Almost 300 city residents were served on Friday at the community pantry initiated by the Department of Agriculture-Regional Field Office Western Visayas (DA-RFO 6), through the Kadiwa ni Ani at Kita (Kadiwa), at its operations compound in Parola here.

DA-RFO 6 Regional Executive Director Remelyn R. Recoter, in an interview, said DA Secretary William Dar has instructed the department’s marketing officers across the country to link the organizers and operators of community pantries with farmers associations.

“Secretary Dar is supporting the community pantry because it can also help our farmers associations by linking them with operators of the community pantry,” she said.

The DA Kadiwa-initiated activity gave free food items, vegetables, vegetable seeds and seedlings of fruit-bearing trees.

To avoid the surge in the number of interested consumers, they gave out numbers based on the stocks that were available for the day.

The one-day activity served close to 300 residents from nearby barangays like Zamora, Concepcion, Veterans and Duran.

Recoter said that while Kadiwa markets are encouraged to establish a community pantry, still they will continue to sell farmers’ produce.

The DA launched the Kadiwa markets at the height of the implementation of the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) in 2020 to assist farmers in marketing their products.

Kadiwa markets were also made available in partnership with various local government units (LGUS) in Western Visayas.

This year, DA has partnered with the electric cooperatives in Guimaras and Iloilo for the opening of Kadiwa markets in their area offices.

“The Kadiwa community pantry is just our own (initiative) to be able to help,” she said. (PNA)