A bill that seeks to create agricultural trading centers to be called “Bagsakan ng Bayan Markets,” in every province, was filed on August 31 at the House of Representatives by Negros Occidental 3rd district Rep. Jose Francisco Benitez.

Benitez said House Bill 4303 stressed the need for an integrated system to bring agricultural commodities to wider markets, which requires adequate infrastructure and coordination at different points in the agricultural value chain.

It also introduces the hub-and-spoke model that directly connects producers or aggregators from local food terminals to a single apex location, thereby creating agglomeration economies for agricultural commodities.

The goal of these centers is to provide an avenue where farmers and livestock raisers can directly sell their products to institutional buyers and gain higher profit. Moreover, this endeavors for higher mobility for locally produced agricultural products to the whole country for cheaper cost of transportation,” Benitez said.

In his proposed bill, he cited President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s commitment to strengthen agriculture and pledged higher investments in infrastructure in the agricultural value chain to increase productivity and profits.

“This presidential pronouncement signals continuity in government policy to facilitate and enhance access of farmers and fisherfolk to markets,” Benitez said.

He noted that the President recognized in his first State of the Nation Address that agriculture is the backbone of the Philippine economy, being a major source of employment in the country.

An agricultural trading center, as stipulated in the proposed bill, refers to a site for the trading of agricultural commodities in large quantities, usually at or near transportation hubs within or near major cities, supplied by assembly markets in rural areas or directly from farms.*