Sunday, January 14, 2007 Passage of La Trinidad trading post code sought
THE GROUP of vegetable disposers at the La Trinidad trading post asked local officials to pass a legislative measure to govern the operation of the facility following earlier complaints of alleged malpractices.
Officials should intervene to improve the present practices at the trading post, disposers said.
The group pushed for the immediate passage of the Trading Post Code, saying this would put everything into place.
“Local officials should pass the code to finally address the problems that are detrimental not only to us but to the vegetable industry as a whole,” said Elsie Gis-it, one of the disposers.
“The efforts we are doing to correct the bad practices inside the trading post will have more positive impact if these are supported by the local officials,” she added.
The disposer's group, composed mostly of women, earlier lamented the absence of a set of policies to govern business undertakings at the trading post.
Disposers are those who look for buyers of the farmers' products. There are more than 2,000 disposers at the trading post who meet at least 50 delivery trucks in a day, deal these crops to about 70 traders who then deliver the vegetables to the Metro Manila markets and other lowland provinces.
They said the passage of the Code would address the problem on the proliferation of midnight buyers, or those who get vegetables but do not have the intention of paying for the produce. Others issue bouncing checks, to the detriment of the disposers.
One of the perceived solutions to this concern is the accreditation of all buyers and traders who are transacting business at the trading post.
The malpractice reportedly done by the farmers, such as the mixing of low quality crops to bags of vegetables classified as first-class commodities, is also expected to be resolved with the approval of the Trading Post Code.
Without this Code, the disposers said there would be no basis in imposing penalties to individuals who commit wrongdoings.
The proposed Code is still being deliberated by the municipal council, which scheduled a public hearing on January 17 at the trading area. (JC)
