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President Arroyo has directed the Department of
Agriculture (DA) to help bring down the prices of basic
food items in line with the hunger-mitigation program of
the government.
“I have
told the DA to ensure that affordable quality food is
accessible, especially to our low-income families who
are most affected by the rising cost of commodities,”
the President said.
“Our
Barangay Food Terminals [BFTs] and Bagsakan or drop-off
points are consumer-friendly and they offer affordable
prices to our kababayan,” she said.
As of
mid-October this year, 22 BFTs have been established in
Metro Manila and six in Luzon and the Visayas. They sell
basic foodstuff at prices lower than those sold in
regular retail markets. These BFTs are now directly
benefiting over 450,000 families.
Under
the President’s Accelerated Hunger Mitigation Program (AHMP),
the DA is targeting the establishment of 27 BFTs in
Metro Manila this year, and 48 more in various regions
all over the country.
Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap has appealed to food
suppliers to help pull down prices of basic commodities
by bringing their produce directly to BFTs and Bagsakan
or drop-off points in Metro Manila.
At the
same time, Yap directed the DA’s regional executive
directors and personnel of the Agribusiness and
Marketing Assistance Service (Amas) to coordinate
closely with food suppliers in facilitating the
transport and marketing of their goods to BFTs and
Bagsakan centers, where consumers can buy food staples
such as rice, meat and vegetables at prices up to
12-percent cheaper than those sold in regular retail
outlets.
“Making
affordably priced quality foodstuff accessible to
low-income families forms part of the hunger-mitigation
program of our government,” Yap said.
“This is
why we are asking our suppliers to help us carry out
this centerpiece antihunger program to guarantee the
stable supply of basic goods to Metro Manila at prices
within the reach of the ordinary consumer,” he added.
Yap
assured food suppliers that the DA is ready to help them
sell affordably priced goods while earning high profit
margins for their produce through the removal of
unnecessary trading layers and facilitating direct
market linkages between producers and end-consumers.
Among
the BFTs now operating in Metro Manila are those in
barangays Holy Spirit, Pansol, Batasan Hills, Payatas
and Kristong Hari in Quezon City; barangays 129 in
Smokey Mountain, 630 in PUP and 649 in Baseco, Manila;
barangay Signal Village; barangays Tuktukan and Western
Bicutan in Taguig; barangay 198 in Pasay City;
Towerville Public Market in San Jose del Monte, Bulacan;
and Bagong Silang in Caloocan.
In the
regions, two are already operational in Samar, and one
each in Leyte, Antique, Biliran and Subic.
On the
other hand, nine Bagsakan centers are already
operational in Metro Manila. The latest Bagsakan the
President has inaugurated was in the Pritil public
market in Manila. |
