Madelaine B Mirafloris happy to report: “BAPTC To Spin Into Corporation To Provide Farmers, Traders More Services, Bigger Income[1]” (16 June 2021, DA.gov.ph). The government-run Benguet Agri Pinoy Trading Center (BAPTC) in La Trinidad, Benguet, will become a corporation.
How good has the trading center been? Ms Madelaine says:
During its initial year, a measly 269 metric tons (MT) of vegetables were traded by 108 farmers, traders, and buyers. (Volume) transactions grew exponentially through the years, registering more than 1,000 MT in 2016, 71,220 MT in 2017, 106,000 MT in 2018, 121,200 MT in 2019, and 169,850 MT in 2020.
Phenomenal! After 6 years of operation, the BAPTC is now the country’s biggest vegetable trading facility. I say: “It can be bigger, better!”
(vegetables-in-trading image[2] from Herald Express)
That decision to incorporate was made during the 31 May 2021 meeting of the BAPTC’s Project Steering Board (PSB), according to Agriculture Secretary William Dar, PSB Chair. Mr Dar said:
We aim to optimize the potentials and profitability of the BAPTC through the provision of more cost-efficient services and modern facilities (for) farmers, traders and other stakeholders. As a corporation, the BAPTC will become a major player in our drive to modernize and industrialize the agriculture industry in the Cordillera Region.
The PSB decided against government bureaucracy that discouraged efficiency and innovation, unlike a private business concern. Mr Dar said:
With a corporate set-up, (the BAPTC) will be able to optimize (stakeholder) benefits, improve the marketability of Cordillera vegetables, and provide our farmers, buyers, and traders reasonable (returns) for their produce (and marketing efforts). Further, it could create subsidiaries to engage in other revenue-generating (projects).
During that board meeting, Ms Madelaine says:
The suggested businesses (included) trading of farm inputs and implements, other agricultural and food processing equipment; setting up of one-stop-shops including pharmacy; savings and loan unit; training and events management; and physical wellness facility.
History: With initial funding of P700 Million from the DA, the BAPTC started operations in 2015 occupying 4 ha of the strawberry fields of Benguet State University (BSU). The site chosen is first-rate: La Trinidad is the #1 municipality in Benguet, and BSU is the premier State University in the Cordillera region.
BSU’s Violeta Salda, who is BAPTC’s Chief Operations Officer, says that as of May, the Center has accredited 187 groups, composed of 146 farmers’ cooperatives and associations with more than 31,400 members; 34 buyers and traders groups; 4 transports’ groups and 3 packers’ and porters’ groups, with a combined membership of more than 4,500. Along with the growth of business, the number of stakeholders has grown from 108 pioneers to the current 40,000, an incredible increase of 370 times in 6 years!
With good business management, the BAPTC will grow even bigger in size, product variety and volume, and net earnings, in the coming years. Excellent for the farmers, excellent for consumers.@517
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