Farmer distributes thousands of kilograms of tomatoes following El Niño crop impact.
CEBU CITY – A farmer is distributing 15,000 kilograms of tomatoes for free due to the impact of the El Nino phenomenon, which caused the tomatoes to shrink in size.
Emelio Secretaria, a farm owner in Barangay Sudlon Dos, explained that the vegetables produced are too small to meet the standards required by buyers, describing them as the size of cherry tomatoes, although still fit for consumption. Secretaria told ABS-CBN News that they have exhausted their water supply for irrigation, making it impossible to sell their undersized tomatoes.
Jun Alcover, Cebu City Councilor and chairman of the agriculture committee, noted that these tomatoes were initially intended for export but failed to develop properly due to the excessive heat. Secretaria has reached out to local residents and Alcover to assist in clearing out the crop, stating that he faces a financial loss of over ₱300,000 due to the crop failure. He has decided against selling the vegetables as it would incur further losses to hire workers for harvesting and selling.
Instead, the farm is inviting people to come and pick the tomatoes themselves. Alcover has also taken several hundred kilograms for distribution at Cebu City Hall. The City Agriculture Department is intensifying its efforts to support over 700 farmers affected by the El Niño conditions.
According to the state weather bureau PAGASA, the heat index in Cebu is expected to remain between 37 to 39 degrees Celsius in the upcoming days. Meanwhile, El Niño is a climate phenomenon characterized by the unusual warming of ocean surface temperatures in the central and eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean. This warming affects weather patterns across the globe and typically occurs every few years, lasting between 9 to 12 months, though some events may persist for up to two years.
