The Department of Agriculture (DA) launched a $3.5-million South Korea-funded digital platform as part of its digitalization efforts to provide real-time data and improve policymaking.
Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said the Agriculture-Based Central Data Ecosystem (AbCDE) platform would fast-track farm assistance, enhance supply chain monitoring, and stabilize food prices.
Among the system’s capabilities that the DA chief touted was the shortened processing time for registration in the Registry System for Basic Sectors in Agriculture (RSBSA) to five minutes from the usual 10-day processing, allowing them to service more farmers and fishers.
‘This is a tool to get more real-time data as fast as possible to manage prices, control inflation, and (achieve) food security,’ he told reporters on the sidelines of the platform’s launch on Wednesday.
AbCDE was developed in partnership with South Korea’s Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (MAFRA) and the Korea Agency of Education, Promotion, and Information Service in Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (EPIS).
The unified digital hub could verify beneficiaries, track interventions, and monitor agricultural supply chains in real time, which the DA said prevents duplication in records and disconnected databases.
It also slashed the time needed to roll out new support programs by 80 percent, with seeds, fertilizer, and financial assistance completed in five days from the previous 26 days.
More than another government’s modernization project, the DA chief described it as a long-overdue overhaul of a system weighed down by outdated processes.
‘For many years, our sector grappled with over a hundred disparate digital initiatives functioning in isolation,’ he said. ‘Today, with the introduction of the Agriculture-Based Central Data Ecosystem Platform 1.0, we are embarking on a transformative journey in public service.’
The DA chief said South Korea’s contribution goes beyond providing technology.
‘Your invaluable expertise has equipped us with a ‘super brain’ to effectively monitor supply chains and stabilize prices in real time,’ he said.
‘Together, we are sowing the seeds of a digital revolution that will enhance farm incomes and secure food security for generations to come.’
Kadiwa sales
Meanwhile, the DA reported that the government’s Kadiwa program generated more than P4.4 billion in sales over the past four years.
The DA said Kadiwa generated P4.42 billion in sales from July 2022 to July 20, 2026, which benefited more than 12 million Filipino consumers through 22,178 marketing activities nationwide.
The P20 rice program held the lion’s share of the sales at P2.4 billion since it launched last May 2025, distributing 121,271 metric tons (MT) of rice to roughly 12.1 million beneficiaries.
The cheaper rice’s beneficiaries include vulnerable sectors, minimum wage earners, public transport workers, indigents, and registered farm and fisherfolk.
Furthermore, the DA said Kadiwa has grown to 805 active Benteng Bigas selling sites, including 295 with regular selling schedules, while the P20 rice program has already been rolled out in 57 provinces. The broader Kadiwa network currently operates 827 regular outlets nationwide.