This story
was taken from Bulatlat, the Philippines's alternative weekly
newsmagazine (www.bulatlat.com, www.bulatlat.net, www.bulatlat.org).
Vol. V, No. 4, February 27-March 5, 2005
Sayote:
The Survivor’s Vegetable It
may not be as glamorous as the lettuce nor as colorful as the carrot, two of the
more popular vegetables produced in the Cordillera, but the lowly sayote
has proven itself to be a life-saver, both for farmers and calamity victims.
BY
JOHNNY FIALEN
La Trinindad,
Benguet – Sayote is a green,
papaya-shaped vegetable, a bit hairy and belongs to the gourd family, just like
cucumber, watermelon and pumpkin. The cucurbit is also known as chayote or
sechium edule. The sayote has several
times served an important role during calamities in the region. Sayote was used
to help victims in the areas affected by the 1990 killer earthquake that
severely ravaged, among others, Baguio City. When Mt. Pinatubo in
Zambales erupted in 1991, Benguet farmers were mobilized and about 250 tons of
sayote and other relief goods were sent to the victims. Recently, an “Oplan
Sayote” was again launched to help families affected by the typhoons in Quezon,
Nueva Ecija and Aurora provinces. Green gold
Sayote is also the only
sustainable vegetable in the market because of its availability throughout the
year, hence, earning the description “green gold.” The cheapest vegetable in
the market, sayote is grown especially in the Benguet municipalities of Kibungan,
Atok, Kapangan, Tuba and La Trinidad in northern Philippines. In an interview by Northern
Dispatch with Jerry Calasiao, 28, a farmer of Sitio Gayasi, Wangal in La
Trinidad town just a few kilometers from Baguio City, he explained why his
family plants sayote: “Napili mi ti sayote nga imula ditoy ayanmi ta bassit
ti magastos ken bumayag pay, saan ka a mula a mula a kasla kadagiti dadduma a
nateng nga agmula basta malpas ti apit.” (We chose to plant sayote because
of the minimal expense on farm inputs. Its lifespan is also long, unlike other
vegetables which require immediate re-planting after harvest time.) Sayote is also the best
vegetable for us because it’s harvestable weekly and can sustain our daily
needs, he added. According to Calasiao, a
sayote plant survives for as long as 15 months before it is replaced.
He said, “We usually use
three kinds of fertilizers, which are Triple 14, chicken dung and Viking for
better produce. Farmers can harvest 20-25 plastic sacks of sayote weekly with
the equivalent price of P1,500 to P2,000 depending on the market price,” he
added. The price of sayote usually increases during Christmas and summer, he
explained. Calasiao further said that
farmers earn more during summer and during typhoon months because few sayote
products reach the market. This is because the Halsema Highway, the road
connecting Baguio City to the rest of the Cordillera provinces, closes during
typhoons due to land slides. A good price for sayote
goes up to P17 to P20 per kilo. Farmers claim that sayote price is at its lowest
at 40 centavos per kilo when supply from different municipalities abound.
Roberto Calpasi and Manuel
Fermin, farmers from Atok and Kapangan, respectively, say that Benguet farmers
have failed to seize the opportunities offered by sayote farming. The two were
referring to the “tsamba system” wherein the farmer’s income is
multiplied when the price goes exceptionally up high. But even without this, the
farmers still agree that there is money in sayote. “You can harvest twice a week
if you have a wide sayote garden. You have less expense and minimized effort in
sayote production,” Calpasi said. Practical vegetable Jasmin Diclas, 21, a
student and sayote farmer, claims that farmers choose sayote because it is
appropriate for the mountainous Gayasi area. Diclas is one of the many students
involved in sayote farming to support their studies, as payment for their
tuition and daily expenses. Helping farm sayote trained her to be independent,
she said. Diclas described the
problems they have encountered, such as the times when sayote fruits and leaves
grow only the size of bitter gourd or ampalaya. During the harvest time,
farmers usually hire two farm workers to help at P5 per plastic sack. For
farmers whose fields are located far down the creek, they utilize the tram line
of Doming Angkil, paying the latter P3 per plastic sack. Earlier, without the
tram line, farmers had to carry their products for some distance before reaching
the market. Thus, aside from being a
handy tummy-filler during lean months, the sayote has evolved to an important
part of Benguet’s upland agricultural industry, helping send many of its
children to school and feeding hungry families during hard times. Best sayote Gayasi of the village of
Wangal is known as the sayote capital of La Trinidad. Diclas and Calasiao both
say that Wangal produces the best sayote in Baguio and Benguet. Being near the
market and trading post, their products are less damaged during transport, they
said. Sayote farmers said that
programs that will help improve their sayote production and marketing of their
products will surely help. Bulatlat © 2004 Bulatlat
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Northern Dispatch
Posted by Bulatlat