KADIWA ON WHEELS / FEBRUARY 15, 2023 Residents of Barangay Pasadena in San Juan City, buy fresh vegetables from Kadiwa on Wheels stalls on February 15, 2023. KADIWA is a marketing initiative of Department of Agriculture, implemented through the Agribusiness and Marketing Assistance (AMAS), which seeks to empower the farming community by providing a direct and effective farm-to-consumer food supply chain. INQUIRER PHOTO / NINO JESUS ORBETA
MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Trade and Industry’s (DTI) strategy to improve food logistics in the Philippines has received President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.’s nod, said the Palace on Wednesday.
According to the Presidential Communications Office (PCO), Marcos discussed the plan in a meeting with officials from DTI, Department of Interior and Local Government, Department of Information and Communications Technology, among others.
“President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. approved on Tuesday the Department of Trade and Industry’s Three-year Food Logistics Action Agenda aimed at revolutionizing the country’s food distribution system, reducing transport and logistics costs, and ensuring food supply chain efficiency,” said the PCO in a statement.
The PCO said that the plan’s main objective is to ensure that food remains available and affordable to Filipinos. It was in response to Marcos’ order in September 2022 to enhance the food logistics chain, cold chain industry, ports infrastructure and farm-to-market roads.
“The Three-Year Food Logistics Action Agenda contains six key strategies to ensure success. These include revolutionizing the Philippines’ food distribution system, reducing transport and logistics costs, increasing investments in logistics infrastructure on transportation and storage, and addressing other supply chain gaps,” said the PCO.
The plan includes the use of food terminals and hubs across the country. Food terminals are specific locations with standardized logistical processes and transportation systems to shorten the supply chain between producers and consumers.
“These hubs operate as central command centers for effectively supervising the balance between demand and supply with the resulting synergy within these hubs amplifying the effectiveness of the action plan,” explained the PCO.
In addition to this, the DTI’s plan will intensify government efforts against hoarding and smuggling, said the PCO.