President Rodrigo Duterte graced the launching of TienDA Farmers and Fisherfolks Outlets, a partnership project between the Department of Agriculture and Ayala Malls, at the Asian Food Market in Abreeza Mall Davao on Saturday.
He also committed to perfect the food supply chain in the country by the third year of his administration.
The President lauded the DA and the Ayala Corp., operator of the Ayala malls, for initiating a partnership that would help farmers and fisherfolk freed from middlemen or cartels and provide market access to sell products at fair price.
This also results in cheaper food products for consumers, the President said.
“For after all, it’s the Department of Agriculture who’s responsible if we go hungry or we have full stomach,” Duterte said, adding that Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel Piñol is responsible for the sustainability of the food supply.
“So the food chain in the Philippines must be at least perfected by [or] on the third year of my administration,” he said.
“I hope that the TienDA Farmers and Fisherfolk Outlet will open doors of greater opportunities for our kababayans towards a better and brighter future,” Duterte said in his speech.
Duterte said that while the local agriculture industry still thrives amid the entry of similar imported products, he encouraged the Filipinos to patronize local products to help keep the industry afloat.
“Well, at the expense of the ‘disers’ [merchandisers] the middle men, that’s not how it is because we are trying to come up with our decision to, I said, provide the people affordable and always, their food for all,” Duterte said.
He also said that the imports and exports have to be balanced with the trade all over the world.
“We have to compete, that is why production is the secret. So ang production mo, pareho sa kanila then they have to choose,” he said.
“The thing there is to maintain the supply para pareho mura. Then kung ikaw Pilipino, kung pareho ‘yung ano mo, ‘di sa Pilipino ka na bumili. Makatulong ka pa,” he added.
Duterte also thanked the Ayalas for their social and corporate conscience to help the Filipino people.
“Anyway, sila man din ‘yung prime movers talaga ng ating gobyerno and it would be good if they would accommodate us, bagsakan libre. And they will buy your products diretso. Wala na ‘yung diser,” he said.
In his message following the media interview, Duterte cited Ayala Corp. for its corporate social responsibility of providing space free of charge for the farmers at the Abreeza Mall that is similar to a food terminal. Ayala will also buy farmers’ products.
Duterte said farmers and fisherfolk would no longer deal with middlemen, who earn more than the farmers.
“The less people dipping their fingers in the movement of the merchandisers — food, the lesser, then if the taxation from NPA [New People’s Army] is gone, better. At least its [price is] lower. If the NPA is there vegetables are more expensive because they thought they are also the government,” Duterte said.
The President thanked the Ayalas for sponsoring activities such as the TienDA as a corporate conscience to help the Filipino people.
Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala, chairman and CEO of Ayala Corp., said the idea of TienDA was decided early on although he admitted that agriculture is not part of the world of the Ayala.
He said the Ayala Foundation and the Ayala Corp. saw the need to help farmers and end users.
Ayala was grateful for the government in accepting the opportunity and hoped to continue with the initiative.
As a complement, Duterte said his administration would find a way to help farmers in the transportation since only vehicles with four-wheel drives can access farms in the mountain areas.
“So we will look into these things but it will bring down the prices,” he said.
While this takes a toll on the business of middlemen, Duterte pointed out that the government should ensure there is supply at a fair price.
The TienDA outlet is aimed at providing access for farmers and consumers with fresh agricultural products at a farm-gate price. It is a marketing strategy which aims to lower food prices by eliminating layers of middlemen in the supply chain consequently increasing farmers and fisherfolk’s income and providing them market opportunities.
This is in line with the President’s directive of making food affordable and available for all.
At Abreeza Mall’s TienDA, consumers can avail of a wide array of fruits, vegetables, dairy, and seafood products coming from producers in Mindanao.
DA-XI Regional Director Ricardo Oñate, Jr. said this new marketing strategy could help dismantle the so-called cartels that control the supply and prices of agricultural goods.
“The conduct of TienDA exemplifies the Department’s support to our agricultural producers and to encourage them to produce more. TienDA outlets would ensure the farmers’ produce to be directly available to consumers,” Oñate said. With PNA