VEGETABLE production in Dalaguete town went down by 25 to 30 percent due to El Niño, leading to increases in the prices of vegetables, Dalaguete Mayor Ronald Allan Cesante said yesterday.
Cesante said the gate price of cabbage or repolyo in Barangay Mantalongon Trade Center is now at P56 per kilo compared to P5 two months ago.
A bundle of onion leaves (sibuyas-dahonan) is now at P62 from P24 before, while sayote is now at P7.50 per piece from P1.50. Dalaguete is known as the vegetable basket of Cebu.
Most of the vegetables come from Barangay Mantalongon.
Cesante said the farmers are sourcing water from remote springs to water their plants. He said the spring’s water level is down 10 percent.
Cesante said the town is sending fire trucks to deliver water, especially in Mantalongon.
He also ordered the purchase of another water pump for the water system in mountain barangays Caleriohan, Dugyan and Tapon.
Mayor Cesante said 8,000 farmer-families are affected by the low water supply. He said they can provide rice to the farmers since the town has 1,000 stocks of rice.