An agriculture trading center is being proposed to be built in Batac City to further boost the agricultural sector of the province and connect farmers directly to wholesalers and consumers.

Meant to “cut off” middlemen in the sale of agricultural products, Pancho Jose, director of the Ilocos Norte Agriculture and Fisheries Extension Center, said the Department of Agriculture (DA), in collaboration with the provincial government, is working on the project set-up for the agri-trading center, which is expected to help farmers earn extra income.

“On top of our regular programs, we will continue our production assistance to farmers and focus on post-harvest facilities from processing to marketing,” Jose said on Monday.

Aside from the agri-trading center, he reported that two cold storage facilities from the DA are underway.

The multi-commodity cold storage facilities will be prepositioned in Sarrat and in Laoag City to serve farmers both from the first and second districts of the province.

These planned facilities are expected to complement the three-story, PHP786 million agri-fisheries extension center, which opened in December 2021 and connects local farmers and fishermen to bigger markets.

Known as a top producer of garlic in the country, as well as mango, dragon fruit, lowland vegetables, and other high-value crops, Ilocos Norte is a pilot site of the national convergence program to boost local farming practices in the province, as well as strengthen the farming and fisheries sector.

The province is also pushing for farmers’ consolidation and better packaging of agricultural products, Jose said. (PNA)