DOT partners with Grab to bring fresh local food harvest to your homes
![DOT partners with Grab to bring fresh local food harvest to your homes](https://media.philstar.com/photos/2020/04/23/ph-harvest_2020-04-23_09-45-28.jpg)
MANILA, Philippines — Filipino consumers can now order fresh local food harvest and have them delivered to their homes after the Department of Tourism inked a deal with multinational ride-hailing company Grab.
The DOT and Grab signed their collaboration on June 16 to give Philippine Harvest online trade fair members a digital platform.
Through this initiative, fresh and processed local products produce can now be delivered to customers' doorsteps via GrabExpress’ same-day delivery service. This service was made available to the public on Monday.
At least 40 small farmers and micro, small and medium enterprises are participating merchants under the DOT’s Philippine Harvest online trade fair.
"Grab Philippines, through its delivery services GrabExpress, Inc., 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," Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat said in a statement.
The DOT said merchants can likewise utilize the delivery service’s 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.
Aside from dairy fresh fruits, vegetables and other daily essentials products such as chocolates, cooking aids, sauces, coffee, vegan products and pastries are also available.
The DOT said they are also looking into expanding the service outside Metro Manila.
For its part. Grab said it is committed to use the technology to support local businesses especially in this pandemic.
"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," Brian Cu, president of Grab Philippines said.
Last April, the DOT also held its online leg of the annual Philippine Harvest trade fair online via Facebook.
The trade fair was brought online to make the products more accessible to Filipino consumers despite the circumstances brought by the COVID-19 and the enhanced community quarantine.
"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 also said.
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