IN line with its agricu-lture modernization blueprint, the BBM-Sara UniTeam aims to build more modern bagsakan/bulungan or trading posts to give Filipino consumers access to more affordable farm products.
Presidential aspirant Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos, Jr. and his running-mate Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte noted the role of high transportation costs in pushing the retail price of agricultural products, and proposed enhancing the distribution channels.
“Moving goods around the country is expensive, and as a result, buyers shoulder this cost at the retail level. To even have a fighting chance of lowering retail prices, we need to create an efficient agriculture supply chain starting with these modern trading posts,” the BBM-Sara UniTeam said.
Commonly referred as bagsakan/bulungan, these hubs serve as initial delivery points for fish, meat, poultry products, fresh vegetables, and fruits.
It also earned its moniker bulungan from how buyers and sellers use hand gestures and whispers to transact.
The UniTeam also proposes to equip their planned agricultural produce markets with cold-storage facilities to prolong the shelf life of high-value products and ensure consistent quality of the farm goods.
Marcos Jr. and Inday Sara added that they would closely coordinate with local government units (LGUs) executives in urban and rural parts of the country, to identify the most suitable location for both the permanent and temporary trading posts.
Aside from addressing the supply chain issue, the agricultural master plan of the UniTeam also contains employment and entrepreneurial opportunities as it also includes a proposal to upgrade public wet markets in the country, thus spawning more business owners.
“At first glance, it would seem that these are lofty goals, but we are serious in giving our people the public service that they deserve—affordable food for their family. We will prove that this is doable through hard work and sheer will,” the UniTeam stressed.
The duo also em-phasized that the improved supply chain would also positively impact the environment apart from the benefits of a lower price for goods.
“We need to encourage consumers to ‘buy local’ since not only is it advantageous for our farmers and the family budget, it will also be a boon for the environment. There will be less production of greenhouse gases since there will be a reduction in the number of trips needed to deliver the goods with these trading posts in place,” the UniTeam pointed out.