As a part of the Philippines Department of Agriculture’s (DA) initiative to support local farmers amidst the coronavirus pandemic, the cab hailing platform Grab will be providing on-demand delivery directly to the doors of consumers in Manila. The government-run online marketplace, called eKadiwa, will ensure that both the general public can purchase fresh produce for reasonable prices while local farmers are fairly compensated for their work.
Ride-hailing platform Grab recently announced a partnership with the Philippines DA to support local farmers by offering doorstep delivery for the new eKadiwa online marketplace. eKadiwa will be selling fresh fruit and vegetables grown by local farmers, and GrabExpress – Grab’s on-demand delivery service – will deliver it directly to consumers in Manila who are now avoiding crowded grocery stores in the midst of the pandemic.
The DA says that the scheme will both help consumers source reasonably priced and high-quality produce while staying safe at home, as well as ensure that Philippines’ farmers are not left without incomes for their labour.
“With the challenges posed by this pandemic, it is imperative that we develop new innovations and scale up existing technologies, and we’re happy that many have been forging alliances with us to help first and foremost our countryside heroes,” said William Dar, the agriculture secretary.
