The Department of Agriculture is exploring a partnership with DALI Everyday Grocery that would give local farmers steady, expanding direct sales channels and boost contract farming opportunities for cooperatives and producer groups.
The possibility follows a meeting Wednesday between Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. and DALI board director Thirdie Icasas, where both sides laid out plans to link the retailer’s fast-growing network directly with domestic suppliers.
Secretary Tiu Laurel said the talks mark a promising step forward. “DALI can provide a ready market for our local farm products and potentially become a contract-growing partner for our farmers. This can help give them more stable markets, encourage them to produce more, and ultimately raise their incomes,” he stated.
Assistant Secretary for Agribusiness, Marketing and Consumer Affairs Genevieve Velicaria-Guevarra noted the arrangement would particularly benefit vegetable growers across highland and lowland areas. “They can have more direct access to DALI as a market for their produce,” she explained.
DALI now runs 1,403 stores serving over 10 million customers each month, opening roughly one new outlet daily. It aims to reach 1,600 stores by end-2026 and 16,000 by 2035, operating as neighborhood stores focused on daily essentials. That rapid expansion makes the chain a major prospective private buyer of local produce.
The company already began direct sourcing with potatoes and is now seeking reliable cooperatives to supply highland and lowland vegetables. It plans warehouses near Benguet and Pangasinan to consolidate produce close to farms before delivery to Metro Manila outlets. Secretary Tiu Laurel has directed the DA to immediately connect DALI with trusted farmer groups.
Both sides also aligned on supporting infrastructure including the 46-hectare Clark Food Hub, planned facilities in Tiaong, Quezon; Lipa, Batangas; Manolo Fortich; and Cebu, plus a cold storage facility near the Benguet Agri-Pinoy Trading Center to strengthen supply chains. DALI also sought the department’s assistance on import clearances and tariffs for apples, garlic and pears it began sourcing overseas in June.
