Metro Manila mayors ought to put up so-called Kadiwa stores in their respective cities in order to provide a source of affordable food products to their constituents, the Department of Agriculture (DA) said.

The DA, in a letter it sent to the Department of Interior of Interior Local Government-National Capital Region (DILG-NCR), said the Metro Manila mayors can avail of these Kadiwa stores by utilizing funds from a grant that it is offering.

Kadiwa stores are set up by the government to directly link food producers to the consumers, skipping the middlemen in the process. This results to reduced product costs.

"The Kadiwa store ensures that consumers have access to affordable agricultural commodities, farmers can sell their produce directly to the market, and the store can offer employment opportunities for displaced workers," the DA said.

Meanwhile, the Kadiwa grant is a program of the DA that it implements via its Agribusiness Marketing Assistance Services.

Through the program, a P1-million financial grant may be given to local government units (LGUs) in the National Capital Region (NCR). The money is designed to serve as a start-up capital for establishing a Kadiwa store.

The letter was written by the DA in a bid to seek help from DILG in encouraging NCR mayors to apply for the grant and ultimately, bring more Kadiwa stores in the metropolis.

"As instructed by the Secretary (William Dar), and to support said program of the DA, kindly encourage all the LGUs in the NCR to avail of the said program as this would be very advantageous particularly in making sure of the availability, affordability, and accessibility of basic agricultural commodities in their locality," the DA said in the letter.