About 163,000 kilos of assorted fresh vegetables from the Cordillera have so far been sold through the Department of Agriculture’s Kadiwa events and stores nationwide.

Lawyer Genevieve Velicaria-Guevarra, DA Assistant Secretary for Consumer Affairs and head of the Kadiwa program, during the 6th Highland Vegetable Industry Week celebration here on Wednesday, said the program has helped farmers from Benguet, Mountain Provice and Ifugao, among others, sell their supplies.

She said Kadiwa, first introduced by former President Ferdinand Marcos Sr. in the 1980s, is among the major programs of DA under the current administration to provide consumers affordable vegetables and other basic commodities and prime necessities.

Velicaria-Guevarra said highland vegetables are sought-after produce in Kadiwa events in Metro Manila.

“Ang gustong makita ng mamimili, kung direkta kong nakukuha sa farmers, mas makasisigurado sila na fresh at mas mura (What the consumers want to see if these are directly sourced from the farmers, they are assured they are buying fresh produce and are cheaper),” she added.

Velicaria-Guevarra said the department is continuously working with its offices in the Cordillera Administrative Regions (CAR) to also introduce other programs for the farmers.

Augusta Balanoy, president of the League of Associations at the La Trinidad Vegetable Trading Post, said about 1.5 million kilos of assorted fresh vegetables are traded at the trading posts daily, and the number doubles during the peak holiday season.

Report from the DA regional office, on the other hand, shows an average of 2 million kilos traded daily but this includes those from Benguet Agripinoy Trading Center. This, however, excludes the private trading centers.

In a media interview on the sidelines of the event, Guevarra said they hope to open more Kadiwa stores in the Visayas and Mindanao in the coming days.

“There should be [a Kadiwa] store to be opened per province,” she said. (PNA)