Veggie trade center set for full operation

LA TRINIDAD, Benguet -- The Benguet Agri-Pinoy Trading Center (BAPTC) is pushing to make the BAPTC in full operation this year and entice farmers and traders to do business here instead of the old vegetable trading post.

Frederick Edeco, Contract Trading Department managing director, said since last quarter last year, open trading operation of the center had a “no-zero record” trading daily, which means the center had been continually trading vegetables from farmers to buyers.

On the other hand, accredited members of the trading center had been increasing from different stakeholders; individual and group farmers, buyer/sellers’ groups, inter-traders’ groups, packers’ groups, market facilitators and individual buyers.

Joaquin Geronomino Depalog, Farmers’ Leader Council chairman, also officially sat as member of the Project Steering Board representing thousands of accredited individual and groups of farmers.

This year, the accreditation of the trading center was simplified for convenience of stakeholders. No fees are collected from accreditation.

The trading center is now open for agri-tourism. An estimated 2,000 local and foreign tourist had already visited BAPTC.

In partnership with the Agricultural Credit and Policy Council, the center had also been helping farmers with loan assistance.

P10 million was allotted for 2016 and an additional P30 million is set to be added to the loan fund from the previous year.

The BAPTC PSB had been conducting meetings hasten operations of the trading center. Jenny M. Dayao