Fresh and affordable farm and fishery products are now available at the national headquarters of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) in Quezon City through the Kadiwa ni Ani at Kita Program of the Department of Agriculture (DA).
Agriculture Secretary William Dar and AFP Deputy Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Antonio Ramon Lim led the “Kadiwa at AFP” launching on July 11, 2020 at the Soldiers’ Mall in Camp General Emilio Aguinaldo. The direct marketing joint project of the DA and AFP will also be replicated in other AFP camps nationwide to benefit both the producers and the armed forces community.
“The DA’s Kadiwa Program, which started in August 2019, establishes the link between production and the market and ensures that the producers get the right price for their produce, while the consuming public also gets a fair and affordable price. It’s a win-win arrangement,” Secretary Dar said.
The Kadiwa at AFP market will be held twice a month to coincide with the personnel’s payday and ensure that they have a sustainable source of essential nutritious food. Kadiwa promotional materials will also be projected through the AFP outdoor billboards along EDSA.
“The opening of the Kadiwa project is timely and indeed pertinent to one of the most urgent needs of our citizens. It does not only amplify the capabilities of our troops in maintaining a sustainable source of fresh food inside Camp Aguinaldo, but more importantly our farmer producers whose livelihoods have been immensely affected as a result of the community quarantine measures implemented in the past few months,” General Lim said on behalf of AFP Chief of Staff General Felimon Santos.
Back in April 2020, the DA and AFP started its collaboration for the DA’s Urban Agriculture Program, wherein planting starter kits were handed over to the soldiers in Camp Aguinaldo.
“It is our hope that we can continue this meaningful and beneficial partnership between our institutions with the aim of providing available and affordable food for our countrymen,” General Lim said.
Kadiwa at AFP is now part of the several Kadiwa outlets and modalities, such as the Kadiwa on-wheels, direct retail, e-Kadiwa, and Farmers’ Produce, which was launched recently in partnership with malls and restaurant owners.
“As of today, Kadiwa has a total sale of P6 billion. So talagang nakikinabang ang farmers at nakikinabang din ang ating consuming public. We hope that as we fight this pandemic forward, we will continue to produce enough food for the country and see to it that these food supplies reach the consuming public,” Secretary Dar said.
The agri chief further explained that while Kadiwa is initiated by DA, the private sector remains to be a strong ally of the government in the initiative.
“May pag-asa ang ating bayan na manalo rito sa laban kontra Covid-19 pandemic at may pag-asa ang lahat ng mga Filipino na aahon na rin,” he said.
Officials present during the event include Camp Commander Brig. Gen. Rodolfo Lavadia, Jr., Undersecretary for Fisheries Eduardo Gongona, Philippine Coconut Authority Administrator Benjamin Madrigal, Jr., Sugar Regulatory Administrator Hermenegildo Serafica, Assistant Secretary for Agribusiness Kristine Evangelista, and Assistant Secretary for Strategic Communications Noel Reyes. ### (Gumamela Celes Bejarin, DA-AFID)
