Baguio City -- The Kadiwa ni Ani at Kita is helping more vegetable farmers from the Cordillera sell their produce and earn income amid the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) being enforced throughout Luzon.

Since March 17, around 7,000 vegetable farmers from the Cordillera were assisted and benefited with the implementation of the “Kadiwa ni Ani at Kita” program, according to the DA-CAR.

Jerry N. Damoyan, Chief of DA-CAR Agribusiness Marketing Assistance Division (AMAD) said that farmers earned better income the fact that the mark-up price that should have been added by traders to the costs of goods were accrued by them

On the other hand, “consumers greatly benefitted by the lower price of the fresh and good vegetables that were brought directly to the community,” Damoyan added.

Meanwhile, the DA-CAR’s activities under the Kadiwa ni Ani at Kita has already linked a total of 389.92 metric tons of assorted vegetables worth Php 12,203,600.00. This involved 50 buyers composed of 45 private groups mostly from the National Capital Region and 5 Local Government Units (LGUs) from the provinces of Bulacan and Pangasinan.

Moreover 11 strategic Barangays in Baguio City including Tuba, and Kapangan, Benguet were catered by the’ Kadiwa on Wheels’. A total of 6,290 kilos of assorted vegetables worth Php 207, 200. 00 were sold during the activity.

While DA-CAR continuously links buyers from Manila with local vegetable farmers, it also maintains the delivery of vegetables delivery to the Agricultural Training Institute (ATI) Kadiwa ni Ani at Kita in Quezon City, and for their ‘Kadiwa On Wheels’ activities as well.

Regional Executive Director Cameron P. Odsey said that the Kadiwa ni Ani at Kita provides our farmers and consumers an opportunity to both benefit from vegetable production and marketing in a manner where all key players win.

He added that the program will be a continuous activity even after the ECQ period to support farmers and consumers.

Aside from the Kadiwa ni Ani at Kita activities, the DA continues to issue food pass to ensure unhampered movement of essential food and non-food agri fisheries, provide agriculture-related transportation system and market linkages for farmers in relation to the new DA’s Plant! Plant! Plant! Program.

The Kadiwa program is using appropriate strategies to market farm products direct to consumers like the Kadiwa on Wheels Mobile Market and Kadiwa Express that allow people to access food while under the ECQ to curb the spread of the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19). ### (DA-RFO CAR, RAFIS)

Reference:
Regional Agricultural and Fisheries Information Section
DA-Cordillera Administrative Region
BPI Compound, Guisad Baguio
Telefax No. 074-445-4973