CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY – For a sustained food supply, the Department of Agriculture in Northern Mindanao (DA-10) said it has expanded the public accessibility of food terminals (FTs) and fishery clusters in the region.
In a statement Friday, DA-10 Director Carlene C. Collado said the assessment of the FTs offers direction and support to enhance the productivity of FT operators and farmers while allowing the agency to better understand their operational status.
Ferdinand F. Caraballe, DA-10's agribusiness and marketing assistance division supervising agriculturist, said operators undergoing training also serves as an opportunity to share best practices in operating their respective FTs.
“These facilities and equipment are provided by the government for us to better serve our communities. Let us align our efforts of keeping our food terminals operational with its purpose to ensure easy access to fresh, high quality, and reasonably-priced agricultural produce," he said.
At least 20 barangays and municipal FT operators from the provinces of Camiguin, Misamis Oriental, Bukidnon, Lanao del Norte, and Misamis Occidental recently presented updates on their operations, finances, and related issues and concerns on Friday, Caraballe said.
Meanwhile, he said the Farm and Fisheries Clustering and Consolidation (F2C2) Program has been initiated on Thursday to link the farmers' cooperatives, and associations (FCAs) from the different provinces to potential institutional buyers who need supplies of various produce.
The institutional buyers include the National Food Authority (NFA), Misamis Oriental - Bureau of Jail Management and Penology, San Miguel Foods, Inc., and Bestfriend Goodies.
DA-10 F2C2 focal person Gay Nanette Aleria said she expects the activity would pave the way for future marketing agreements between the FCAs and the institutional buyers.
“We wanted to provide a solution to one of the problems of our FCAs, which is the lack of market for their produce,” she said. (PNA)
