DA sets up 26 barangay food terminals

The Department of Agriculture (DA) has established a total of 26 consumer-friendly barangay food terminals (BFTs) in Metro Manila and other regions.

BFTs are selling basic food items like rice and vegetables at prices up to 12 percent  cheaper than those sold in regular retail outlets.

By the first week of October, the DA has set up 20 BFTs in Metro Manila and six more in the rest of Luzon. These BFTs reportedly benefit 409,358 families.

Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap said that as of Oct. 5 this year, 20 BFTs have already been set up in Metro Manila and six in various regions across Luzon.

The agriculture department plans to establish 27 BFTs in Metro Manila this year, and 48 more in various regions across the country.

BFTs have so far been set up in Barangays Holy Spirit, Pansol, Batasan Hills, Payatas and Kristong Hari in Quezon City; Barangays 129 in Smokey Mountain, 630 in PUP and 649 in Baseco, Manila; Barangays Signal Village, Tuktukan and Western Bicutan in Taguig; Barangay 198 in Pasay City; Towerville Public Market in San Jose del Monte, Bulacan; and Bagong Silang in Caloocan.

In a statement, the DA said that the target is to increase annual growth from the current average of three- to four percent to six for the next decade, “to ensure better living standards for small farmers and fisherfolk even in the face of nagging pressures on farm production such as unexpected climatic changes, an ever growing population, environmental degradation, and the now increasing tension between the demand for crops for human consumption and for energy or biofuels.”

To accomplish this goal, the department is implementing a five-point program, comprising higher public spending on infrastructure, technology and extension services, and postharvest and storage facilities expanding access to rural credit and opening up new markets here and abroad for local produce.