DA urges LGUs to buy produce from local farmers, fisherfolk

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Agriculture (DA) is reiterating its call for the chiefs of local government units (LGUs) to acquire products from farmers and fisherfolk and include them in relief packs given to citizens amid the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) placed over Luzon and other parts of the country.

“By doing so, we help our farmers and fishers earn and make a decent living amid the challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic,” Secretary William Dar said Thursday in a release.

“As the ECQ initially posed difficulty on the movement of food cargoes and other agri-fishery commodities, we deemed it necessary to encourage our provincial governors, and city and municipal mayors to buy the harvests of farmers to prevent wastage,” he added.

Dar explained that other than providing jobs for farmers and fisherfolk, LGUs will be able to supply their constituents with healthy and nutritious food.

The DA chief had previously made the same appeal to local chief executives (LCEs) on the onset of the ECQ last March. Several LGUs have already complied with the appeal as of writing, according to the DA.

“Marami po ang tumugon kaya ramdam ng ating mga magsasaka sa kanayunan ang tulong ng pamahalaan sa panahon ng COVID-19. Nakakatuwa kasi nandyan talaga ang bayanihan,” Dar said.

(Many have complied so our farmers from the provinces are already experiencing the help from the government during this time of COVID-19)

For instance, the DA reports that the provincial government of Iloilo bought P17.9-million worth of vegetables, eggs, dried seafood, and other basic food items, while Antique purchased a total of P2.3-million worth of vegetables.

In Laguna, more LGUs are buying farmers’ harvest to include in the relief packs being distributed to residents, with the municipal government of Cabuyao, in particular, having bought a “substantial amount of vegetables.” The city government of Calamba also procured vegetables which they gave to jail inmates, while the Cavinti municipal government distributed vegetables and eggs to medical frontliners. The LGU of Davao had already done the same, according to the DA.

“We enjoin other LCEs to do the same so we can ensure food security for all and extend much-needed support to our farmers and fishers by providing them a ready market for their produce,” Dar stressed.

The Department of Interior and Local Government previously ordered LGUs to enter into agreements with their local farmers and fisherfolk for also the procurement of their products and the distribution to residents amid the ECQ.

EDV