The Department of Agriculture (DA) sought the assistance of the Philippine Air Force (PAF) in bringing farm produce from far provinces to Metro Manila to avoid food spoilage.
Major Gen. Stephen Parreno, PAF commanding general, hosted visiting officials from the DA led by its spokesperson, Assistant Sec. Kristine Evangelista, at the PAF headquarters in Col. Jesus Villamor Air Base, Pasay City on Thursday, Jan. 19.
Col. Ma. Consuelo Castillo, PAF spokesperson, said Parreno and Evangelista made exploratory talks on how the PAF can contribute to DA’s efforts of helping farmers find market for their products.
Castillo said that the two officials explored the possibility of using extra cargo spaces during PAF flight missions to carry the agricultural products from far-flung areas to Metro Manila and other key cities.
“Utilizing extra cargo spaces during PAF flight missions for this purpose will encourage efficiency in the use of military resources as well as help the agriculture industry while promoting food security,” Castillo said.
“This initiative will ensure that farm produce are not wasted because of lack of means of transport them (sic) where they can be sold to potential buyers,” she added.
The PAF is also studying the proposal of the agriculture department to establish Kadiwa Centers in PAF bases to “enable PAF personnel and their families to have access to cheaper and fresh farm produce direct from the local farmers in their areas.”
Concerns on food security and sufficiency were aplenty due to the rising cost of several agricultural products such as onion and egg. Some farmers were even forced to throw away their hard-earned produce such as vegetables due to the lack of buyers in the market.å