The United States government has assisted the Philippines in developing a new distribution channel for domestic agricultural products to help Filipino farmers generate more income and support food security during the coronavirus pandemic.
The United States Agency for International Development has partnered with the Department of Agriculture, Department of Trade Chain Solutions to establish DELIVER-e, a digital platform connecting Luzon farmers to buyers through an innovative, end-to-end electronic market system that addresses supply chain gaps during community quarantine.
In a statement, the US Embassy in Manila said the USAID was supporting Philippine government efforts to help Filipino farmers transport their produce to key markets and address urgent food security issues.
“We are proud to work with the Philippine government and private sector to open new distribution channels for agricultural produce, which will restore farmers’ incomes and support food security,” US Ambassador to the Philippines Sung Kim said.
Through the DELIVER-e platform, which better links producers with consumers, farmers generate more income by selling fresher fruits and vegetables to buyers and less food goes to waste.
“Since its launch in early April, DELIVER-e has enabled sales of more than 156,000 kilograms of fresh fruits and vegetables through its first two e-marketplaces, Gulay ng Bayan and City Farms Philippines, and facilitated the movement of fresh produce to institutional and individual buyers in Metro Manila,” the embassy statement stressed.
“Our hopes are renewed. We have hope that even after COVID-19, we can have secure income, and vegetables and fruit won’t go to waste,” said Mylene Rafer, a 38-year-old pineapple farmer from Camarines Norte.
The embassy statement said the DELIVER-e project is part of a P900-million USAID initiative to advance the country's competitiveness and boost trade and investment, especially for micro-, small- and medium-size enterprises.