‘Supermarketization’

“Failure is a success if we learn from it.” — Malcom Forbes

One of the nontariff barriers utilized to protect our local agricultural producers is the classification of our markets into two: supermarket or groceries; and wet market. Through various laws and regulations, the latter is preserved for our local producers because they are supposed to cater to the “masa” consumers who patronize the wet market to buy their food stuff. Further, it is argued that small farmers and fisherfolk mainly supply the food commodities in the wet market and hence, should be shielded from the competition posed by the inflow of imported agricultural products.