To bring quality and affordable fish and aquatic products to residents in Metro Manila and other urban areas in the country amid the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) being enforced to prevent the spread of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), the Department of Agriculture (DA) has launched “isDA On-the-Go” and the “Seafood Kadiwa” to complement its “Kadiwa ni Ani at Kita” marketing program.
The two projects will sell fresh, frozen, or dried fish products that are cheaper than those being sold in public wet markets and supermarkets. These include fish and aquatic products such as galunggong, tilapia, bangus, tulingan, salay-salay, pampano, blue crabs, mackerel, cream dory, squid rings, mixed seafoods, tinapa, and daing, among others.
“We are making the fishers, fishpond owners, and consumers the real winners.”
“Through ‘isDA on the go’ and ‘Seafood Kadiwa,’ we are making the fishers, fishpond owners, and consumers the real winners as we connect them directly, skipping traditional market layers or middlemen,” said Agriculture Secretary William Dar.
“Hence, the fishers and producers gain bigger profit, while consumers benefit from cheaper quality fish products,” said Dar adding that “it is a ‘win-win situation’ for all players along the fishery supply chain.”
The “Kadiwa ni Ani at Kita” marketing program was launched in September 2019, barely one month after the agriculture chief assumed office.
The “isDA on the go” is a project of the DA’s Philippine Fisheries Development Authority (PFDA), while the “Seafood Kadiwa” is handled by the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR).
The “isDA on the go” has three modalities: retailing market, Kadiwa partnership, and direct sales to groups, institutions, and villages.
Retailing market is coursed through 18 Waltermart outlets in the NCR and nearby towns, while Kadiwa partnership is a tie-up with “Kadiwa on Wheels” of the DA’s Agricultural Training Institute (ATI) and Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA).
The PFDA has sold more than 33,685 kilos of fish and fishery products, benefiting more than 526,000 persons in 35 barangays and communities.
Meanwhile, the “Seafood Kadiwa” of the BFAR has served more than 420 barangays in 42 municipalities and eight cities nationwide.
“We want to institutionalize both ‘isDA on the go’ and ‘Seafood Kadiwa’ even after the COVID-19 crisis.”
In Metro Manila, specifically in Makati City and Quezon City, “Seafood Kadiwa” outlets have sold more than 2,350 kilos of fresh fish, benefiting about 42,000 individuals, the BFAR reported.
“We want to institutionalize both ‘isDA on the go’ and ‘Seafood Kadiwa’ even after the COVID-19 crisis to continuously provide our countrymen adequate supply of quality and affordable fish and fishery products,” the agriculture head concluded.