Farm agency launches e-commerce platform

The Department of Agriculture (DA) has launched an e-commerce website that will allow members of the private sector to sell their produce in a single platform.

In turn, the new market system will allow local government units (LGUs) and ordinary consumers to purchase agricultural goods from the local sector at affordable prices.

Dubbed as “eKadiwa,” it is the government’s response to the evolving landscape of buying and selling perishable goods.

The project was created to ease the transport and delivery of commodities and encourage LGUs to distribute nutritious food and minimize reliance on canned goods and instant noodles—the usual staple for any relief package.

At the same time, this will give the country’s local food producers a stable market even with lockdowns imposed in parts of the country to mitigate the spread of the new coronavirus pandemic.

Agriculture Secretary William Dar said this was one of the Duterte administration’s efforts to provide the general public access to quality and affordable food as the country continues to address the novel coronavirus pandemic.

Currently, the agency has forged two partnerships with listed AgriNurture Inc. and online grocer Zagana, where consumers and LGUs alike may avail themselves of basic food items such as rice, fruits, vegetables and spices. INQ