P30-M INATC to be built in Batac

TO address challenges of farmers in the Ilocos Region in marketing their produce, the Department of Agriculture Regional Field Office 1 (DA-RFO1) in partnership with the Ilocos Norte and Batac local government units (LGUs) is constructing a P30-million trading center in the province.

The Ilocos Norte Agricultural Trading Center (INATC) will be constructed in Barangay Billoca in Batac.

“The project will serve as a central hub that is expected to meet the marketing requirements of farmers, promote agricultural and agri-based products of the province and help lessen transport expenses of farmers in bringing closer their products to consumers,” the DA-RFO1 said.

According to DA, which funded the construction of the trading center, the project also aims to the reliance of farmers on middlemen and ensure increased incomes for them or 15- to 25- percent higher.

Expected to be completed by August, the trading center will be built in a 10-hectare land near the Batac City Public Market. It was donated by the Batac city government as a counterpart to the project.

Of the P30-million project cost, P26 million was allocated for the construction of the building, P3.5 million for the hauling and a delivery truck, and P500,000 for marketing equipment.

These equipment include heavyduty digital weighing scales, plastic crates, plastic pallets, jack lifts and other equipment.

Recognizing the importance of the project to the farming community in Ilocos Norte, Gov. Matthew Joseph Marcos Manotoc said the INATC will also help farmers become better entrepreneurs.

Also expressing gratitude to the DA-RFO1 and the provincial government for choosing Batac as the recipient of the project were Batac City Mayor Albert Chua and Municipal Councilor Mark Christian Chua.

DA-RFO1 Executive Director Annie Bares also thanked the provincial and the city governments for helping realize the project.

Bares urged the beneficiaries to use and manage the facility properly “so that it could fully serve its purpose.”

“If managed properly, the project will help lessen the postproduction expenses of farmers, eliminate unnecessary marketing layers that reduce the income of the food producers, and create a competitive marketing for Ilocos Norte’s local agricultural produce,” she added.