The Department of Agriculture (DA) perceives its “Agri-Pinoy Trading Center” program (APTC) as a solution to the challenge faced by the agriculture sector in transporting goods to various areas amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Many farmers and fisherfolk have a hard time transporting their products to different areas in the country following the strict implementation of travel restrictions, leading the fresh produce to go bad due to longer travel time.
The department’s APTC program was launched before the pandemic hit the Philippines. Under the program, the DA will build food trading centers where the farmers and fisherfolks can bring their produce.
Currently, there are 22 APTCs in the country, two of which are the Benguet APTC and Nueva Vizcaya APTC. The program greatly helped the farmers in the said areas.
According to Benguet APTC COO Dr. Violeta Salda, 80% of the Benguet crops and vegetables go to Manila and other parts of Visayas and Mindanao. She affirmed that the APTC program helps not only Benguet, but the whole Cordillera.
Furthermore, the Benguet APTC shared that before the program was implemented in the area, farmers would queue for 12 kilometers from the old trading post until the Tublay Municipality. With the APTC in place, they are also provided with additional facilities such as minimal processing where unsold vegetables can be processed.
“Sa mga farmers, kung gusto nilang mag-trade dito sa BAPTC, still open. Magpa-accredit nga lang para alam natin kung saan ‘yung mga sources natin ng mga gulay…We welcome any farmer, any stakeholder,” Salda encouraged.
Meanwhile, Nueva Vizcaya APTC Division Chief Saih Paccarangan said that the APTC is a “market infrastructure” that aims to aid farmers and create an alternative market for their products.
The DA-Region 2 provided trading areas in Nueva Vizcaya Agricultural Terminal (NVAT) for the farmers to send their products and ensure the proper and sustainable operation of the APTC. In NVAT, farmers can bring their products anytime.
The NVAT is now the major trading center in Region 2.
“Sa ating mga farmers and other stakeholders, makipag-ugnayan lang po kayo sa DA or sa Nueva Vizcaya agricultural mismo,” Paccarangan said urging the farmers and stakeholders who want to partake in the program.
The APTC program has helped the provinces of Benguet and Nueva Vizcaya to sustain the agriculture sector, especially the farmers and fisherfolk amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
(DA, PTV)/NGS-rir
