The Department of Agriculture (DA), in partnership with the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), is setting up Farmers’ and Fisherfolk Outlet dubbed as “Tienda Para sa mga Bayani” in specific military camps to allow farmers’ and fisherfolk to directly sell their products to consumers, and provide soldiers and their families access to safe, quality and affordable food items.

President Rodrigo Roa Duterte, together with Secretaries Manny F. Piñol (DA) and Delfin N. Lorenzana (National Defense), led the launching ceremony on January 22, 2018 at the Covered Court of Camp General Manuel T. Yan, Sr., in Brgy. Tuburan, Mawab, Compostella Valley.

The Mawab TienDA was simultaneously launched with an outlet in Camp Panacan, Davao City.

On December 2017, DA and DND agreed to establish TienDA in various military camps in the country with a total budget of P10 million (M). This is in line with the President’s directive to provide available and affordable food for all Filipinos.

Under TienDA, the unnecessary marketing layers, including the middlemen are removed. This step enables producers to maximize their profit and earn more. In effect, consumers can avail of cheaper agri-fishery produce at farm gate prices.

“In one of our cabinet meetings, I told Sec. Piñol to think of a better way to bring food to soldiers, instead of having them walked in the street and be killed by the NPA,” President Duterte said.

“This is a good project, TienDA is really for the poor,” he added. ### (Kristel Merle/DA-AFID)