Shipments of fresh vegetables from La Trinidad, Benguet have been put to a temporary halt after the local city government has placed the entire town under an enhanced community quarantine.
Mayor Romeo Salda announced on Saturday that all activities are to cease for the time being as they disinfect the town and conduct contact tracing of those who may have interacted with two citizens who tested positive for the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) disease, according to a report by Inquirer.
No vehicle is allowed to travel in and out of the city during the two-day lockdown apart from those transporting medical workers. The suspension is expected to last until Tuesday, March 31.
Many farmers have expressed concern over the lockdown as it may cause deterioration of their harvested crops before they could reach their buyers. The League of Associations at the La Trinidad Vegetable Trading Area has already appealed to the municipal government to purchase the crops from the farmers on Monday, March 30.
The Cordillera office of the Department of Agriculture, meanwhile, has already offered to help transport the produce to “Kadiwa ni Ani at Kita” stores in Metro Manila. Benguet Vice Governor Johnny Waguis also purchased unsold vegetables from farmers on Sunday, March 29, with the hope of donating them as relief goods to families in need.
Benguet supplies over 80 percent of the country’s highland vegetables.
(ALSO READ: Benguet Farmers are Selling Their Vegetables in Manila at Much Lower Prices)
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