The Department of Agriculture has recently launched the first Kadiwa Store in Central Luzon in Barangay Bambang, Candaba town.
The store is expected to provide residents with affordable, farm-fresh goods.
It directly connects farmers to consumers, cutting out middlemen to reduce prices and ensure product freshness.
Operated by the Bambang Multipurpose Cooperative (BMPC), the outlet offers vegetables, meat, rice, and other essential cooking supplies, serving as a one-stop shop for the community.
The store also carries rice under the P20 Rice Project, a flagship food security initiative of the administration of Ferdinand Marcos Jr..
Through the program, qualified beneficiaries may buy rice at ?20 per kilo.
Senior citizens, persons with disabilities, solo parents, 4Ps beneficiaries, farmers, fishermen, transport workers, and minimum wage earners may avail of the rice.
The local government has expressed support for the initiative.
The Municipal Agriculture Office backs plans to establish a Kadiwa outlet at the town’s public market.