SARIAYA, Quezon – There is a burgeoning agricultural trading center that has become the hub of bulk buying and selling of agricultural products that have reached Manila and Baguio, Bicol and up to the Visayas.
The place is called Sentrong Pamilihan ng Produktong Agrikultura ng Quezon (SPPAQ) in Bgy. Sampaloc 2 of this town and the name ‘Procy’ has become its moniker since its opening in 2006.
Procy is the nickname of SPPAQ founder, former 2nd district congressman and later agriculture secretary Proceso Alcala. He was called the ‘father of organic farming’ for having authored in 2010 the Organic Agriculture Act of 2010.
Carlo Cena, Sentrong Pamilihan (SP) administrator, said that since 2010, up to 200 metric tons of agricultural products are being traded daily at SP with approximately P6 million equivalent sales for farmer members.
Enjoying brisk sales at SP include so-called ‘pinakbet’, or lowland vegetables (eggplant, tomato, ampalaya, sitaw, kalabasa); so-called ‘chopsuey’, which refers to high-value commercial crops from the upland areas (Chinese cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, snapbeans, carrots, sweet pepper, celery, etc.); and so-called sinigang (kangkong, labanos, sili, okra).
Big buyers of SP include several retail markets in Calabarzon region and in Metro Manila and institutional buyers are the Golden Sprouts in Las Piñas, Greenyield distributors in Parañaque, Kitchenette in Laguna, Batangas, Cavite; San Jose Agricultural Cooperative in San Jose Batangas, Sarisuki in Quezon City, among others.
Nurturing a dream
Alcala has never tired of telling small farmers about his dream: “Magtatayo po tayo ng isang sentrong pamilihan ng gulay at prutas upang may tiyak na pagdadalhan ang ating magsasaka ng kanilang mga aning produkto at nang hindi na sila tinataga ng mga biyahero at middlemen.”
In May, 2008, the SP was inaugurated by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and then-Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap.
“Noong 2004 nag-start ang construction ng Sentrong Pamilihan, 2006 nag-initial operation. Noong 2007-2010, malaki ang nalugi at marami din ang naging utang pero hindi ito sinukuan ni Ka Procy nung time na siya ay congressman pa,” Cena told Opinyon.
He said the volume of trading during that time ranged from 10 to 20 tons per day but only on half day operation and net loss a month of P200,000 to P250,000 but Alcala, Cena recalled, never gave up and even used his own personal money to extend loans to farmers and for the continued operation of SP.
It was only in 2010 that the SP started to break even in its whole day operation and volume of trading started to pick up, farmers and buyers increased and began to patronize the SP with volume of trading increasing from 50 to 70 tons a day.
“Unti-unti naging 24/7 na ang operation namin dahil naging kapartner na rin ang highland veggies galing Benguet, dumadating sa gabi hanggang madaling araw at pag-alis dala naman ang lowland veggies natin, yung pinakbet. Mula 2013, maraming nabigyan ng trabaho at maraming magsasaka at maninindahan ang binago ang buhay,” Cena told Opinyon.
As congressman in 2004, Alcala prioritized his agricultural development program. The establishment of a vegetable-trading center was his priority to help the farmers get the right price of their produce with minimal intervention from middlemen.
Cena explained how the SP works
“Ang mga gulay ng miyembro ay ipinapasok sa amin sa pamilihan, iri-receive ng mga marketers yun at sila ang hahanap ng buyer o magma-match sa mga mamimili sa highest possible price. Sa ganoong paraan ay napuproteksiyunan ang farmers, less ang chance na baratin.”
The operation of SPPAQ includes trading, marketing assistance, vegetable transport from the farm level to the trading station, agricultural growing scheme, and education and training of farmers. It envisions mass growing of agricultural products for corporate clients, food processing, packing and value adding.#