The biggest and first state-of-the-art agriculture trading center in the country, which seeks to increase the incomes of farmers and make vegetables more affordable to consumers, is set to open in Benguet in March.
A memorandum of agreement (MOA) was signed between the Department of Agriculture (DA) and other stakeholders in the province on February 3. Under the MOA, the DA will provide P7 million to build the Benguet Agri-Pinoy Trading Center (BAPTC). The spot trading center is now 95 percent complete.
Benguet Rep. Ronald Cosalan has provided P40 million for the loop road going to the strawberry farm where the BAPTC is located. The Benguet State University provided the 4-hectare land and another 1.5 hectares for the loop road.
When President Aquino assumed office in 2010, his marching order to Agriculture Secretary Proceso J. Alcala was to establish trading centers throughout the country. Alcala has deemed that the biggest trading center will be put up in La Trinidad, Benguet.
The province of Benguet is a major producer of vegetables, supplying up to 80 percent of the country’s requirements.
The BAPTC is one of the 23 trading centers to be established in key locations. Four have been completed, 17 are in the pipeline and two are in the planning stage.
The center was conceived to develop the vegetable industry in the province and to process Benguet vegetables and fruits which can be exported to other countries.
BAPTC was designed to ensure that farmers will get a bigger share of their income. A tested system will be put in place to avoid the fluctuation of prices. The complex will also feature a packaging section and a dehydrating processor to package vegetables.
The agri-trading concept was inspired by the success story of the Sentrong Pamilihan ng Produktong Agrikultura in Sariaya, Quezon. This was a pet project of Alcala when he was a representative of Quezon province.
During a media tour of the Sariaya trading center, Alcala said a trading center becomes successful because of its system. The Sariaya trading center served as a place for farmers and dealers to make their transactions.
The center is divided into sections. The front section receives the goods directly from the farmer. The back of the Sentrong Pamilihan is allotted for dealers who have the capacity to sell their goods on their own, while the other section is for processing squash into noodles. Squash is a product in Quezon that is often in abundant supply.
“Farmers know how to plant but they need assistance in looking for a market,” said Carlo Cena, a marketing assistant of the Sentrong Pamilihan. The Sentrong Pamilihan has marketing assistants who help dispose the products.
A handy terminal gadget scans the vegetables, and a price stub goes out which a farmer can collect from a cashier near the center. The data is also uploaded and a report is generated. Cold-chain trucks are provided to pick up produce from farms located far from the center.
Another important thing that has made the Sariaya trading center successful is the presence of a technical assistant to program the calendar of planting for farmers. Cena explained that farmers tend to plant crops that fetch a good price in the market. Unlearning this was not easy, he said, but farmers have finally seen the wisdom of observing a production calendar.
BAPTC is expected to profit from the experience of Quezon’s Sentrong Pamilihan. Consultations and seminars on how to manage BAPTC will be conducted this month. Resource speakers from Sentrong Pamilihan will be invited.