THE Benguet Agri-Pinoy Trading Center (BAPTC) is finding ways for farmers to improve delivery of quality produce.
BAPTC chief of operations Dr. Violeta Salda said a series of trainings is needed for production and postharvest handling of vegetables for the farmers, disposers, traders, and packers to assure the quality of vegetables being shipped to markets are in place.
“We have the best vegetables because of our climate, but then the handling, kung titignan, nabubugbog ang gulay natin. The compactness and taste, we have the best from cabbages and almost all of our vegetables compared to other regions,” Salda said.
Salda added improvements have to be made in the vegetable chain starting from handling to production to maintain a market competitiveness.
“Proper handling should be observed and it’s hard to impose. What we are currently doing is to tell them na bawal and that they should handle vegetables properly,” Salda continued.
Spearheaded by the BAPTC, the Farmers Leaders Council (FLC) comprised of associations from different municipalities in the province will hold a training to advocate proper handling of vegetables next week from November 16 to 17.
Preparations are also being done to discuss traffic flow, parking spaces, and issues for the anticipated increase of buyers by the end of the year, hoping for an increase in sales.
Salda said importation concerns which affect highland farmers are also being addressed with the trade facility monitoring which month records less production which in turn will determine remedies for an increased production.
“We will monitor and obtain monthly production of the incoming and outgoing transactions in BAPTC. I told my staff they should also gather data from the La Trinidad Trading Post to combine and acquire the production of Benguet,” Salda continued.
There are 975 farmers presently transacting with the BAPTC with average transactions reaching around 274 a day with 283 kilograms of assorted vegetables.
As of September, BAPTC has generated P6,205,180 from its collected parking fees, pay comfort room, dormitory fees, rental fees and others.
A decrease of volume of traded vegetables at the center by 1,954,429 kilograms based on interaction with farmers and traders was noted last September as planting season for the crops to be harvested are readied for the peak season this December.
Accredited stakeholders include 876 individuals, farmers, packers and porters, and market facilitators and 161 groups composed of buyers, inter trading, and transport groups.
The BAPTC can accommodate all traders who want to do business and not prefer those with a 1,000 kilogram produce load and will accept disposers into the BAPTC provided they go through an accreditation process.
BAPTC is part of the country’s integrated food supply chain established in major food producing regions in the country.