Sec. Alcala Launches Dalaguete Agri-Pinoy Trading Center

Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala on Friday led the launching of an almost P18 milli0n worth of Dalaguete Agri-Pinoy Trading Center in barangay Mantalongon, Dalaguete, Cebu.

The said trading center is also featuring the modernize electronic price monitoring board(EPMB) to guide farmers regarding the prevailing prices of all kinds of vegetable products they are producing daily.

Electronic board:  At top is the newly installed Electronic Price Monitoring Board (EPMB) inside the newly launched DAPTC.

The prevailing prices of such products are usually based on the pricing standard set daily by the vegetable traders in Carbon market, Cebu City.

The said trading center project is not really new in Mantalongon area as it has been already existing there since time immemorial.

Before its renovation, the said center was just a simple warehouse made of wood and nipa roofing with flooring lying flat on the ground and woe to the farmers who delivered there products in the area during rainy season because they could not avoid but to step on the muddy soil.

The plan to modernize the center came when the present national administration saw the significance of improving it for the welfare of farmers and its beneficiaries.

Farmer:  These two farmers deliver their vegetable products inside the trading center.

It was President Benigno Aquino III who first emphasized to improve it, which order was also automatically carried out and complied with by DA Secretary Alcala.

Situated at the top of the towering hills in Mantalongon, the center is more or less five kilometers away from the national highway of Dalaguete passing through a zigzag and cliffy farm to market road going uphill to reach the area.

In a portion of his speech delivered before a crowd of vegetable farmers, local government officials as well as visitors from the Department of Agriculture (DA) regional office 7, and Cebu media during the launching, Alcala said “just observe well, six months from now you will surely see the progress of the farmers’ livelihood in this area through this modernize trading center.”

The center has more than 50 “middle men” which they locally addressed as “komisyoner” who handle all farmers’ produce.

They serve as key partners of the farmers in trading their products to the businessmen who are just waiting the products to arrive at Carbon area.

Chickens: Raffle winners also receive these chickens during the launching of DAPTC in Mantalongon.

The said komisyoners are the ones controlling the farm products and its prices at the trading center who usually earned through a commission basis or a little peso amount to be jacked up from every kilo on every product they want to hold.

To avoid suspicions and controversial debates about the pricing scheme on any products, the P17.5 million modernization of the said trading center has already included the installation of the EPMB which serves as the Bible of both farmers and the komisyoners.

Through the EPMB doubts on the part of the farmers regarding the real pricing scheme on any product they delivered to the komisyoners at the center are already erased.

Majority of the farmers in Mantalongon have favorably endorsed komisyoners to remain in the area, especially during this time that the EPMB is already installed.

Having abundance of vegetable products, farmers in the area were greatly supported not only by the national government but so do with the provincial and municipal governments and the DA regional office.

Komisyoner: This is one of the Komisyoners inside the trading center.

During the brief meeting with farmers as part of the launching of the said trading center, Alcala promised to support them with water facilities which are necessary to sustain their farms.

At the same time DA regional director Angel Enriquez also distributed farm animals such as carabaos, cattles, goats, chickens, as well as fertilizers and various farm implements to the farmers through a raffle.

Every farmer who attended the launching activities has provided with one raffle ticket each with their names in it.

Second district Congressman Wilfredo Caminero, Provincial Governor Hilario Davide III, and Dalaguete Mayor Allan Cesante have coordinated with each other in the implementation of these road projects to help Mantalongon farmers improve their livelihood standards.