Over 16K farmers benefit from DA’S Kadiwa grant

MORE than 16,000 farmers and fisherfolk have benefited from Kadiwa ni Ani at Kita program, Department of Agriculture (DA) Assistant Secretary for Agribusiness Kristine Evangelista said on Wednesday.

“They are able to sell their produce directly to the market, hence giving them a better income. Kadiwa is also their market entry to become suppliers of institutional buyers,” Evangelista said.

The program is a direct marketing scheme of the DA where producers (farmers/fisherfolk) are directly linked with the consuming public, making available food commodities at reasonable prices to consumers through accessible Kadiwa retail stores in strategic locations.

Kadiwa is loosely translated as “one idea, one thought.”

The financial grants aim to enhance the capacities of farmers and fisherfolk organizations to become reliable food commodity suppliers to consumers and for community based-organizations to sustainably operate the Kadiwa retail stores.

Evangelista said Kadiwa-generated sales reached P875,764,798 from March 17, 2020 to March 27, 2021.

Meanwhile, she said an enhanced version of the Kadiwa Grant is also implemented to help cooperatives and farmers associations.

She said the associations are given working capital grants so they can become consolidators or buy trucks for delivery or packaging or processing equipment so they can sell their produce at a better price.