BAGUIO CITY – The Cordillera Association of Regional Executives (CARE) has positively responded to the call for a KADIWA for Rice, particularly during this time of harvest season when the palay harvest is at its peak.
As of writing, at least 1,934 total sacks of rice (25 kilos/sack) have been placed to order with a corresponding value of PhP2,030,700. The KADIWA for Rice was directly linked to the Flora Farm Cluster Agriculture Cooperative (Floraco), one of the established rice clusters being assisted by the Department of Agriculture-Cordillera (DA-CAR) in Flora, Apayao.
Apayao is among the major rice-producing provinces in the Cordilleras. They started harvesting their produce for the wet cropping season last month which is seen to extend until this May 2025. Oliver Duque, Manager of Floraco, said that the private traders’ buying price of wet palay in Apayao last April was around PhP13.50 – PhP13.60 per kilo while dry palay was priced at PhP17.80 per kilo.
DA-CAR Regional Executive Director Atty. Jennilyn M. Dawayan underscored that the executives’ association has been very supportive to the program and is actively engaged with the agency in assisting the farming communities in the Cordilleras. The Association also supported previous KADIWA initiatives of the DA-CAR, particularly on the marketing and transport of major highland vegetables.
“We also advocated for long term engagement of government officials and employees’ cooperatives to the rice cluster cooperatives. Through these continuing initiatives of empowering the farmers to directly sell their produce to consumers, their net income will increase,” RED Dawayan said.
This effort is also aligned with the DA-Masagana Rice Industry Development Program’s (MRIDP) vision of the agricultural clusters becoming instruments of empowerment and not just logistical strategies as emphasized by DA-MRIDP Undersecretary Christopher Morales during the 2025–2026 Assessment and Planning Workshop for Rice Clustering and Consolidation recently.
The first batch of rice delivery in Baguio City by Floraco was made on April 24, 2025, with 754 sacks. This was directly delivered to the different government agencies with the cluster utilizing the four Kadiwa vehicles provided by the DA-CAR in the prior years. Second batch of delivery came on May 2, 2025, with more orders still being received by the cluster.
PBGen David K. Peredo Jr., CARE Vice President and Regional Director of the Police Regional Office-Cordillera, on behalf of CARE, expressed his gratitude for the opportunity to collaborate with the DA-CAR on the KADIWA for Rice initiative.
“This partnership has not only strengthened our shared commitment to supporting local farmers but has also brought affordable, high-quality rice closer to our communities,” said Peredo.
Dawayan assured that the DA-CAR will continuously facilitate orders from partners in the private and government offices and to link assisted-farmers cooperatives and associations with one another. This initiative is seen to better facilitate the movement of major crops from one place to another, providing more marketing and other post-harvest opportunities.
Likewise, Peredo stated that the association is very much open to continuing and further strengthening its partnership with the DA-CAR. “We look forward to exploring more opportunities together through future KADIWA activities and other direct marketing initiatives that align with our shared vision of a more sustainable and inclusive agricultural economy.”
The KADIWA Ng Pangulo is a nationwide program designed to provide affordable and high-quality food directly from small farmers and fisherfolk to Filipino consumers. By JBAgrifino
