NEWSFLASH

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SOUTH COTABATO ASPARAGUS FARMERS RESTIVE

General Santos City, Oct. 14, 1997 - Hundreds of farmers engaged in contract growing of asparagus for the export market have lost their enthusiasm for the venture, due to poor harvests and huge debts after five to seven years of operations.

The Asparagus Growers of South Cotabato, Inc reports that 18 out of 40 members have had their contracts voided due to poor harvests, which failed to rach the quota of 9.5 tons per hectare per harvest season.

More than 90 percent of all asparagus produced in the Philippines comes from South Cotabato, where contract growing of the vegetable is dominated by Tropifresh, a subsidiary of Dole Philippines. The output is exported to Japan.

Under the contract growing arrangement, growers (farmers) are provided cash subsidies fir weeding , planting, spraying, field maintenance and subsistence. But growers who fail to meet the quota of 9.5 tons per could get their contracts voided.

Growers are growing worried about their increasing indebtedness, and bewail the total control that Tropifresh has over all the aspects of the industry.

Researchers at the Justice and Peace Desk of the Diocese of Marbel said "the agribusiness company has the monopoly of access to market information like prices and the bulk demand in the international market."

As a result, they said, "the growers have no channel by which to verify the accuracy of information shared by the company so that during the bargaining negotiations, the interest of the company usually prevails."

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