Committed to improving the lives of farmer/fisherfolk cooperatives and associations (FCAs), the Department of Agriculture (DA) developed a new program to assist them through a financial grant.

The program, “Enhanced Kadiwa Financial Grant” aims to provide cooperatives additional capital to purchase supplies and equipment and help them sell their produce directly to consumers. The grant includes vegetable crates, packing equipment, delivery truck, and revolving fund as assemblers or consolidators of fresh produce.

The Kadiwa is one of the main programs of DA under the Agribusiness and Marketing Service (AMAS) facilitating the market linkage of agri producers to consumers including institutional buyers.

The program also minimizes layers of traders making fresh produce affordable. Through the grant, cooperatives are capacitated to take on more roles in the food supply chain, thus increasing their income.

Since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, Kadiwa has facilitated sales of agri commodities amounting to P6.5B with an estimated 1,969,257 households served in the National Capital Region (NCR).

The market facilitation was through the different modalities of Kadiwa, namely: Kadiwa on Wheels, Kadiwa Retail Selling, Kadiwa Express, and Kadiwa Online.

An estimated of 23,294 individual farmers/fishers and 4,453 agri-fishery cooperatives benefitted from this program.

According to Agriculture Secretary William Dar, the Enhanced Kadiwa Market Logistics Financial Grant Program 2 is also part of the stimulus package proposed by DA. Helping farmers and fisherfolk, through programs that strengthen cooperatives, is one of the thrusts of the Department.

Senator Christopher Lawrence Go, recognizing the role of cooperatives, has assured that he will look into market development assistance of agricultural cooperatives.

“Cooperatives have become an important force in countryside development and nation-building. Not only have they contributed to the development of the sectors they represent but they have also encouraged the empowerment of their respective stakeholders and communities,” he said. ### (DA-AMAS)

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Reference:
DA Asst. Sec. Kristine Evangelista
Assistant Secretary for Agribusiness
0977 698 7971