Marketing and Utilization of Local Agricultural Produce Act of 2020

July 23, 2020 JUST IN

PRESS RELEASE
REP. ERIC GO YAP
ACT-CIS PARTYLIST
LONE DISTRICT OF BENGUET
JULY 23, 2020
On Monday, the legislative caretaker of Benguet filed House Bill No. 7136, to be known as the “Marketing and Utilization of Local Agricultural Produce Act of 2020.”
The measure seeks to prioritize the purchase of the agricultural produce of local farmers and producers by food service establishments (hotels, restaurants, and catering services).
According to Anti-Crime and Terrorism Community Involvement and Support (ACT-CIS) Partylist Representative Eric Go Yap, this shall boost the local economy as it will support the production of farmers and the business of food service establishments.
“Because there is no established mechanism to meet the demand with the supply of agricultural products in the food service business, tons of it are put into waste. Instead of gaining profits from their produce, our local farmers and producers then suffer a financial loss. To address this, we are proposing HBN 7136 which promotes the farm to table movement,” Yap said
“This measure goes both ways – to safeguard the income and production of our local farmers and to guarantee food service establishments with fresher and much cheaper agricultural products they need for their food preparation and production. For the benefit of the latter, this shall also create appeal to customers as it attends to environmental issues and consumer ethics,” the partylist solon elaborated.
“In areas without access to nearby farmers and producers, there shall be a centralized system to link the establishments with the designated central source of the products they need. To illustrate, under this mechanism, establishments in urban areas are to procure vegetables from the vegetable producing towns in the Province of Benguet as the central source,” Yap added.
“Our intention is to prioritize the welfare of our local farmers and our country’s food security. In reality, the risk of financial loss is greater than the gains of having their produce sold. It’s ironic that those who are striving by their blood and sweat to feed us are the same people who are suffering from impoverishment. Let us go back to the basic principle of patronizing our own products and supporting our kababayan with their livelihood. We have to boost each other, especially now that we are just recovering from the pandemic,” the legislative caretaker pronounced.