RIZAL, Nueva Ecija – In a bid to help farmers from Rizal, Nueva Ecija dispose their tomato produce, the Department of Agriculture-Regional Field Office Cordillera (DA-RFO CAR) in coordination with DA-RFO 3 haul 3,040 kilograms (kgs) tomatoes to sell through the Kadiwa on Wheels this week.
Of the total volume, 2,000 kgs were transported to Tabuk City, Kalinga and the 1,040 kgs are being retailed in Baguio City and La Trinidad, Benguet. The Kadiwa on Wheels is facilitated by Agribusiness and Marketing Assistance Division (AMAD) together with the Kalinga-Agricultural Programs Coordination Office and Office of the Provincial Agriculturist, in partnership with the Rio Chico Cooperative for Tabuk, Kalinga, and together with the Cordillera Agriculturists Marketing Cooperative (CAMC) for Baguio City and La Trinidad, Benguet. The partner-cooperatives bought the tomatoes at a higher price from the farmers in Rizal, Nueva Ecija. The produce were then transported to the Kadiwa destinations through the logistics support of the DA-CAR.
This initiative stemmed out from the reported low prevailing price of tomatoes in the past days, particularly in Nueva Ecija, which dipped to about PhP4/kilo.
OIC-Chief of AMAD Jocelyn A. Beray, said that the tomatoes were bought at a higher price compared to the prevailing price to cover the labor and other expenses incurred during harvesting.
Aside from tomatoes, 1,000 kgs onions from Region 3 and 1,000 kgs assorted dried fishes from Region 1 were also sold through the Kadiwa in Tabuk City, Kalinga in partnership with the Rio Chico Cooperative.
The Kadiwa Program is a marketing initiative of the DA, implemented through the AMAD, which seeks to empower the farming community by providing a direct and effective farm-to-consumer food supply chain. By JBAgrifino
