The KADIWA Financial Grant Assistance (KFGA) was established as part of the program of the Department of Agriculture (DA) to ensure food availability by implementing measures to facilitate and/or minimize disruption to the food supply chain, particularly for basic commodities and services.
The goal of the grant, according to DA Memorandum Circular Number 22 Series of 2023 or the Revised Implementing Guidelines of the KADIWA Financial Grant Assistance, is to capacitate and involve Farmers’ Cooperatives and Associations (FCAs) and community-based organizations (CBOs) in the region by establishing the DA’s KFGA to capacitate this sector and help resolve the limitations encountered, particularly during and after the pandemic, by ensuring the holistic implementation of the program.
The KADIWA Financial Grant Assistance program aims to assist farmers and fisherfolk in effectively improving the food distribution system in the region and nationwide by: preparing farmers and fisherfolk to be reliable and efficient food commodity suppliers; increasing the number of FCAs who will engage and participate in KADIWA selling activities; and encouraging partnerships between the proponent and private sectors/institutional buyers to ensure the sustainability of the agri-enterprise.
The grant will provide up to P5 million in assistance to the proponents to cover postharvest, processing, value-adding activities (i.e., produce procurement, aggregation, packaging, transport, and distribution of agricultural and fishery commodities), and the establishment of KADIWA centers, but it will not cover non-food agri-commodities (e.g., rubber, fiber, and copra), production support (e.g., seedlings, planting materials, fertilizers, farm machinery, and equipment), and re-lending, among others.
President and Agriculture Secretary Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has emphasized the importance of the food distribution system, food availability, and accessibility to the country’s recovery in the post-pandemic stage through KADIWA’s expanded operations not only in Metro Manila but also in other parts of the country.
Through partnerships with national government agencies, local government units, farmers and fisherfolk, private sectors, and community-based organizations, the KADIWA program has continued to improve food accessibility, quality, and affordability for consumers.
The eligible proponent shall utilize the maximum P1 million financial grant for trading capital (procurement of farmer’s produce) or working capital (procurement of raw materials for processing); purchase of machinery or equipment for pre-processing (cleaning, sorting, packing, drying) and processing and/or value-adding activities; procurement of transport and delivery vehicles; establishment and rehabilitation of storage facilities, warehouses, postharvest facilities, and processing centers; procurement of retail selling equipment like freezers, chillers, display racks/shelves, manual and/or digital weighing scales, crates; and the establishment/renovation/ improvement of KADIWA centers.
