Senator Sherwin Gatchalian on Friday, January 13 called for the establishment of more Kadiwa Centers to enable consumers gain more access to affordable agricultural products.
Gatchalian said creating more farm-to-market retail centers, such as Kadiwa stores, would empower local farmers as it will significantly improve their productivity levels saying they are likely to be motivated to improve farm efficiencies.
“Para matugunan nang maayos ang problema sa mataas na presyo at kakulangan ng mga produktong pang-agrikultura, tulad ng sibuyas, kailangang mabigyan ng sapat na suporta ang mga magsasaka sa pamamagitan ng pagtatatag ng mas marami pang Kadiwa Centers (To properly address the problem of high prices and lack of agricultural products, such as onions, farmers need to be given adequate support by establishing more Kadiwa Centers),” Gatchalian said.
Ultimately, Gatchalian said having Kadiwa centers in would help increase farm output levels which would result to higher income for farmers and lower food prices for consumers.
Valenzuela City, Gatchalian said, has been blessed with a Kadiwa Center.
“Ang kagandahan nito ay nababawasan ang mga middleman (The beauty of this is that it cuts out the middlemen),” he said.
“Dapat government-sponsored ang Kadiwa, ibig sabihin yung lugar, kuryente, at tubig ay manggagaling sa gobyerno para ‘yung mga kooperatiba ay diretso nang makakabenta sa mas murang halaga dahil walang patong mula sa middleman (Kadiwa must be government-sponsored, which means the land, electricity, and water will come from the government so that the cooperatives can directly sell at a cheaper price because there is no layer from the middleman),” the senator pointed out.
Gatchalian also said government must extend the provision of subsidies such as the Fuel Discount for Farmers and Fisherfolk Program (FDFFP) to further empower farmers.
The program provides all farmer-beneficiaries P3,000 in cash assistance starting March last year.
The subsidy aims to cushion the impact of the current global economic challenges and help the food sector to be more product amid the high fuel prices brought about by the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.