THE Benguet Agri-Pinoy Trading Center (BAPTC) in La Trinidad continues to incur self-sustained operations.

“We are self-sustaining. Our fund is from the collected rentals and parking fees. We are working on our internal operating budget (IOB) and our target income this year is approximately P24 million,” BAPTC chief of operations Dr. Violeta Salda said.

Salda said the number of accredited farmers trading in the BAPTC continues to grow, although 50 percent of farmers are still dependent from market facilitators to dispose their produce.

About 1,389 individual and 162 groups stakeholders are accredited since 2017.

The highest peak of transaction was on December 22, 2017 with 716,800 kilograms of traded vegetables.

Peak of vegetable trading was recorded during the months of January and February, while March and April declined.

A total of 71,227,222 kilograms of total volume of vegetables were transacted at BAPTC since it opened in 2015.

Salda said part of the assistance being given by the facility is the production and capability of the farmers to deliver quality produce to its buyers.

The facility recently sought for the institutionalization of the Highland Vegetable Festival to strengthen and further promote the agriculture industry of the province.

The Department of Agriculture (DA) cited the Cordillera as the top producer of highland vegetables across the country, supplying at least 80 percent of the country’s need.

According to High Value Crops Development Program Regional Coordinator (HVCDP) Joan Bacbac, aside from fluctuating prices of vegetable, the industry is also faced with some problems.

Bacbac said the region’s vegetable industry is also faced with problems on seedlings and climate change, while the need for mandatory certification from Good Agricultural Practices looms. (With report from Fiona Felicitas, MMSU intern)