LGUs asked to buy crops from small-scale farmers
Published Mar 30, 2020 12:00 am
By Charrisa Luci-Atienza
AAMBIS-OWA partylist Rep. Sharon Garin is calling on the local government units (LGUs) to directly buy crops from small-scale farmers and include them in the food packs being distributed to their constituents during the enhanced community quarantine.
(KEITH BACONGCO / MANILA BULLETIN FILE PHOTO)
The chairperson of the House Committee on Economic Affairs made the call after farmers in the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) were reportedly disposing truckloads of unsold carrots and cabbages due to lack of buyers in the region in the past three weeks.
She proposed that the LGUs should establish partnerships with small-scale farmers "to help prevent food waste, promote the consumption of nutritious meals among families, and ensure steady income for farmers" amid the government's imposition of the Luzon-wide enhanced community quarantine.
"Such waste could have been prevented if LGUs have an established link with farms. LGUs, in the meantime, can help farmers by directly buying the crops and including it in the food packs regularly distributed among their constituents," she said in a statement.
Recognizing that the COVID-19 pandemic has "adverse agricultural impact," Garin urged her colleagues to join her in pushing for the immediate passage of House Bill No. 3370, or the proposed Food Waste Reduction Act, which seeks to reduce the country’s food waste through donations and waste recycling.
House Bill 3370 mandates the donation of edible food surplus for charitable purposes and the creation of food banks. It requires owners of covered establishments such as restaurants, cafes, diners, fast food chains, or hotels; supermarkets with at least 500 square meters of selling space; and culinary schools to segregate their edible and inedible food surplus.
"The food surplus shall then undergo inspection of the LGU based on the standards to be set by the National Nutrition Council (NNC) and Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Only upon the certification of edible food surplus can it be donated to accredited food banks and distributed among food-insecure Filipinos," the bill said.
Garin expressed hope that while, Congress has yet to pass her measure, all concerned agencies should consider the welfare of farmers and come up with a holistic approach in addressing the impact of COVID-19.
“In this trying time, we must all work together to make sure that no one gets left behind,” the House leader said.
https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x7t0wop
(KEITH BACONGCO / MANILA BULLETIN FILE PHOTO)
The chairperson of the House Committee on Economic Affairs made the call after farmers in the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) were reportedly disposing truckloads of unsold carrots and cabbages due to lack of buyers in the region in the past three weeks.
She proposed that the LGUs should establish partnerships with small-scale farmers "to help prevent food waste, promote the consumption of nutritious meals among families, and ensure steady income for farmers" amid the government's imposition of the Luzon-wide enhanced community quarantine.
"Such waste could have been prevented if LGUs have an established link with farms. LGUs, in the meantime, can help farmers by directly buying the crops and including it in the food packs regularly distributed among their constituents," she said in a statement.
Recognizing that the COVID-19 pandemic has "adverse agricultural impact," Garin urged her colleagues to join her in pushing for the immediate passage of House Bill No. 3370, or the proposed Food Waste Reduction Act, which seeks to reduce the country’s food waste through donations and waste recycling.
House Bill 3370 mandates the donation of edible food surplus for charitable purposes and the creation of food banks. It requires owners of covered establishments such as restaurants, cafes, diners, fast food chains, or hotels; supermarkets with at least 500 square meters of selling space; and culinary schools to segregate their edible and inedible food surplus.
"The food surplus shall then undergo inspection of the LGU based on the standards to be set by the National Nutrition Council (NNC) and Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Only upon the certification of edible food surplus can it be donated to accredited food banks and distributed among food-insecure Filipinos," the bill said.
Garin expressed hope that while, Congress has yet to pass her measure, all concerned agencies should consider the welfare of farmers and come up with a holistic approach in addressing the impact of COVID-19.
“In this trying time, we must all work together to make sure that no one gets left behind,” the House leader said.
https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x7t0wop