Kalabasa ng pagasa! Buy 20 kilos of pumpkins for P299 from Nueva Ecija farmers

MANILA, Philippines – Don’t pass up on this gourd deal! Social enterprise Rural Rising (RuRi) is hosting another rescue buy to save tons of pumpkins from the farmers of Zaragoza and Talavera, Nueva Ecija. 

On Monday, June 5, RuRi took to Facebook to declare a group rescue buy emergency for pumpkins, urging followers to support their KALABASA NG PAGASA campaign that sells 20 kilos of pumpkins for P299 only. That’s P14.95 per kilo, compared to the P30 to P60 per kilo of pumpkins sold in Metro Manila markets. As of writing, there are still over 180 scores of pumpkins up for grabs on the Rural Rising website. 

The campaign started when the non-profit organization shared on May 25 that over 100,000 tons of unsold pumpkins were floating around in Barangay Batitang, Zaragoza, Nueva Ecija. 

“Our heads hurt, our hearts bleed just to think about it. The annual, perennial, hernial problem of PUMPKIN overproduction is so big, there’s no sweeping it under the rug,” RuRi said.

They even shared a video of a farmer who, in an attempt to save his harvest, squeezed in hundreds, maybe thousands, of pumpkins inside his home just to prevent the rain from spoiling them. 

“Baka po tulungan niyo po kami kahit man lang makuha namin ang gastos, tsaka pambili ng konting panggastos sa bahay,” the farmer pleaded.

(Maybe you can help us, just so we can earn back what we spent [to harvest these pumpkins], and perhaps for some household expenses.)

The dispatch date for this batch’s pumpkin orders has yet to be announced. Metro Manila customers can pick up them up at RuRi House, 72, Maayusin St, Diliman, Quezon City; RuRi South, Near ATC, Theater Drive, Alabang, Muntinlupa; or RuRi Central, Avida Centera Tower 1, Mandaluyong. There is also the option to have them donated to an animal shelter, public hospital, orphanage, or any organization of your choice.

RuRi is a social enterprise that aims to ensure food security, achieve environmental sustainability, and drive economic opportunity by supporting local farmers. They have been rescuing pumpkins since 2020. Previous rescue buy campaigns included strawberries and romaine lettuce from Benguet farmers, among many others. You can help them sustain their noble efforts by donating via GCash at 09175017787. – Rappler.com