The Kadiwa ng Pangulo program in Ilocos Norte has yielded PHP6 million in total sales since January this year, sustaining the livelihood of farmer-entrepreneurs while boosting the local economy, an official said Wednesday.

“This program is being conducted by the provincial government every 2nd and 4th week of the month,” Chira Cacatian, provincial agribusiness and marketing coordinator of the Office of Provincial Agriculture, told the Philippine News Agency in an interview.

“For this year, we have generated a total of PHP6,098,500 sales.”

Cacatian said this year’s figure is lower compared to last year’s PHP6,972,254 sales due to the cancellations caused by tropical cyclones, particularly during the months of June and July.

“The Kadiwa program is a big help to us farmers. It is something we always look forward to to sell our products to a wider market,” said Macon Dawey, owner of Dawey Integrated Farm in Barangay Maan-anteng, Solsona.

Another farmer-entrepreneur, William Baniaga of Vintar town, said aside from expanding their market reach, the Kadiwa program also allowed him to gain a network of loyal customers and improved his agribusiness skills.

“By joining the Kadiwa program, I was able to gain more insights on how to make more sales and build up my network of loyal buyers,” he said in Ilocano.

Melda Tumaneng, president of the Mango Growers Association, said the initiative has not only allowed them to directly sell their products to consumers, but also provided them with agri-related trainings as well as farm machinery and inputs such as fertilizers and seeds to increase their production and income.

“We hope that government programs like this will continue for the betterment of the community,” she said.

In season fruits and lowland vegetables such as squash, tomatoes, eggplant, okra, ampalaya, garlic and bananas, as well as fish and assorted poultry products, are usually available in Kadiwa stores.

Condiments like sukang Iloko, fish sauce, cooking oil and soy sauce; and native delicacies and other process food and non-food products are also among the regulars in the Kadiwa store, with an average of 30 exhibitors present during a whole-day sale activity. (PNA)