A P20 million worth food processing facility will soon be put up at the Benguet State University lot to help farmers further market their products.
Agriculture Sec. William Dar, during his recent visit in the Cordillera, said the agency’s Bureau of Agricultural Research funded the facility in partnership with BSU.
The processing facility would help in adding value to the produce of farmers in Benguet and nearby provinces and aid in the marketing of these vegetables and fruits.
“The produce that are not bought at the trading posts will be bought by BSU or the Benguet Agri-Pinoy Trading Center,” Dar said.
He said the budget was already released to BSU to be used for the building construction and purchase of equipment.
Dar cited there have been reports of over production of vegetables leading to plunge in prices of certain commodities, which led farmers to dump their produce since these to the trading centers costs them more.
Farmers could bring their unsold produce to the processing facility, which is seen to complement the various trading centers – the BAPTC and the La Trinidad Vegetable Trading Post.
“The farmers’ unsold products will be bought by BSU to be processed and the rest will be bought by BAPTC,” he said.
“Those products from the trading posts without consolidators, they will be the one to buy so that there will be no more dumping of unsold produce,” he said.
Dar said the agency is bent on increasing the markets of local farmers in the region. He said he has talked with the DA’s regional field offices to monitor various trading posts and are interacting with the provincial governments to facilitate the movement of food supplies from the farms to the trading centers to potential markets.
“From the trading post, they would be the one to look for businessmen that would bring these produce from the trading post to Manila markets,” he said. – Ofelia C. Empian
