Government to buy more local chili, mung beans

MANILA, Philippines — The government is set to allocate funds to purchase large volumes of locally grown chili peppers and mung beans as part of efforts to stabilize prices and cut the country’s dependence on imports.

The move follows an order by Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. directing state-owned Food Terminal Inc. (FTI) to buy the two crops directly from local farmers.

Chili peppers and mung beans have been identified as priority high-value crops for this year, though they are subject to different policy directives.

In the long term, the Department of Agriculture (DA) aims to increase domestic mung bean production to achieve self-sufficiency and conserve foreign exchange currently spent on imports.

“We import significant volumes of mung beans, mostly from Argentina, even though local production already reaches about 45,000 metric tons (MT). Our goal is to be self-reliant by 2027,” Tiu Laurel said.

Currently, around one-third of local mung bean output is sourced from Isabela.

According to Tiu Laurel, FTI should initially buy up to 80 percent of local output, equivalent to roughly 3,000 MT a month, to give growers a guaranteed market and protect them from volatile prices.

For chili peppers, the DA seeks to curb sharp price swings to ease the burden on consumers.

“Chili prices rise because supply tightens due to crop damage caused by increased rain,” Tiu Laurel said.

The DA says it is setting aside “millions of pesos” to construct greenhouse facilities that can protect high-value crops such as chili peppers from extreme weather conditions.

The initiative aims to support production and moderate prices, particularly during peak demand periods such as the holidays. — Christine Boton