DAVAO City  – The city council passed on third and final reading Monday a resolution allowing the city mayor to sign in behalf of the local government a memorandum of agreement (MOA) on the establishment of a trading center with the Department of Agriculture-XI. The city government is eyeing to start work on the five-hectare Agri-Pinoy Trading Center (APTC) in Daliao, Toril on September 8 this year. Councilor Marissa P. Salvador-Abella, chair of the committee on agriculture and food, told reporters Tuesday that the city council is working for the MOA to be signed between Mayor Rodrigo R. Duterte and DA-XI director RemelynRecoter before end of this month. DA XI will fund the construction of the trading center which has an estimated budget of P70 million. “DA 11 will allocate and disburse the same fund as grant under fund transfer arrangement to the City Government for the establishment of the center,” paragraph 2, Article 1 of the MOA stated. Earlier, the city government signed a MOA with the National Development Corporation (NDC) for the use of at least five hectares of its 25-hectare property in Daliao, Toril for 15 years. Aside from the trading venue, the city government will also put up a training area for farmers to learn the best practices in agriculture and how to maintain quality in their production. The center will also hold trainings on financial literacy and capacity-building for farmers to improve their knowledge on doing business. Abella said the trading center will boost the agriculture sector, as it will provide a centralized venue where all the fruits and vegetables go while giving farmers a fair price for their produce. The APTC will come complete with cold storage facilities to maintain the freshness and quality of the commodities. The first phase of APTC is targeted to be completed by December 2016.