The “Kadiwa ng Pangulo organized by the Department of Agriculture-Cordillera is hitting two birds with one stone – giving a market for small farmers in Baguio City and Benguet while providing affordable and quality food to nearby communities.
“We placed this near the gate so that it becomes accessible to the residents in the area and the employees in offices and companies located nearby,” said Dr. Aida Pagtan, Regional Agriculture and Fisheries Information Service (RAFIS) chief, in an interview on Oct. 3.
Pagtan was referring to the BPI compound where the DA-CAR is headquartered. It accommodates around 600 employees from various offices, units, divisions, and special programs, who are avid buyers of the farmers’ produce.
Pagtan said the concept of the mobile Kadiwa where the DA bridges farmers’ produce and the market to undercut middlemen is also being adopted by the Kadiwa sa BPI (Bureau of Plant Industry).
Pagtan said the Kadiwa is used by small farmers for free, therefore eliminating the cost of the rent of selling spaces that are usually added to the prices of commodities.
“Their prices are quite low and beneficial to the buyers, especially now with prices of commodities being high,” she said.
Sold are highland and lowland vegetables, fruits, root crops, meat, eggs, fresh and dried fish, and processed food products, including rice.
“These are products of farmers in Baguio and Benguet who are assisted by the DA through the AMaD (Agricultural Marketing Division),” Pagtan said. – PNA
