Alabel pilots food-for-peace

Local farmers from the upland barangays of Alabel have started to sell their farm produce at the food hub launched by the municipal government on May 6 in barangay Alegria.

Every Thursday, the Food Hub Day is held at the Alabel Farmers Scientist Association (AFSA) Bldg., Purok New Bohol in Alegria. (The town of Maitum also runs a “laray” market every Thursday for several years already.)

Farmers from Alegria and the neighboring barangays like Pag-Asa, Datal Anggas, Bagacay, Kawas, Baluntay, and Tokawal were invited by the local government to display and sell their vegetables, fruits, and crops in the food hub at a reasonable price.

The food hub initiative targets to “uplift the economic living condition of the farmers as their income increases, second second is to build the relationship of the government and farmers because they know where to go during their harvest, and third is to help attain food security because our farmers will have the confidence and reason to plant.

Farm products displayed in the food hub include vegetables like ladyfinger (okra), squash (kalabasa), eggplant (talong), Chinese pechay, bitter gourd (ampalaya), string beans (sitaw), and many more.

Also, fruits like watermelon, papaya, avocado, and crops like banana, and sweet potato (kamote) can also be bought in the food hub.

There are no “middlemen” involved, no commission fees, and no rental fees in the food hub, and the local government even provides P100 fuel subsidy for farmers who deliver their products from their farms in the far-flung areas.

Any unsold products at the end of the day will be purchased by LGU Alabel to be disposed to consumers by the Office of the Municipal Agriculturist. Any products left will be brought to the Busog Lusog Talino (BLT) Kitchen which prepares the food for individuals under isolation for Covid-19, so no product will be brought back by our farmers.