ILOILO City — The Department of Agriculture (DA) is pushing Western Visayas local government units (LGUs), national government offices, and large institutional buyers such as hotels and restaurants to source their food requirements directly from local farmers and fishermen, a move seen as key to strengthening rural incomes and reducing dependence on imported goods
The initiative, championed by DA regional executive director Dennis Arpia, aims to create stable markets for local producers by cutting out middlemen and ensuring that more of the value from agricultural products goes straight to those who grow or harvest them.
DA-6 information officer James Earl Ogatis said the campaign underscores the “buy local, support local” advocacy, particularly encouraging institutions to prioritize products produced within Western Visayas.
“Ma-amat-amat naton pabugtaw ang aton mga consumers, ilabi na gid ang aton mga institutional buyers, nga indeed ang produkto sang aton mga mangungoma diri sa Western Visayas amo gid aton i-consume kag baklon bisan may influx sang imports,” Ogatis said.
He noted that while rice remains a major focus — especially urging buyers to source local rice instead of imported varieties — the program also promotes other locally produced goods such as corn, calamansi juice, coffee, fish, and similar products.
To set an example, Ogatis said DA Region 6 itself began implementing the policy earlier this year. Since midyear, the regional office has stopped serving soft drinks during official activities, replacing them with locally produced juices.
“Ini man ang rason kon ngaa gin-unahan mismo sang DA-6 ang pag-support sa local products,” he said.
The regional office has also been publicly recognizing cooperatives, hotels, restaurants, and other establishments that directly purchase from farmers and fishermen by featuring them on DA-6’s official Facebook page.
As part of the campaign, DA-6 officials have been visiting provinces and municipalities across the region to personally encourage institutions to adopt direct purchasing arrangements.
“Pinaagi sa pag-support naton sa ila, we can create demand, we can create markets nga direkta nga magbakal sa ila kag makahatag employment and increase income sa aton farmers,” Ogatis added.
The initiative aligns with the national thrust of the Department of Agriculture under Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. and is anchored on Republic Act No. 11321, or the Farmers and Fisherfolk Enterprise Development Program, also known as the Sagip Saka Act, which was authored by former senator Kiko Pangilinan.
“Gina-amat amat namon pabugtaw kag with the help sang aton media members and information officers ma–awaken naton ang aton mga institutional buyers nga ang tinutuyo sang Sagip Saka Act nga ginaduso ni Sen. Kiko Pangilinan and Secretary Laurel mabatyagan sang aton lokal nga mangungoma,” Ogatis said.
Signed into law in April 2019, the Sagip Saka Act mandates local government units and national and local government agencies to procure food and agricultural products directly from accredited farmers’ and fisherfolk cooperatives, a system designed to increase producer income while making food more affordable for consumers./PN
