The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the Department of Agriculture (DA) launched a retail store project dubbed as “Kadiwa ni Ani at Kita” at the Soldier’s Mall, Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City on Saturday.

The project is part of the DA’s flagship marketing and agribusiness strategy that aims to “ensure food commodities are made available and accessible in high consumer demand areas.”

“We thank the DA for accommodating our request for a ‘Kadiwa’ retail store as this will make healthy and fresh food options more accessible to our tenants and personnel assigned in Camp Aguinaldo,” AFP chief-of-staff Gen. Felimon Santos, Jr. said in a statement.

He added that these initiatives provide Filipinos the strength to endure and persevere during the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic.

“We are glad to be in partnership with DA and we hope that we can continue our cooperation for the benefit of every Filipino,” Santos added.

The launching of the “Kadiwa” store was spearheaded by AFP deputy chief-of-staff Lt. Gen. Antonio Ramon Lim along with DA Secretary William Dar and other ranking officials of the department.

Aside from AFP personnel and their families inside Camp Aguinaldo, the Kadiwa program gives more opportunities for producers of agricultural goods to sell their products.

“We want to provide a link between the producers and the market. We also see to it that the producers get the right price for their produce and the consuming public getting a fair and affordable price,” Dar said.

It establishes a direct market for producers and consumers and alleviates the negative effects of the pandemic on the agri-fishery industry.

“As of today, the total sales for ‘Kadiwa’ has reached PHP6-billion,” Dar added. (PNA)