It’s always on the news. Our local farmers are forever in dire need of help to get paid fair prices for the backbreaking work they do to grow the food we eat every day. But we never really know how to help them directly. This weekend’s The Veggie Dropoff is one surefire way to support farmers while getting huge savings at the same time.

The Veggie Drop-off is happening right now until Sunday, March 1 at the Old Manila Eco-Market in Rizal Park, Luneta. The farmers of La Trinidad, Benguet have brought with them 4,000 kilos of farm-fresh vegetables to be sold at very low prices compared to what you’ll get in the market or the grocery. For example, broccoli is going for P70 per kilo, while the grocery price is around P340 per kilo, a whopping difference of more than P250. The same goes for cauliflower, leeks, green bell pepper, iceberg and romaine lettuce, all of which are being sold at The Veggie Drop-off for around P100 to P200 per kilo less than in the grocery. And for those cilantro lovers, it’s being sold at just P50 per kilo, while the grocery price hovers at around P450 per kilo.

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While we may wonder why the vegetable mark-ups are so huge, it’s heartening to know that The Veggie Drop-off is giving farmers an alternate venue to sell their produce directly to us, the consumers. In turn, we can stretch our pesos to buy more vegetables, increase our daily veggie intake, and get a lot more healthy. It’s a win-win for both the farmers and the end users.

Here are a few more examples of the prices these vegetables are going for this weekend:

Basil P250/kilo

Broccoli P70/kilo

Cabbage P25/kilo

Calamansi P50/kilo

Carrots P35/kilo

Cauliflower P70/kilo

Cilantro P50/kilo

Garlic P140/kilo

Ginger P120/kilo

Green bell pepper P120/kilo

Leeks P75/kilo

Lettuce (iceberg, green iceberg, romaine) P75/kilo

Potatoes P75/kilo

Sayote P25/kilo

Spinach P80/kilo

Strawberries P360/kilo

Tomatoes P50/kilo

White onion P60/kilo

The Veggie Drop-off is open from 6 am to 11 pm at the Old Manila Eco Market in Rizal Park, Luneta. Make sure to bring your own eco bag.

For more information, visit https://www.facebook.com/theveggiedropoff and https://www.facebook.com/oldmanilaecomarket