Sagada Mayor corrects misinformation on popular produce

Sagada Mayor Felicito Dula on Aug. 9 sought to dispel misinformation on his town’s orange produce caused by misbranding by some traders in Baguio City who attach the Mt. Province municipality’s name to imported oranges to attract buyers especially tourists.

Dula who visited the city last Aug. 9 brought with him samples of Satsuma orange, one of the six varieties typically grown in his town and showed them to the local media.

Apart from Satsuma, the town produces five other varieties namely ponkan, ladu, queen, Hamlin and Washington navel but their production is still limited and they still cannot meet the demand for the produce.

The peak season of production is from September to December thus it is only during these months that they can supply markets outside of their own.

The mayor said they are also opposed to the practice of using their town’s name to the varieties that did not originate from their town for profit.

He appealed to businessmen to refrain from falsely labeling their products as it is a form of cheating.

A buyer recently called the attention of Mayor Benjamin Magalong on the mislabeling of orange produce in one tourist spot in the city prompting an intensified crackdown on businesses engaged in deceptive marketing schemes. – Aileen P. Refuerzo/Neil Ongchangco