Kwentong Kalabasa! Processing Kalabasa Noodles To Boost Prices, Create Jobs!

At 3.m. on Thursday, I visited the Balintawak Market in Quezon City to check on the prices of products coming from the provinces to complete my study of the food marketing system of the country and how it could be improved.

In my conversations with the sub-dealers of vegetables and fish in the market which in turn are bought in volume by smaller vendors to be brought to community markets, I was able to confirm that the commodities from the farm gate to the kitchen of filipino families pass through at least five hands.

Assuming that each middleman or trader makes a mark up of P10 per kilo, a kilo of Bangus which sells for P130 at source would be sold for P180 to P200 in the market.

The added P50, of course, would be shouldered by the consumers.

There are two things which could be done.

First, the marketing system in the country of over 7,000 islands, should be reformed with government providing the enabling facilities to bring the goods from the production areas to the big cities like Metro Manila, thus cutting the number of middlemen and traders.

The proposal to establish Food Consolidation Centers in the regional food production areas coupled with the Farmers‘ and Fishermen’s Outlets in Metro Manila and other big cities to be operated by an expanded Food Terminal Inc. would be the answer.

Second, the processing of agricultural products at farm level into high value products would be another option as it would give farmers or fishermen added value and bigger income.

One example would be the Kalabasa or Squash which now sells at P3 to P5 per kilo at farm gate.

The Dept. of Science and Technology had already established processing facilitiies in several parts of the country turning raw squash into healthy and delicious noodles.

They are now doing this in Cabadbaran, Agusan del Norte but the production volume is very low because the facility operates as a backyard livelihood project.

There should be government funding support for projects like this and I am looking at the establishment of a national fund to support industries like Kalabasa Noddle Processing to boost the production.

This would create an economic activity which would open up jobs while at the same time provide the Filipino consumers with healthy and affordable noodles.

#GovernanceIsCommonSense!

#KungGustoMaramingParaan!