MANILA – Six sites of the “Kadiwa ng Pangulo” two-day trade fairs earned over PHP5 million this year.

Junibert de Sagun, chief of the Department of Agriculture (DA) – Market Development Division, shared at the Saturday News Forum in Quezon City that hosts Cebu, Manila, Batangas, Quezon City, Camarines Sur, and Bataan collected over PHP5.3 million.

“It’s very challenging on the part of the organizers because sales increase every event. So it seems like there is no time to be lazy because one has to earn more than the others,” de Sagun said.

The “Kadiwa ng Pangulo” initiative is participated in by farmer cooperatives and government agencies, like the Office of the President, DA, Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), Department of Social Welfare and Development, Department of Labor and Employment, and local government units.

There are also at least 60 regular Kadiwa sites in Metro Manila and 400 more nationwide.

The top sellers are rice and vegetable farmers from Benguet, Nueva Ecija and Quezon, according to de Sagun.

At the launch of the “Kadiwa ng Pangulo” in Limay, Bataan on Friday, President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. instructed the DTI and DILG to widen the coverage of the trade fair.

“Pararamihin natin ito para kahit sa malalayo, sa mga lupalop ay makakaabot ang Kadiwa dahil lahat naman tayo dito sa Pilipinas ay nangangailangan ng tulong dito (We will put up more of Kadiwa even in far-flung areas because everyone of us here in the Philippines need help),” he said in his speech.

As more Kadiwa stores open, Marcos said the government is also focused on improving agricultural productivity and reducing the country’s reliance on importations to stabilize the prices of basic goods. (PNA)