DA expands Kadiwa network

The Department of Agriculture (DA) has expanded its network of Kadiwa stores by forging a partnership with San Miguel Corp. (SMC).

In a statement, SMC said the DA had opened more rolling farmers’ stores by using SMC’s Petron gas stations, thus providing a further boost to farmers who continue to reel from the impact of the lockdown caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.“We‘ve heard some reports of farmers who had difficulty shipping their produce or worse, were left with no choice but to let their produce rot or spoil, or were forced to sell at below market prices,” SMC president Ramon Ang said.

“Farmers are the backbone of our food supply chain and are essential to our food security, that is why from the very start, we tried to think of programs to help them even more,” he added.The new Kadiwa stores are located at the following Petron gas stations: Bel-Air Gil Puyat corner Makati Avenue; Edsa-Sierra Madre; Dasmariñas, Edsa; Katipunan Avenue (La Vista), Quezon City; Shaw Boulevard corner Wack Wack; C5-Diego Silang, Taguig; Edsa corner Main Avenue Cubao; 188 E. Rodriguez Jr. Quezon City; Marcos Highway, Pasig; Connecticut, San Juan; Ninoy Aquino Avenue Sucat, Parañaque; Doña Soledad Avenue Better Living, Parañaque; and Dr. A Santos Avenue, Sucat Road, Parañaque.“Although we are glad to see more traditional markets opening up and catering to more people, there is still a need for the Kadiwa stores, especially for those who live nearby looking for a convenient way to buy fresh fruits and vegetables. Anytime they stop by to fill up on fuel, or even if they’re just walking from home, we hope they will buy fresh produce to help our local farmers,” Ang said. INQ