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AGRI Party-list Rep. Wilbert T. Lee called on his colleagues in the House of Representatives to support the establishment of Kadiwa centers as a way to make cheap food products accessible to more consumers. 

Lee is the principal author of House Bill (HB) No. 3957, which bats for the creation of Kadiwa centers-slash-food terminals all over the country. 

“If successfully rolled out in every city and municipality, these agri-food terminals and centers will serve as a place where local farmers and fisherfolk can sell their produced goods directly to consumers and the general market,” Lee said in a statement Sunday, Oct. 15. 

Launched in 2019, the ‘Kadiwa ni Ani at Kita’ program of the Department of Agriculture (DA) established Kadiwa centers,  which allowed farmers and fishermen to link up with consumers without going through a multilayer marketing structure. 

Data from the DA in 2021 showed that 41,357 farmers have benefitted from the program. It generated P7.241 billion in sales and served approximately four million households in areas where it was initiated. 

Lee said Kadiwa centers will also help curb food inflation in the country since they provide people with an alternative place where they could buy food items at a cheaper price. 

Based on the latest Pulse Asia survey results on household expenditures, 95 percent or nearly all Filipino adults said they have spent more on food in the past three months. 

“Hindi nakapagtataka na mas malaki ang bilang ng mga Pilipinong mas malaki ang ginagasta para sa pagkain ngayon dahil sa pagtaas ng presyo ng mga pangunahing bilihin," the lawmaker said. 

(It is not surprising that more Filipinos now are spending more on food because of the increase in the price of basic goods.) 

With this, Lee stressed that Kadiwa centers are key in lowering food prices. “Prices in Kadiwa centers are lower by 10 to 20 percent since bringing the products won’t entail high transportation costs," he noted.