ILOILO – The San Miguel Public Market and Farmers Bagsakan Complex (SMPM-FBC), also known as the San Miguel Bagsakan Center, has reopened in San Miguel town.
There are significant improvements to this food terminal – considered to be the biggest in Panay Island – enhancing accessibility for transactions between farmers, retailers, and consumers.
Officially designated as the Panay Regional Food Terminal by the 10 Bayanihan Tipon Centers (BTCs), the San Miguel Bagsakan Center aims to provide local farmers with a direct venue to retail their products. It reopened on Wednesday, May 1.
The food terminal was established in 2018 by the Department of Agriculture in cooperation with the Iloilo provincial government and the local government unit of San Miguel. It was initially funded by the Panay Island Upland – Sustainable Rural Development Project (PIU-SRDP) and the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA).
Operations at the center were temporarily halted in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The facility has now been enhanced. To tackle the challenges of marketing and selling consolidated agri-products, the San Miguel local government has developed a digital platform.
The “BAGSAKAN App”, introduced on the same day as the reopening, targets three key markets: institutional consumers such as restaurants and hotels, household consumers in residential areas, and consumers with weekly meal plans.
A QR code has been made available in public places to raise public awareness about the new digital transaction platform.
Transactions between farmers and buyers can now be conducted through this app, with deliveries potentially handled by traditional jeepneys from San Miguel, providing supplemental income for drivers.
The management of the hub has been entrusted to three cooperatives focusing on different sectors: rice and grains, fruits and vegetables, and livestock meat and poultry. Mayor Marina Luz Gorriceta noted the significant impact of the Bagsakan Center on her constituents and neighboring towns, citing the elimination of middlemen and the provision of employment as major benefits.
Cong. Michael Gorriceta (2nd District), a guest at the reopening, said, “By bringing the products from the mountains to the plains, directly to the markets and even homes, we reduce the number of middlemen and further lower the prices.”/PN
