Veggie producers, buyers laud DFTC opening

Vegetable producers and traders from far-flung districts of the city and neighboring municipalities have warmly welcomed and expressed support to the opening of the Davao Food Terminal Complex (DFTC), the official wholesale facility for fruits and vegetables in Davao City located in Barangay Daliao in Toril District.

A total of 27 representatives of vegetable producers, farmers’ associations and cooperatives from Paquibato, Marilog, Baguio, Toril, and Tugbok districts attended DFTC’s opening on Tuesday, October 18, 2022.

Private trader groups from Bankerohan and Toril, and traders from Davao del Sur and Davao del Norte are also present.

Joseph R. Laborte, President of the Highland Vegetable Growers Association (HVGA) from Tugbok District, in an interview with the City Information Office (CIO) said that the opening of DFTC will help small farmers as it provides a direct market and an area where they could sell their products at a higher price.

”Kung sa amoang area kuhaon lang og 7-8 pesos per kilo pag-abot diri sa DFTC medyo nitaas-taas na among presyo, nakaabot nami’g 12 pesos (In our area, our product is only bought for Php 7-8 pesos but it could fetch higher price here at DFTC, as much as Php 12),” Laborte said, adding that the transportation assistance provided by the Cagro is also a huge help.

City Agriculturist Office Officer-In-Charge Edgardo Haspe, in an interview with the CIO, said that their office deployed two trucks that will provide transportation assistance to farmers’ cooperatives that do not have vehicles to deliver their products to DFTC. The trucks provided are six-wheeler trucks with seven metric tons capacity each.

At DFTC farmers, upon arrival of their goods, may avail of the display area for free for the first six months after the opening date. Parking fees, space rental fees and dropping fees are waived for the first six months. The schedule of fees that reflect low prices is provided by the IRR of DFTC ordinance and will take effect only after the moratorium. The per slot rental fee costs Php 50.00 for 24 hours.

“We have 118 slots that are open on a first come first serve basis. Kung kinsa tung mga farmers and producers magdala diri og gulay makadisplay kung naay available. Dili ni pareha sa ubang bagsakan nga pwede nimo arkilahan the rest of the month, bahalag wala kay produkto. (We have 118 slots open on a first come first serve basis. Farmers and producers can bring their products and display them once there are available slots. This is different from other wholesale areas wherein you need to rent the space for the whole month even if you do not have any product),” Haspe said.

Other schemes that the city government has adopted are the collective selling of goods and the collective buying by associations and cooperatives.

”Sila na mismo mamaligya sa ilang produkto collectively, kolektahon sa ilahang grupo, representative dalahon diri, representative mao nato mubaligya, unsa’y kita ato kabahin na sila sa kita ato kay being members of the association and the cooperatives (Their group representative with collect their product and sell it here. They are the ones who will sell. The farmers will have a share from the proceeds for being members of the association and cooperatives),” Haspe said, adding that this scheme is a way to cut the added price of goods due to multiple layers of middlemen.

To ensure direct markets for their products, City Cooperative and Development Office (CCDO) Head Luzminda Eblamo said that cooperatives that buy vegetables and fruits are also among the DFTC partners.

This means that these coops also act as consolidators for their members that will buy the fruit and vegetable products from the DFTC.

During the opening, among the identified cooperative trading partners are the Manuel Guianga and Sirib Growers and Employees Multi-Purpose Cooperative (MAGSIGE) and the Macabatug Cooperative Federation (MACOFED). Traders groups, such as the Bankerohan traders, also expressed support for DFTC.

With the opening of DFTC, the closure of other wholesale areas in the city and mandatory unloading of farm products will be implemented soon, said Josephine Martin, the DFTC In-charge.

Martin said that having been identified as the “official” wholesale area, wholesale activities in the city are to be conducted at DFTC.

Based also on Executive Order No. 42 Series of 2022 “An Order Adopting the Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of the City Ordinance No. 0823-12, Series of 2021, Declaring the Davao Food Terminal Complex as the Official Wholesale Facility for Fruits and Vegetables in Davao City” signed by Mayor Sebastian Baste Duterte last September 15, 2022—-all vehicles carrying fruits and vegetables within Davao City and those coming from outlying provinces are mandated to unload and load their farm products at the DFTC.

A transition period of one year for this regulation will be observed 60 days after the approval of the IRR. A copy of the EO can be accessed at: https://dcstaging.davaocity.gov.ph/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/EO-42-2022.pdf

Martin said that in line with the said regulation, the city will establish checkpoints in Sirawan, Lacson, and Lasang.

“Yung mag-exit sa Davao City we will ensure na niagi sila diri sa Davao City, diri sila namalit (Those who will exit from Davao City, we will ensure that they bought their products from DFTC),” Martin said.

“For Davao City produce pwede ra sila mudiretso sa Bankerohan Public Market. Ang gi-oblige namo karon for one year transition is those coming from outside Davao City (For Davao City produce, they can still go to Bankerohan Public Market directly. Those who were obliged to pass by the DFTC for one year transition are those coming from outside Davao City),” she said.

Martin said that they encourage the traders or buyers to go to DFTC to help the farmers, and also ensure the safety and quality of the produce.
The opening ceremony was also attended by officers from the City Government of Davao led by Davao City Mayor Sebastian Baste Duterte, the City Agriculturist Office, the City Agricultural and Fishery Council, the Department of Agriculture XI, Food Terminal Incorporated, and other stakeholders.
For more inquiries on DFTC, Dabawenyos may contact (082)-228-6582; 0920-951-1706 or agribizcagro@gmail.com . CIO