P500 T awaits best markets
Iloilo -- Department of Agriculture 6 (DA 6) Director Jindra Linda Demeterio announced that a P500,000 reward is at stake for each of the best private and public markets here in Iloilo City that make affordable, safe and nutritious food accessible to its consumer under the "Huwarang Palengke" search launched nationwide recently.
Demeterio said that as an initial activity the search will be limited to the capital cities of the regions and this year, for Region 6, it will be Iloilo City.
"I already informed Mayor Jerry Treñas about this verbally but we are following it up with a letter to formalize arrangements for this search," Demeterio said, adding, "that necessary coordination regarding the contest had also been made with concerned government agencies that will be involved as members of the search's technical working group in the region."
Demeterio added that Mayor Treñas shall recommend or endorse the list of the markets to be included in the search to the Regional Evaluation Committee by the end of this month. The Regional Evaluation Committee, chaired by the DA, is composed of representatives of the National Meat Inspection Service (NMIS), Bureau of Agricultural Statistics (BAS), Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR), Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), Department of Health (DOH), Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG).
In line with this, the DA is mandated to specifically accomplish two important goals in order to put nutritious and affordable food in every table as enunciated under the 10-point agenda of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. These two goals include: number one, it is imperative that two million hectares of agriculture and fisheries areas are developed in the next six years in order to provide more food and generate two million jobs at the same time and number two, food prices must be reduced through better productivity, efficient logistics and avoidance of retailing glitches.
According to Demeterio the "Huwarang Palengke" search is in line with goal number two.
"This is also our way of encouraging wet markets to shape up according to our consumer laws and according to the rules and regulations how markets should be kept particularly in terms of sanitation and at the same time to keep the prices of prime commodities at affordable levels", Demeterio said.
The private and public markets that will be chosen to represent the region for the national search will be judged on the criteria which include physical requirements - hygiene and sanitation (50%), weekly price monitoring (25%) adherence to the Consumer's Protection Laws (25%).
The P500,000 reward will come in the form of proposed project by the owner of the winning private market and of the local government unit in case for the public market. The awarding ceremony is set on May 31 as part of the culminating activity for the Farmers and Fisher Folks Month.
(PIA)