DAVAO CITY – The Department of Agriculture’s “Kadiwa on Wheels“ program in Davao City has generated about Php 15-million in sales since its roll out on April.
According to Juvy Pregon, DA’s Agribusiness and Marketing Assistance Division (AMAD) market specialist, the program aims at improving a viable market platform for small farmers and fisher folk to directly market their produce to consumers.
The said marketing platform allows local consumers to access and to buy food products from meat to fruits in their own locality while they are under community quarantine due to the coronavirus 2019 pandemic.
Pregon said the Kadiwa teams have continually expanded its operations within the city. “At times we have five outlets in one day and so far we have a total of 104 stops in 32 barangays,” she said. Davao City has 183 barangays and other barangays have yet to be visited by the Kadiwa teams.
Among the major partners of the DA in Kadiwa on Wheels program are the Davao Region Agricultural Cooperative (DRACO) and Vegetable Industry Council of Southern Mindanao (VICSMIN).
The program received various positive comments from the people in the barangay who were visited by the teams. Aside from bringing food items near to their homes, the products being offered for sale are fresh and the price is affordable to ordinary people.
DA regional executive director Ricard Oñate thanked the supporters of the Kadiwa on Wheels program starting from the various local government units, which opened their doors to them, the farmer-producers, and the Task Force Davao for ensuring the safety of their teams and in maintaining health protocols during the pandemic.
He said “even if we are already in the general community quarantine, we should be vigilant in implementing the guidelines set by the government.” Director Oñate vowed for more Kadiwa on Wheel stopovers in the coming weeks.
