BAGUIO CITY – Under the guidance of the Office of the President, the Department of Agriculture (DA) in collaboration with the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), joined the grand simultaneous launching of the KADIWA ng Pangulo (KNP) in the 81 provinces nationwide. The main program was graced by President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos, Jr. at San Fernando City, Pampanga on July 17, 2023.
The KNP is an intensified and bigger KADIWA retail selling activity, in partnership with other national government agencies such as the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), among others.
In support of the program, the DILG regional offices supervised the KNP activities at the provincial level taking charge in the coordination with the LGUs for the identification of feasible KNP sites. Accordingly, the participating LGUs shall establish KADIWA stores for selling and purchase of agricultural products, and processed goods including both food and non-food products being produced by micro-, small-, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) as One Town, One Product (OTOP) products of different localities, and “mercato” stalls (ready-to-eat food) for micro-enterprises of the host LGU.
In Benguet, the KNP was held at the Benguet Provincial Capitol lobby spearheaded by DA-CAR and the Office of the Provincial Agriculturist. A total of 13 exhibitors participated from DA-Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources-CAR, DA-National Food Authority, six (6) Farmer Cooperatives and Associations, two (2) micro-, small-, and medium enterprises (MSMEs), two (2) DOLE-assisted associations, and Young Farmers Challenge Awardees from Benguet.
The KNP is one of the programs of the Marcos administration that addresses the rising prices of basic commodities due to global inflation. The program is a marketing initiative that seeks to empower the farming community by providing a direct and effective farm-to-consumer food supply chain. This also aims to provide consumers with access to quality yet affordable basic commodities and goods.
The program also serves as a market linkage facilitation for farmers, fisherfolk and MSMEs to sell their products without the middlemen, thus will add to the selling value of the products and increasing farmers’ income.
DA-CAR Regional Executive Director (RED) Cameron P. Odsey explained that the program is also a strategy to help the farmers market their products at a reasonable price. The KNP will also be placed in strategic sites for more accessibility to the consumers. RED Odsey also mentioned that part of the KADIWA program is the provision of financial assistance to farmer groups to fund the operations of their enterprise, such as procurement of delivery vehicles, establishment of storage facilities, among others. As such, the KADIWA program will provide direct linkages to buyers, processors, and institutional buyers. “At least if farmers were to deliver their products directly to the buyer, then the costs going to middlemen will be kept by the farmers,” he said.
The provinces of Mountain Province, Ifugao, Kalinga and Abra also joined in the simultaneous grand launching. For Apayao, the DA-CAR conducted the KNP on July 13-15, 2023 in advance in time for the 36th Cordillera Day Commemoration in Luna, Apayao. By CEWaytan
