Local government units (LGUs) have bought P1.58 billion worth of agriculture and fishery products directly from farmers and fishermen since the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) was imposed in mid-March, the Department of Agriculture reported. In a statement, Agriculture Secretary William Dar said that to date, at least 245 LGUs heeded his department’s call “to patronize the products of our farmers and [fishermen] and make these part of food packs distributed to their constituents.” These products range from rice, corn, vegetables and fruits to pork, chicken, fish and spices. “The LGUs are our primary partners in cascading our sectoral interventions on production to consumption, marketing included. We would like to involve them in the entire value chain to make sure that our support mechanisms reach targeted beneficiaries,” Dar said. To focus and strengthen linkages between food producers and the markets, the DA formed four food value chain clusters: Luzon A (CAR and Regions 1 to 3), Luzon B (Regions 4A, 4B and 5), Visayas (Regions 6 to 8), and Mindanao (Regions 9 to 13).
