DA prepares start of P655-M Benguet agri trading center

MANILA, Philippines - A  P655-million agri-trading center is scheduled to  begin operations in Benguet in the first quarter of 2015, according to the Department of Agriculture.

The Benguet Agri-Pinoy Trading Complex (BAPTC), which is still under construction,  would rise from a four-hectare land owned by the Benguet State University (BSU). The complex would include three buildings that would house trading spaces and processing facilities for highland vegetables  such as carrots, lettuce and broccoli.

It would also include dry and cold storage facilities and a dormitory to house farmers and traders from outside Benguet.

“This complex will showcase a holistic approach in stimulating growth in the sector through value-chain analysis – that is, we do not stop at production, but we assist farmers in processing, value-adding and marketing,” said Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala.

The trading center is funded under the DA’s Agri-Pinoy Trading center program, a component of the Agri-Pinoy framework for attaining sufficiency in food staples and improving the working conditions of farmers.

The Agri-Pinoy framework aims to make farmers trade-oriented rather than production-oriented alone by introducing them to various parts of the value chain.

The DA is working with a steering committee for the construction and management of the Benguet trading post. The steering committee is composed of representatives from the municipal and provincial government, BSU and farmers’ organizations. The committee provides policy directions necessary to ensure good management and achievement of goals of the complex.

“The center needs good management to efficiently handle both the prospects and challenges of the project to maximize its potential as catalyst for improving the lives of vegetable farmers in the cordilleras, and as a prototype for replication in other agribusiness hubs in the country,” said Alcala.

During a recent  site visit, Alcala proposed the inclusion of the trading center in the World-Bank assisted Philippine Rural Development Project (PRDP) implemented by the DA.

The PRDP provides a loan and grant financing package for rural infrastructure as well as small business and livelihood projects for farmers and fisherfolk.

Alcala said the DA would  assist in the re-development of La Trinidad’s old trading post for other agricultural purposes such the cut flowers industry.

The Benguet agri-trading center is patterned after the Sariaya Quezon trading post.

The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) in Benguet also pledged to construct roads around the facility.

The BSU, in turn, would conduct capacity building initiatives for farmers participating in the management of the trading center and would conduct laboratory analyses of products brought to the trading post.