USAID backs digital channel linking farmers, consumers

A local technology logistics startup has gained the support of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) for its efforts to link Filipino farmers to consumers by establishing a farmer-to-market digital platform.

Dubbed as DELIVER-e, the platform aims to create an innovative, end-to-end electronic system that could address supply chain gaps brought by the community quarantine.

Since the pandemic prompted the government to put in place community lockdowns as a way to curb its spread, farmers and fishermen are unable to sell and transport their products to key markets.

As a result, some commodities were thrown away or were left to spoil, leading to unprecedented losses for the country’s producers.

The initiative was created by Insight Supply Chain Solutions to connect farmers from Luzon to buyers. To expand its market, USAID has coordinated with the departments of agriculture and of trade and industry so that DELIVER-e could be accessible to more local producers.

Since its launch in April, DELIVER-e has helped sell more than 156,000 kilos of fresh fruits and vegetables through its digital marketplaces Gulay ng Bayan and City Farms Philippines. It has also facilitated the movement of produce to institutional and individual buyers in Metro Manila.

“We are proud to work with the Philippine government and the 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. INQ