By By Mike U. Crismundo
BUTUAN CITY – Showcasing public service at its best, the Department of Agriculture (DA) – Caraga region’s “Kadiwa ni Ani at Kita” on Wheels Program benefited both the consuming public and the farmers, fishers, and other agri product suppliers.
“This program really help a lot to our fellow Caraganons, despite the dreaded coronavirus disease (COVID-19),” stressed DA 13 Regional Spokesperson Emmylou T. Presilda.
“Fresh vegetable, fresh fruits come to the doorsteps of every households with this Kadiwa on Wheels program of the DA,” the regional DA 13 spokesperson added.
Through the Kadiwa mobile market, the consumers are given an opportunity to buy fresh fruits and vegetables, fish and other fishery products, fresh and frozen meat and poultry products, as well as some dry goods, right in their barangays.
On the other hand, farmers, fishers, and other good suppliers are ensured of a market for their products and continue to earn an income despite the implementation of the community quarantine in the city which limited the mobility of the people and businesses.
The “Kadiwa on Wheels” started rolling out earlier this month in barangays in this region’s premier and capital city that does not have easy access to the markets.
By this time, 50 urban barangays are still under Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ) while other rural barangays are already under the General Community Quarantine (GCQ).
The DA, in coordination with the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, Department Of Trade and Industry, and the city government of Butuan, facilitates the activity. Farmers associations, cooperatives, individual farmers, distributors, or retailers of fresh and frozen and meat products, as well as the small and medium enterprise has been participating in the Kadiwa.
As of April 30, “Kadiwa on Wheels” has rolled out eight times already serving 13 barangays in Butuan City and has generated an accumulated sales of ₱694,406.14.
Larry Abuzo, chairperson of Barangay Agusan Pequeño, one of the communities visited by the “Kadiwa on Wheels” said they really appreciated this program of the government.
“Residents of our Barangay don’t need to go to the market or grocery store anymore since their needs were already brought here,” he said.
On the other hand, Nida De Castro Chen, a resident of Barangay Pangabugan also said that she is delighted with her Kadiwa on Wheels experience. “I was able to buy some fish at a low price. This is a very good program because now we don’t have to go far to buy our basic needs, so there is less risk of being exposed to COVID19,” Chen said.
In addition to the “Kadiwa on Wheels”, the DA-Caraga’s Agribusiness and Marketing Assistance Division (AMAD) also conducts the Kadiwa Direct Selling at the DA Regional Office every 15th and 30th day of the month.
The Kadiwa on Wheels is one of the initiatives of the Department to help control the spread of the Coronavirus disease, Ms. Presilda added.
For more information, visit the Department of Agriculture (DA- Caraga Region 13)
