Cordillera vegetables pushed aside as imported produce floods Manila

Benguet, Philippines – Amid the country’s longstanding issues with vegetable smuggling, imported vegetables—particularly carrots—continue to flood the Balintawak Market in Manila in plain view, while Cordillera-grown produce struggles to find buyers, raising concerns over the livelihoods of local farmers.

The situation has drawn attention from Rural Rising Philippines (Ruri) Club, a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) initiative that connects consumers directly with smallholder farmers. In a post on December 28, 2025, the organization highlighted that even soil-covered produce from Benguet is being overlooked amid the surge of imported goods.

“Kaya pala. While farmgate prices are starting to fall in Benguet and farmers are beginning to abandon or throw away medium-sized carrots in markets and hillsides, imported carrots are in plain, full, and abundant view in Balintawak. Alam ninyong local—good old, honest Benguet soil still sticking to them. Hindi naka-box, hindi embalsamado, hindi parang ginawa sa factory. May lupa-lupa? Shake them off. Iba-iba ang size? You’ll cook them naman,” the club wrote.

Highland vegetables, including carrots, cabbage, and lettuce, are major sources of income for farmers in the Cordillera, particularly in Benguet, Mountain Province, and Ifugao, which together account for over 80 percent of the country’s vegetable supply—Benguet contributing about 65 to 75 percent of the total.

The Ruri Club, Cordilleran farmers, and other advocates are urging consumers to support locally grown vegetables, particularly during the holiday season, to help sustain farmers’ livelihoods and ensure continued access to fresh, seasonal produce in Manila markets.

The influx of imported produce, coupled with persistent vegetable smuggling, continues to weaken local prices and threaten farmers’ economic stability.

In October 2025, the Bureau of Customs (BOC) seized three 40-foot containers of illegally labeled carrots from China worth ₱13.2 million at the Port of Manila following an inspection by the port’s Alert Monitoring Unit.

The containers were initially declared as household goods, but authorities later discovered fresh carrots inside, along with falsified documentation.

Meanwhile, Department of Agriculture–CAR Regional Executive Director Jennilyn Dawayan said in a statement via the Baguio Public Information Office (PIO) that vegetable prices could decline by February and March 2026, as farmers who replanted after recent weather disturbances harvest their crops simultaneously, potentially increasing supply.