THE Department of Agriculture (DA) partnered with the municipalities of Dinalupihan and Hermosa in Bataan and the Bataan Peninsula State University for the implementation of the Zero Kilometer food project aimed at promoting healthy eating while minimizing the cost and environmental impact of transporting the products.
The agency said a memorandum of agreement was signed last Monday to ensure targets of the initiatives will be met. These targets include the use and consumption of locally grown fruits, vegetables, and other non-industrially produced food products that have not traveled far.
Under the agreement, DA’s Bureau of Agricultural Research (BAR) will provide funding for a research that will examine factors influencing supply and demand in the two municipalities, including commodity prices and expenditure movements by identifying the major stakeholders in the market economy and analyzing consumer behavior.
“We, at DA-BAR, support studies and projects like this, because with the 0 km project, we are hitting three important goals: help promote income from local production, reduce marketing cost for increased income for producers and with less pollution from transporting goods, we save our environment — all these towards a healthier and food securer nation,” said Joell Lales, BAR assistant director, in a statement.
DA Senior Undersecretary Domingo Panganiban, said the program is also part of the government’s goal to provide missing elements in the value chain of products that the country purchases as well as to remove bottlenecks.
