MANILA -- President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. will lead Wednesday the nationwide launch of the Kadiwa ng Pasko project aimed at providing a market to the country’s local agricultural producers while at the same time giving the public access to affordable and high-quality products.

The President is scheduled to arrive in Barangay Addition Hills in Mandaluyong City for the launch of the program, where he is expected to speak and visit the Kadiwa stalls.

Fourteen sites will be opened simultaneously across the country on Wednesday, including 11 in the National Capital Region, one in Tacloban City, one in Davao De Oro, and one in Koronadal City, South Cotabato.

The Kadiwa ng Pasko project was conceptualized to address inflation by providing the people with affordable goods especially in the upcoming holiday season in coordination with the Department of Agriculture (DA) as the lead agency.

Support agencies include the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), and Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE).

The program aims to provide a market to local farmers and fishermen for their produce and small business enterprises selling basic necessities.

Organizers expect them to have better income and, at the same time, provide the public access to more affordable, accessible, and high-quality merchandise. (PND)