The Department of Agriculture (DA) is pushing Western Visayas local government units (LGUs), national government offices, and large institutional buyers such as hotels and restaurants to source their food requirements directly from local farmers and fishermen, a move seen as key to strengthening rural incomes and reducing dependence on imported goods. The initiative, championed by DA regional executive director Dennis Arpia, aims to create stable markets for local producers by cutting out middlemen and ensuring that more of the value from agricultural products goes straight to those who grow or harvest them.

Sornito, I. (2025, December 17). Buy directly from farmers, fishers to boost local incomes, LGUs and hotels urged. Panay News, pp. 2, 15.