The Davao City Food Terminal (DFTC), the city’s official ‘bagsakan’ or wholesale trading center for fruits and vegetables, is now open to the public.

In a statement Thursday, Andres Alemania, the Department of Agriculture in Davao Region (DA-11) technical director for research and regulations, said the facility in Barangay Daliao Toril officially opened on Oct.18.

The PHP74.8 million project, funded by DA-11 in collaboration with the city government, operates round-the-clock for local farmers, producers, traders, and wholesalers.

It also caters to wholesale trading for farm fruit and vegetable products from across the region.

“A trading center that will directly link farmers to its buyers and where consumers could have access to fresh and affordable fruits and vegetables is now operational,” Alemania saId.

He said the DFTC with a five-hectare land area is enough to accommodate the bulk of agricultural produce in the city and those from neighboring regions.

“It also has a spacious cold storage facility with eight refrigerated containers,” Alemania said, even as he assured the local government’s continued commitment to serving the agri-fishery communities through marketing support, processing, logistics, and technology transfer.

“May this project strengthen the collaboration of various agricultural stakeholders and industry key players to realize our three-fold mission of food availability, affordability, and accessibility,” Alemania said.

In his message during the DFTC’s opening, Mayor Sebastian Duterte said the trading center aims to address food security in the city.

“We need to regulate and monitor the food prices since all fruits and vegetables will be unloaded at the same facility, which will in turn help guarantee the best market conditions for farmers,” he said.

To avoid overproduction and ensure supply all year, City Agriculturist Office chief Edgardo Haspe said they are formulating a scheme that would give farmers guidance on which produce to plant at different times of the year. (PNA)