“It’s a perennial problem. Ever since betel nuts became saleable some people have been stealing them,” Cabrera said, adding that theft was already rampant even before the collapse of the local economy.
Cabrera, who owns betel nut trees himself, recalled that there was a lot of betel nut theft incidents 20 to 30 years ago, but he believes it is getting worse today.
He said the number of betel nut theft cases increases significantly between July and August when betel nut production is very slow.
During this period, Cabrera said betel nuts are sold for $4 a piece. It is only from November to December when people can buy 12 pieces of betel nuts for $1.
Cabrera said farmers have always been thinking of ways to protect their betel nuts from thieves but to no avail.
So many ideas and security measures have been implemented but nothing seem to match the “ingenuity” of betel nut thieves, he added.
“There are people who are just expert in stealing. They are smarter than the owners,” he said.
High fence, lights and even dogs no longer “work” because apparently, thieves carefully plan their moves, he added.
One common way of climbing a betel nut tree is the use of “gupit.” It is either a rope or a piece of cloth that ties the feet together about one foot apart, he said.
Betel nut farm workers use the “gupit” to climb the tree faster, but thieves know how to use it much better than the farmers themselves, Cabrera added.
He said whether it is betel nut or any other items, theft cases have been getting worse now.
Just a few weeks ago, Cabrera said his bushcutter was stolen from his farm.
