About 2,500 farmers and fisherfolk cooperatives and associations from Pangasinan benefited from the Kadiwa ng Pangulo program from 2022 to 2024, and the Provincial Agriculture Office aims to increase this further.

In an interview Wednesday, provincial agriculturist Dalisay Moya said she still has no idea how much the cash prize would be but said the amount will be used to further bolster the province’s agriculture sector.

“We have requested that it will be placed in the trust fund for agriculture development. We hope to purchase transport vehicles or build storage facilities depending on the amount,” she said.

From 2022 to 2024, about 2,500 exhibitors joined a total of 97 Kadiwa-related activities in Lingayen town and in 11 localities in the province, held in cooperation with the local governments.

Kadiwa ng Pangulo activities are held twice a month in the capitol grounds in Lingayen town, while Kadiwa on Wheels are held once a month in other localities.

Exhibitors recorded PHP20 million gross sales from the government’s program that directly connects producers to consumers, who, in turn, are estimated to have saved about PHP4.45 million.

“In the evaluation, they (exhibitors) revealed their life changing experiences with the program. Some of them were able to construct their houses, send their children to school, and bought second hand car, while some met buyers ordering from them in sustainable volumes. Some products were exported to other countries,” Moya said.

Moya said more groups wanted to be part of the Kadiwa program and they are still being assessed.

“We make sure they are indeed farmers and fisherfolk. We also ensure the quality of products they wanted to sell,” she added. (PNA)