per kilo, or an increase of about 40 to 85 percent a kilo, a random survey of market prices here showed yesterday.

Market vendors said Mayon planters cannot supply them with the same volume of vegetable products as before the eruption so that their prices are now starting to soar.

"Karamihan ng supply namin ng vegetables ay galing sa mga taniman sa slopes ng Mayon (Most of our vegetables come from the slopes of Mayon)," said Alma Rojas.

"Ngunit dahil nga sa eruption na ’yan, pawala na ang supply kaya baka magtuloy-tuloy nang tumaas ang presyo ng mga gulaying ito (But because of the eruption, supply is dwindling so prices of vegetables may have to go up)," Roxas added.

Volcanologists said the very fertile soil along the slopes of Mayon has lured farmers to plant in the area despite constant danger posed by the country’s most restive volcano.

Nurseries for agricultural products, particularly vegetable seedlings, are being maintained by the provincial government in Barangay Paraputo in Malinao town and Buang in Tabaco City.

Informed of the reported increase in prices of agricultural products due to Mayon’s eruption, Cedric Daep, Albay’s provincial disaster management officer, said his office would initiate monitoring of the vegetable prices to validate the report.

"We would check whether the increase in prices of agricultural products due to Mayon eruption is reasonable or not," he said. "It is possible that some vendors might just be taking advantage of the situation."

Daep said Gov. Fernando Gonzalez had earlier promised to assist displaced farmers due to the abnormality of Mayon volcano.

Meanwhile, Mayon remained under alert level 4 yesterday despite absence of explosions and decrease of lava extrusion in the past two days, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) reported yesterday.

Sulfur dioxide (SO2) emission, however, remained very high at 5,390 tons yesterday, a bit lower than the 6,334 tons the other day, the agency added.

Meanwhile, at least 130 tents donated by Japan that could accommodate up to three families each were starting to be set up here yesterday, not only to decongest cramped evacuation centers, but also to be utilized as classrooms to minimize disruption of classes across the towns and cities affected by the eruption of Mayon volcano.

Arnel Capili, Office of Civil Defense-Bicol director, said they are closely coordinating with officials of the Department of Education to identify schools that need to be decongested and the campuses where tents have to be put up as temporary classrooms.