Nueva Ecija Farmers Face Oversupply of Pumpkins, Here's How to Help

(SPOT.ph) A farmer in Nueva Ecija put as many pumpkins as he can inside his home to shelter them from the possible rains. The intermittent weather would cause his produce to rot, so much so that he was forced to relocate and sleep under the trees. His plea? Please buy his pumpkins before the rain comes.

He is just one of the many pumpkin farmers in Barangay Batitang in Zaragoza, Nueva Ecija, where they face yet another oversupply of pumpkins in the province. Some 100,000 tons of pumpkins remain unsold in the barangay alone, social enterprise group Rural Rising said as it launched an "urgent rescue buy" so those in Metro Manila can purchase 20 kilograms of pumpkins for just P299.

"Pinaahon ko na po at walang namimili e baka po matulungan n'yo kami, kahit na makuha man lang namin nagastos namin at saka pambili ng konting panggastos sa bahay," said this farmer, who sits atop hundreds of pumpkins inside his house, in a video sent to Rural Rising.

"Nakikiusap po kami sa inyo na baka mamaya abutan pa ng ulan, delikado ang kalabasa baka masira na."

Also read: Farmers are Throwing Away Veggies, You Can Rescue-Buy to Help Them

How to Help Pumpkin Farmers in Nueva Ecija

Rural Rising will do a rescue buy, meaning it would purchase at least 10 tons of pumpkins this week from the farmers and bring them to Metro Manila. It tapped the Department of Agriculture, the Philippine Army, and other groups to help transport as many pumpkins as possible.

The group sells it for P299 for 20 kilos or P14.95 per kilo, cheaper compared to those sold in Metro Manila markets from P25 to P60 per kilo, based on the Department of Agriculture's May 25 price monitoring.

"We’ve seen mountains of pumpkins abandoned in basketball courts. We’ve witnessed farmers pushing pumpkins through the open windows of passing cars. Libre lang, libre! Ibibigay na lang nila kaysa masayang, kaysa mabulok — kaso nasasayang rin, nabubulok rin. Kawawa talaga ang magsasaka," Rural Rising said in a Facebook post urging social media users to take part in its effort.

To join the rescue buy, you may visit Rural Rising's Facebook page and website to order 20 kilos or more of pumpkins, which are estimated to arrive in Metro Manila by May 28.

If 20 kilos are too much for you, you have the option to send it to an animal shelter, a public hospital, or anywhere where it wouldn't go to waste.

Once the pumpkins are ready for dispatch, you may pick them up at any of Rural Rising's pick-up points: RuRi Central at Avida Towers Centera in Mandaluyong; RuRi House in UP Village, Quezon City, and RuRi South at Alabang Town Center in Muntinlupa.

In case you don't want to buy pumpkins but you still want to lend a hand, you may also donate here to help them sustain the rescue buys and other efforts to help farmers:

• GCash 09175017787
• Asia United Bank 545-11-000128-5, Rural Rising Philippines Inc.

Also read:
10 Online Stores That Help Local Farmers
Save Money While Helping Farmers: Where to Buy Fruits and Vegetables Online