DOT, Grab tie up to deliver fresh produce

Dairy, fresh fruits, vegetables and other daily essentials can now be delivered to your doorsteps by GrabExpress from 40 small farmers and MSMEs participating under the Department of Tourism (DOT)’s Philippine Harvest online trade fair.

Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat said the Philippine Harvest will be available starting this month via Grab Phl. She urged the public to support Philippine agriculture and farm tourism, as well as local farmers and food producers through the digital platform.

“Farm tourism isn’t just about visiting our farm tourism destinations physically. In this pandemic, we can still practice responsible tourism by patronizing the harvest and produce of our farmers and fisherfolk,” Puyat said.

More app users can now discover Philippine Harvest, with its standout promotional tile featured at Grab’s home page leading to the directory of partner merchants that sell local, organic, artisanal and indigenous products.

Other products available include chocolates, cooking aids, sauces, coffee, vegan products and pastries.

Buyers can have their Philippine Harvest favorites delivered through GrabExpress with same-day delivery service, making fresh and processed local food products more accessible to the public.

Merchants can also utilize the GrabExpress web booking portal for the management of logistical needs, enabling the conduct of simultaneous deliveries and tracking of all the orders at the same time.

“Grab Philippines, through its delivery services GrabExpress, will make their fresh local food harvest readily available at buyers’ doorsteps, and that would help mitigate the economic impact of the pandemic crisis on the farmers and micro, small and medium enterprises,” Puyat explained.

“Grab is committed to leverage on our technology to support local businesses, especially as we navigate through this new reality. As we lend our support to the farmers and SME partner-merchants under the Philippine Harvest program of the Department of Tourism, we hope that more Filipinos will support locally grown products,” said Brian Cu, president of Grab Philippines.

“We are optimistic that as we provide support to the local agripreneurs, we will be able to work as one to help their businesses grow while also providing Filipinos a more convenient and accessible way to enjoy local products,” he added.

There are plans to expand the service outside Metro Manila.