Push Admin

#SONA2023: Kadiwa program 'helped' ease agri inflation

Article (news)

Raffy Cabristante, ABS-CBN News

<figure class="op-interactive"><iframe height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Qc0Ki8I4iFY?enablejsapi=1" width="560"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more News on <a href="https://www.iwanttfc.com/#!/browse/Genres/News/tag_id_genres/id_news" target="_blank">iWantTFC</a></div><p>MANILA — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said that his administration&#x27;s &quot;Kadiwa ng Pangulo&quot; initiative played a key role in helping ease the inflation of agricultural products, highlighting the program&#x27;s gains during his second State of the Nation Address (SONA) on Monday.</p><p>&quot;Sa mga nakalipas na buwan, nakita natin ang pagbaba ng presyo ng bilihin sa iba&#x27;t ibang mga sektor. Napatunayan natin na kaya nating ipababa ang presyo ng bigas, karne, isda, gulay, at asukal. Malaking tulong ang Kadiwa stores na ating muling binuhay at inilunsad,&quot; he said.</p><p>(In the past months, we have seen the prices of commodities lowering in various sectors. We have proven that we could lower the prices of rice, meat, fish, vegetables, and sugar. Our Kadiwa stores, which we revived and relaunched, have been a big help.)</p><p>Marcos said that over 1.8 million Filipinos have so far benefited from the cheaper agricultural products sold in Kadiwa stores, where farmers can directly sell their produce to the buying public.</p><p>Since the program&#x27;s launch last year, the Kadiwa program has established 7,000 stores nationwide, with sales reaching up to P700 million, Marcos said. More than 3,000 cooperatives and agricultural groups have also benefited from the program.</p><p>He also noted the agriculture sector&#x27;s 2.2-percent growth during the first quarter of 2023.</p><p>Because of this, the President vowed that his administration would continue strengthening and expanding the &quot;Kadiwa ng Pangulo&quot; initiative, weeks after the program was simultaneously launched nationwide with the help of local government units. </p><p>&quot;Our aim is to boost our local agricultural production through consolidation, modernization, mechanization, and improvement of value chains, augmented by timely and calibrated importation as needed,&quot; added Marcos, who is also the concurrent agriculture secretary.</p><p>Marcos, however, did not mention developments on his campaign promise of bringing rice prices down to P20 a kilogram. </p><p>Earlier this month, he admitted his administration was &quot;not there yet&quot; but was doing &quot;everything we could&quot; to achieve the goal. </p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/07/17/23/marcos-on-p20kilo-rice-wala-pa-tayo-roon">Marcos on P20/kilo rice: &#x27;Wala pa tayo roon, pero ginagawa natin ang lahat&#x27;</a></li>	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/04/19/23/marcos-jr-admin-assures-continuous-supply-of-products-sold-in-kadiwa-outlets">Marcos Jr. admin assures continuous supply of products sold in Kadiwa outlets</a></li></ul><p>The Kadiwa program is a revival of an initiative made during the administration of the President&#x27;s father, the late President Ferdinand Marcos Sr.</p><p>Surging food prices, especially of sugar and onions, played a big part in pushing inflation to a 14-year high earlier this year.</p><div><strong>AGRARIAN REFORM</strong></div><p>Meanwhile, Marcos also highlighted gains in the agrarian reform sector, specifically mentioning the Agrarian Emancipation Act which he signed earlier in July. </p><p>The law effectively condoned over P57 billion in unpaid amortization amounts, interest payments, surcharges, and penalties of existing loans of some 654,000 agrarian reforms beneficiaries (ARBs) secured under the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP), covering a total of 1.18 million hectares of awarded land. </p><p>It also exempted the agrarian reform lands of ARBs as estates from the payment of estate tax.</p><p>He also said more than 70,000 land titles have also been given out by the government to CARP beneficiaries.</p><p>&quot;Sa ngalan ng magsasakang ito at ng kanilang mga pamilya, maraming salamat muli sa ating mga mambabatas,&quot; Marcos said.</p><p>(On behalf of these farmer-beneficiaries and their families, I would like to thank our lawmakers.)</p><div><strong>RELATED VIDEO:  </strong></div><figure class="op-interactive"><iframe allow="autoplay; fullscreen" frameBorder="0" height="100%" id="ivsplayer01" scrolling="no" src="https://player.ivideosmart.com/ivsplayer/v4/dist/html/iframe-src.html?iframeid=ivsplayer01&amp;key=e8c22c015ca9eafa76f1e3edfa03c603&amp;spid=3001339&amp;vid=2723930" width="100%"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more News on <a href="https://www.iwanttfc.com/#!/browse/Genres/News/tag_id_genres/id_news" target="_blank">iWantTFC</a></div>

Marcos said over 1.8 million Filipinos have benefited from cheaper agricultural products sold in Kadiwa stores since they were launched last year.

#SONA2023: Kadiwa program 'helped' ease agri inflation

News

Entertainment

Lifestyle

Sports

Metro.Style

More

Traffic

Manila

Horoscope

Business

#SONA2023: Kadiwa program 'helped' ease agri inflation

Raffy Cabristante,

ABS-CBN News

Published Jul 24, 2023 06:01 PM PHT

|

Updated Jul 24, 2023 06:36 PM PHT

Read More:

agriculture

Kadiwa ng Pangulo

Agrarian reform

inflation

Department of Agriclture

Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

State of the Nation Address

SONA 2023

ABS-CBN is the leading media and entertainment company in the Philippines, offering quality content across TV, radio, digital, and film. Committed to public service and promoting Filipino values, ABS-CBN continues to inspire and connect audiences worldwide.

Corporate

Investors

Governance

International Distribution

Corporate

Governance

Investors

International Distribution

NPC Seal of Registration

Privacy Policy

AI Policy

Terms of Service

Advertise with Us

© 2025 ABS-CBN Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

NPC Seal of Registration

Privacy Policy

Terms of Service

AI Policy

Advertise with Us

© 2025 ABS-CBN Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

NPC Seal of Registration

Privacy Policy

Terms of Service

AI Policy

Advertise with Us

© 2025 ABS-CBN Corporation. All Rights Reserved.