As the whole nation is battling a pandemic brought about by the coronavirus disease, ensuring food availability for every Filipino is among the top things that need to be secured.

With the said task at hand, the Department of Agriculture has been looking into ways to ensure that food production in the country continues.

In the region, one initiative taken by the Department of Agriculture – Caraga through the High Value Crops Program (HVCDP) is the distribution of vegetable seeds to walk in clients who want to engage in vegetable gardening.

To ensure food availability and sustain production amidst the threat of COVID-19, the Department of Agriculture (DA) is intensifying the promotion of urban agriculture through the distribution of free vegetable seeds and planting materials nationwide.

“We need to explore all strategies to ensure that food productivity, availability and sufficiency is attained, particularly in this challenging time,” said Agriculture Secretary William Dar, who has been advocating the importance of urban agriculture even before the Covid-19 episode in the country.

The Department of Agriculture (DA) will set up more ‘Kadiwa ni Ani at Kita’ outlets to serve more consumers in Metro Manila, providing them fresh farm and fishery products at affordable prices.

Following the success of the Kadiwa outlet launched last week at the DA’s Agricultural Training Institute (ATI), along Elliptical Road in Quezon City, Agriculture Secretary William D. Dar said, “we are pleased that thousands of Quezon City residents benefited from the DA-ATI Kadiwa mobile market.”

The Department of Agriculture through the National Food Authority (NFA) has prepositioned rice stocks for the requirements of Metro Manila, ensuring sufficient supply during the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) period due to COVID-19.

“Sapat po ang ating supply ng bigas para sa Metro Manila at sa buong bansa. Nitong buwan ng Marso, mayroon po tayong rice inventory good for 75 days,” said agriculture secretary William Dar during a visit, at the NFA North District Office in Valenzuela City, on March 26.

The Departments of Agriculture (DA) and Interior and Local Government (DILG) commited in front of the Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) to further enhance checkpoint protocols to ensure the “unhampered movement” of food and agri-fishery products, inputs, and personnel.

The joint action followed after the reported distress in chicken supply, brought about by the difficulties agri-fishery cargoes experience in passing through the LGU level.

Agriculture Secretary William D. Dar reiterated the government’s commitment to providing adequate, accessible and affordable food for every Filipino family through the Ahon Lahat, Pagkaing Sapat or ALPAS COVID-19, otherwise called the Plant, Plant, Plant program.

In a statement, Dar said the Department of Agriculture will implement the Plant, Plant, Plant program as the centerpiece initiative to ensure sustained food production and availability, food accessibility and affordability amidst the threats of COVID-19.