By Dean Aubrey Caratiquet
Stories of teary-eyed farmers disposing of their fresh produce due to lack of sufficient buyers, transport bottlenecks, and inadequate storage facilities are a harsh reality that has become almost synonymous with every rainy season that passes by.
The government acknowledges the gravity of this dilemma on the farmers’ bottom line and continues to make inroads in addressing these problems by constructing new facilities and formulating programs to prevent food wastage.
This, as the Department of Education (DepEd) continues to explore methods to distribute unsold produce to schools as part of the expanded School-Based Feeding Program (SBFP), in compliance with food safety and program guidelines.
Through the Adopt-a-School Program, the agency encourages companies, organizations, and individuals to participate in the SBFP by directly purchasing vegetables from farmers to donate to schools—with qualified private partners able to avail of a 150% tax deduction under the Adopt-a-School Act.
Education Secretary Sonny Angara said in a statement, “Gusto nating makatulong sa ating mga magsasaka habang sinisiguro na may masustansya at mainit na pagkain sa ating mga paaralan para sa ating mga learners.”
The DepEd, moreover, seeks to work with the Department of Agriculture (D.A.) to make use of available cold storage facilities to serve as stockpiles of fresh produce before these are delivered to schools.
To further streamline the process, DepEd is also institutionalizing Republic Act No. 11321, or the Sagip Saka Act, which would authorize Schools Division Offices (SDOs) and schools to utilize negotiated procurement—bypassing the lengthy public bidding process—to directly purchase fresh produce from local agricultural and fisheries enterprises.
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