Farmers’ group likens Kadiwa stores to a ‘droplet of rain in the desert’

ONIONS Long line of people who want to buy onions that sell P 170 per kilo at a Kadiwa store in the Bureau of Plant Industry in Manila (INQUIRER file photo dated January 6, 2023 / RICHARD A. REYES)

MANILA, Philippines — The Government’s flagship ‘Kadiwa’ program is insufficient to address the farmers’ struggle with low farm gate prices of agricultural products, the farmers’ group Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP) said.

In an interview, KMP Chairman Danilo Ramos criticized the Kadiwa, comparing it to a “droplet of rain in the desert.”

“Hindi po solusyon ang Kadiwa,” he told INQUIRER.net. on Monday.

(Kadiwa is not a solution.)

Kadiwa sells goods at lower prices by “connecting farmers to consumers,” following President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.’s previous statement.

“What we need is better intervention. However, the government does not seem to recognize that its own policies and programs contribute to these problems,” Ramos said in Filipino.

His statement stemmed from the complaints of vegetable farmers in Cordillera who lamented the low farm gate prices of highland vegetables despite high production costs.

A previous Inquirer report mentioned that approximately 8 million kilograms of various highland vegetables went unsold during the Christmas holidays from December 20 to 30, 2023.

The unsold commodities were valued at around P 240 million.

Additionally, other highland vegetables, including cabbages, are still being sold at low prices in markets due to an influx of supply.

Some quarters blame the situation on “unabated” smuggling.