To provide an affordable, steady supply of fish and fishery products to Quezon City residents, the Department of Agriculture – Philippine Fisheries Development Authority (DA-PFDA) and the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (DA-BFAR) lodged an “IsDA on the Go” stall at the grounds of the Quezon City Hall on March 2.

“Dito within the Suggested Retail Price (SRP) ang mga paninda,” Agriculture Secretary William D. Dar said adding that DA is in close coordination with concerned agencies in the monitoring of SRP in the public markets.

IsDA on the go, a flagship program of PFDA and a part of its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) project, was originally launched in Antipolo, Rizal last April 2019. To date, it has engagements in 6 barangays of Antipolo, 36 in different Waltermart branches, various cooperatives within Metro Manila, and in various Kadiwa stalls.

According to Dar, the project, which is part of the “Kadiwa ni Ani at Kita” marketing initiative, aims to lower the price of basic agricultural products such as marine products by providing a direct link between farmers/ fisherfolk to identified communities.

Aside from the newly opened stall at the Quezon City Hall grounds, Dar committed to open up more outlets of both “IsDA on the Go” and Kadiwa to cater to consumers in the Metropolis.

“We will arrange properly, maybe once or twice a week. But if we can sustain the volume daily or even within a week, it will provide significant development towards bringing the community lower prices,” Dar said.

The project was installed in cooperation with the local government of Quezon City, Kyusi Employees Multipurpose Cooperative (KEMCO), Quezon City Small Business and Cooperatives Development and Promotion Office (SBCDPO), and Fishingmongers Inc. It will run until April as part of the QC food bazaar.  ### (Kristel Merle, DA-AFID)