As the government continues to push for increased farmers' and fisherfolk's income by removing middlemen from the equation, over P2.5 million worth of onions has already been sold from September 2022 to January 2023.
Complying with President and Agriculture Secretary Ferdinand “Bongbong” R. Marcos Jr.’s directive, the Department of Agriculture (DA) enhanced its market linkage initiative to assist farmers’ cooperatives and associations (FCAs) across the country.
Under the initiative led by DA's Agribusiness and Marketing Assistance Service (AMAS), P2.589 million worth of onions has been sold by the FCAs to institutional buyers from September 2022 to January 24, 2023 composed of 3,478 kilograms of red onions worth P755,455 and 5,106.38 kilograms of white onions worth P1.833 million. The agriculture officials gave credit to the DA-awarded Kadiwa trucks and vans which helped the FCAs with their hauling and delivery to markets and big buyers.
“Malaking tulong actually ang logistics. Nakatulong ang Kadiwa sa logistics (The logistics actually helped a lot. The Kadiwa logistics helped a lot),” Elvin Jerome Laceda of RiceUp and Sakahon farmers’ enterprises said, pertaining to the P1.325 million worth of four-wheel truck awarded by DA to the RiceUp Farmers, Inc. in Pampanga in 2022.
The DA’s “Enhanced Kadiwa ni Ani at Kita” program, which enabled it to facilitate the trading of farm produce directly from the farmers to the market, also provided P1-million financial grant to RiceUp.
Farmers were given assistance and trainings, as well, in farm clustering and consolidation, where market-driven production and focus on supplying institutional buyers are applied to help farmers earn better with higher volume. In addition, through Sakahon, an agritech solutions company, Laceda and his team aim to create a system wherein the farmers already know what the market needs even before they plant and harvest.
“Two years na kasi kaming tumutulong sa mga farmer ng Bayambang kahit wala pa ‘tong crisis na ‘to. Talagang ang mission namin is to create a system where the produce is bought with justice. Farmers get the value of their produce, at the same time, it’s affordable sa mga consumer (We've been helping farmers in Bayambang for two years now, even before this crisis started. Our mission is to create a system where the produce is bought with justice. Farmers get the value of their produce, at the same time, it’s affordable to consumers),” Laceda said.
To note, RiceUp and Sakahon farmer partners regularly bring their produce to the DA Kadiwa outlet in Quezon City, aside from serving big buyers. They also brought 1.5 tons of onions priced at P240/kilogram for big sizes and P140/kilogram for small sizes at the DA Kadiwa and the Senate in the last week of January 2023. Moreover, onions were also delivered at P200/kilogram, which is the highest farm gate price in the area, so that the farmers could earn an additional P90,000 for every 1,000 kilograms. Previously, the onions were bought at P110/kilogram.
Last year, Marcos announced that he is determined to transform the Kadiwa project into a national program, in collaboration with the local government units, to provide the public access to more affordable and high-quality merchandise and, at the same time, provide a market to local farmers, fishermen, and small business enterprises.
“We appreciate what the DA is trying to do,” Laceda expressed, adding that market-driven production and farmers’ access to capital and available storage facilities, which are among the priorities of the DA, will also be a big boost to the agriculture sector.