Revival of Kadiwa stores pushed to lower prices of basic goods

To rein in runaway prices of basic goods and commodities and help farmers get the best prices for their produce, Ilocos Norte Gov. Imee Marcos on Sunday pressed for the revival of the Kadiwa market system that was successfully implemented during the time of her father, the late President Ferdinand Marcos.

Mobile Kadiwa outlets in the 1970s primarily catered to depressed areas, selling staple food items and groceries at markedly reduced prices to ease the plight of poor households.

Marcos said the revival of Kadiwa should be one of the top programs of government to help poor families, especially those living below the poverty line, cope with rising prices.

“We need to institute reforms in the food supply chain to address the problem of rising prices of basic commodities. At the same time, we can bolster our farm sector with the Kadiwa outlets firmly in place — the consumers buy farm produce at farm gate prices. It’s like buying directly from farmers. So it’s really cheap and easy on the pocket,” Marcos said.

Middlemen eliminated

The Kadiwa market system enabled the public to buy goods at cheaper rates and the farmers to sell their crops without having to worry about transport costs. It also eliminated middlemen.

Marcos stressed that to stabilize prices of basic goods, the government should buy the goods when there was too much supply and sell when stocks ran low.

She chided the keener preference to import grains and other goods instead of giving priority to the needs of farmers.

“For instance, the NFA (National Food Authority) instead of controlling palay prices just resort to imports,” she noted. “We should change that kind of strategy.”