Over production of vegetables will no longer be a problem for Benguet farmers and its nearby provinces.

With the establishment of the Benguet Vegetable Processing Center (BVPC), farmers now have more reasons to be glad because their crops can be processed into cookies, breads, noodles and pasta. Thus, farmers are assured of added income and less wastage.

The BVPC located at Strawberry Fields, La Trinidad, Benguet produces products like cookies, breads, noodles and pasta enriched with vegetables from Benguet, Pangasinan and La Union.

The noodles flavored with squash, carrot, malunggay, broccoli, ampalaya, bell pepper, and sugar beets are sold at P35 (250 grams) and can be stored for six months.

On the other hand, the cookies flavored with ampalaya, squash, carrot, chayote tops, broccoli, sugar beets, bell pepper, malunggay, and pechay are sold at P20 (100 grams).

They also have dried miki sold at P15 (100 grams), buns enriched with squash, malunggay, bell pepper and carrot at P27 (6 pieces) and malunggay enriched pandesal for P25 (10 pieces).

The BVPC formerly housed at the Northern Philippine Root Crop Research and Training Center of the Benguet State University (NPRCRTC-BSU) started its full operation after the completion of the newly constructed building given by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

Arroyo provided the initial fund of P10 million taken from the President's Social Fund. From the said amount, the P6 million was used for the construction of the building and the P4 million was used for the acquisition of the needed equipment.

Dr. Violeta Salda, the center manager and the brain behind the first veggie processing center in Northern Luzon said that with the establishment of the center the postharvest losses because of spoilage and crops that are harvested off-size were minimized.

Aside from the P10 million initial fund from President Arroyo, the Department of Agriculture also released P5 million grant through DA-Cordillera Administrative Region (DA-CAR) for research and development support particularly for analytical equipment, and other processing facilities, the BSU also had a counterpart of P2 million.

The BVPC is seen as an answer to cases where farmers have an oversupply of the vegetables they produced which often results to lower prices. Through the facility, they can process surplus vegetables instead of selling them at a lower price or put them into waste.

The center also enabled them to increase the volume of production because of the increasing market demand.

The center's partners in its operation include the CAREO-MI, Farmers Associations and Farmers Assisted-Cooperators, DA, DOST, DTI, the Go Negosyo/ RFM/ LMC/ Nissin Monde, Philippine Council for Agriculture, Forestry and Natural Resources Research and Development (PCCARD), Highland Agriculture and Resources Research and Development Consortium (HARRDEC), DSWD, NFA, PIA, the LGUs and the Bureau of Postharvest Research and Extension (BPRE).

BPRE, on one hand, provides assistance in the acquisition of postharvest technologies like refrigerated van, and other postharvest facilities.

According to Salda, the center still needs additional refrigerated van, plastic crates and dehydrator.

The center also offers technical assistance, and extends trainings to potential noodle processors in the province as well as in Regions I and II in partnership with the DTI and the local government units to expand the production of healthy and affordable vegetable enriched noodles and to help small-scale entrepreneurs.

At present, the BVPC is not only a source of income but also a source of nutritious food especially for growing children because the center is participating in the feeding programs of the DSWD and the Department of Education, according to Salda.

The vegetable-flavored noodles at the center offer more than what other noodles of their kind have because of its nutritional value, no preservatives, and no food coloring. Likewise, they also encouraged the parents to promote these products to their children as an alternative to unhealthy food snacks.

However, despite the success of the BVPC in producing vegetable noodles, they are still facing a lot of problems. There is still a need to enhance the product including the packaging and the labeling of nutritional facts which they are currently doing in partnership with the concerned government agencies according to Salda.

Meanwhile, in terms of its manpower, the BVPC has 14 staff on a job order basis and one regular staff, as of press time.

At present, BVPC products are available at the Center Mall and Tiongsan Supermarket in Baguio City, 456 Store and at BSU Marketing Center.