In order to help farmers in marketing of their agricultural (crops, livestock and poultry) and fishery products, increase their income, and to provide affordable foods for consumers, the Sablayan Food Terminal and Trading Center (SFTTC) opened last November 29, 2017.
This project was requested by the Local Poverty Action Team (LPRAT) of the municipality to Department of Agriculture and was funded in the Regional Office under Bottom Up-Budgeting (BUB) Project worth Php 3M with 10% counterpart from the Local Government Unit (LGU) of Sablayan, Occidental Mindoro worth Php 529,411.76.
The SFTTC was established at Balud-Busuran Road in Barangay Poblacion where it is accessible to consumers, farmers, traders; passengers of the Grand Terminal; students of Occidental Mindoro State College and clients of Land Transportation Office that will be inaugurated next year.
It is a strategic location to bring goods closer to the consumers. Buyers and wholesalers can buy or bid commodities at reasonable price.
This will create job opportunities in the municipality and increase the income of 6,010 local farmers.
SFTTC is open from 4:00 am to 2:00 pm everyday but the schedule will still change based on their daily supply of products. It is divided in sections with rental fee costs Php 30.00 per day. Assigned LGU officials will manage this project.
As per Municipal Mayor, Hon. Eduardo B. Gadiano, the vegetable growers in the municipality must be organized and supported by the Municipal Agriculture Office to provide all their needs like technologies, seeds and machinery for the continuous supply of products in the food terminal.
“…sana hindi po ito ang una at huli, maging challenge po sana ito sa mga namamahala na maging katulad ng ibang food terminal sa MiMaRoPa na naging productive katulad ng nasa Puerto Princesa City at Romblon”, Baby Clariza M. San Felipe, Regional Information Officer, said.
Councilor Bong Marquez also clarifies that this project is not a replacement of the Sablayan Public Market like what others think. It is food terminal to buy bulk of products in cheaper price.
On behalf of Sablayan Market Vendors Association, President Ponciano Dimayacyac warmly extends his gratitude to the government for the establishment of the project. He said that this would greatly help them in improving their lives especially the small farmers for this will be a ready market for their farm goods.
Mayor Gadiano and Ms. San Felipe spearheaded the opening of the food terminal and trading center along with the Municipal Administrator Alfredo R. Ventura, OIC Municipal Agriculturist Elma Tamo, Municipal Local Government Operations Officer Shyrmagne Quiñones, Councilor Marquez and other LGU Officials.
