Farmers in Pampanga will soon be providing food supply to the National Nutrition Council (NNC) to feed hundreds of malnourished children and pregnant women in Metro Manila.

The Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) has linked up the Sto. Tomas – San Luis Farmers Association, Inc. to the NNC-National Capital Region to provide food supply for the Tutok Kainan: Dietary Supplementation Program (DSP).

This will benefit 616 pregnant women and kids in Caloocan, Navotas, Paranaque, and Pateros, DAR Undersecretary Emily Padilla said.

“This program is two-pronged, one, pregnant women will be fed with freshly harvested rice, fruits, and vegetables; and two, it guarantees the farmers with a ready market for their agricultural products,” Padilla added.

According to DAR Central Luzon Regional Director Maria Celestina Tam, under the partnership, NNC-NCR will purchase food supplies such as rice, vegetables, and poultry products from the Sto. Tomas – San Luis Farmers Association Inc., a DAR-assisted cooperative.

“The NNC-NCR will buy the cooperative’s products based on the prevailing market price, and the food supply will be picked up in a designated area,” Tam explained.

The DSP is implemented under the government’s Enhanced Partnership Against Hunger and Poverty (EPAHP) program, where government institutions work together to support poor people through feeding programs in schools and provision of community meals for workers and laborers.

The program aims to contribute to the prevention of stunting among children 0-23 months old by improving the quality and quantity of food and nutrient intakes of pregnant women and babies.

“Under the EPAHP, instead of buying food supplies elsewhere, the four cities were encouraged to buy food supplies for the feeding of pregnant women and babies, from agrarian cooperatives,” Tam said.

At present, there are already seven agreement signed by the DAR with the NNC and agrarian cooperatives in Albay, Camsur, Negros Occidental, Cebu, Bukidnon, and Siquijor.