BANGUED, Abra(PIA) –-Barangay San Antonio is one of the barangays  in the municipality of Bangued  affected by flooding due to its low-lying terrain during the rainy seasons. Last year, Super Typhoon Egay  washed away  crops, so farmers ventured into onion farming.

Today, it has become the top source of income and livelihood for around 100 members of the San Antonio Farmers Association.

Onion grower Asuncion Plurad said  their association is one of the groups assisted by the Department of Agriculture under High Value Crop Production Program.

“Nangrugi nak nga nagmula manen idi December, ket tatta nga bulan ti harvest na, dakkel met ti naytulong na kanyak ta adda met bassit paglakuan,” Plurad said.

[I planted last December, and I will  harvest this month . It helped a lot, I have sold quiet much.]

“Idi last year, nasurok 1,000 kilos nga sibuyas ti na-harvest ko, ket ti presyo idi 70 to 80 pesos. Idi bimmayag bassit ngimato to 100 pesos per kilo isu nga nagilako nakon. Dakkel nga yaman ko ti DA ken Bangued Municipal Agriculturist ta adda latta pagbiagan uray mababaha kami ditoy,” Pluras stated.

[Last year, I harvested more than 1,000 kilos of onions, and the price  then was 70 to 80 pesos per kilo. It eventually increased to P100 per kilo, so I sold  my produce. I thank the DA and the Bangued Municipal Agriculturist a lot for this livelihood despite of the floods here.]

Bangued Municipal Agriculturist Maritess Balling said there are five barangays that are producing onions in Bangued. These are Barangays Lipcan, Saoatan, Sta. Rosa, Cabuloan, and San Antonio.

“We continue to provide technical assistance for these farmers associations, namely; Lipcan, Sao-atan, Sta. Rosa, Cabuloan, and San Antonio to boost their production of this special crop,”she said.

Balling also reported that there are no reports on the threat of harabas or armyworm infestations in Bangued yet due to El Niño. (JDP/CAGT -- PIA CAR, Abra)