Benguet, Philippines: Benguet province will soon have an agricultural wholesale trading and processing centre with a cold chain facility following the launch and signing of a memorandum of understanding between the Department of Agriculture (DA) and Benguet State University.
The trading centre will have several warehouses, a cold storage, commercial areas, processing center, and post harvest facilities to help develop a vibrant agricultural marketing system. The move is part of DA’s Agri-Pinoy scheme, which aims to have interconnected farmer-oriented agri-processing and trading centres aimed at promoting efficiency, productivity, and equity across the supply chain.
The wholesale trading and processing facility is designed to help farmers by making vegetable and fruit trading faster. It is expected to be completed before the end of the year, according to Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala.
In a statement, Alcala said the centre would complement the existing trading post near the La Trinidad Municipal Hall, and is expected to make the trading process-from unloading to the payment of delivered items-faster. It would also lessen spoilage and wastage, he added.
The centre will feature three large trading areas, cold storage and offices for farmers’ cooperatives. It will also have parking areas for delivery trucks and refrigerated vans, and other ancillary support facilities.
Alcala said his department also intends to put up other agricultural and fishery trading and processing centers in other provinces, adding that the centres are part of the administration’s plan to assist Filipino farmers and fishermen so that they would be globally competitive.
