Department of Science and Technology (DOST) Secretary Renato Solidum on Thursday said the department is willing to assist the vegetable industry’s problems of wastage through food processing and research and to look at the industry’s food supply chain to determine what can be done.

“There are probably many interventions that can be done. We are not the lead there but we can assist depending on the desire of the LGU (local government unit) or coops (cooperatives) or farmers and the industry,” he said in a media interview on the sidelines of the North Luzon Call for proposals conference at the Baguio Country Club Convention Plaza on Thursday.

Solidum said their first suggestion is to monitor the crops being planted and see what crops are being produced.

He said they have funded some projects in other regions, one of which involves the creation of a mobile app where farmers are connected to their market, and where the buyers inform the farmers on what crops they need.

Solidum said the Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development (PCAARRD) will help address the farmers and the vegetable industry’s concerns, noting that a collaboration among stakeholders is needed.

He said the current system in research is geared towards making the products available to consumers for the latter to realize the importance of the studies.

In an interview, Dr. Reynaldo Ebora, PCAARRD Executive Director, said they will meet with DOST Cordillera Administrative Region director Nancy Bantog to discuss the issue on surplus of vegetables like cabbage, carrots and tomatoes.

“We need to process but we first need to see how much investment is needed to do it. We also need to see whether, after processing, the products can compete with the existing products,” he said.

Ebora said they need to take a deeper look at the supply chain to develop a program that can help address the problem, and hope to receive a research proposal through the regional office of the DOST that can be funded from the grant-in-aid program of the DOST or PCAARRD.

Science and technology for agri

DOST-Benguet director Dr. Sheila Marie Claver, in the same interview, said they are currently doing a program with the farmers from the municipality of Mankayan regarding smart agricultural farms.

She said the group being assisted already has direct buyers and they use and adopt technologies that meet the requirements of their market in terms of quality.

“That is one of our goals to hopefully help Benguet develop the agriculture industry through science, technology and innovation,” she added. (PNA)