Agricultural traders’ registry sought

MANILA, Philippines — Local government units (LGUs) should require mandatory registration for agricultural traders who buy the produce of farmers and fisherfolk in their localities to prevent the spread of predator traders who buy below production cost, farm advocacy group Ipabitag Mo said.

IBMI executive director Apple Meneses said that LGUs should put their agricultural offices to work to curb widespread abuse of Filipino farmers and fisherfolk by unscrupulous traders and middlemen.

Meneses said that requiring agricultural traders who enter municipalities and cities to register first with the LGUs’ Agricultural Office will allow the local government to effectively monitor the trading activities of these crop buyers, and screen their legitimacy and their trading practices.

Anti-crime and corruption advocate Ben Tulfo said that setting up a monitoring system for agricultural traders will allow the government to screen the “legitimate from the counterfeit and abusive agri-traders.”

The IBMI said that a recent case monitored was that of non-payment to some farmers in the Science City of Muñoz, Nueva Ecija by an agricultural trader coming from a neighboring municipality in the same province.