PRDP TO FUND AT LEAST P53M WORTH OF ENTERPRISES SUB-PROJECTS

The Department of Agriculture’s Philippine Rural Development Project (DA-PRDP) has initially allotted over P53.34 million (M) worth of enterprise support sub-projects this year to help small farmers and producers in the rural communities.

The funds sourced from the Enterprise Development (I-REAP) Component include P34.82 M for the Cassava Production and Marketing Project in South Cotabato, P9.73 M for the Calamansi Trading and Consolidation Project in Oriental Mindoro, P5.80 M for the Coco Geonets Manufacturing Project in Albay, and P2.98 Small Livelihood Projects (SLPs) in Yolanda and 2013-earthquake stricken areas in Visayas.

The four SLPs, which include fish coral rehabilitation and fish trading, blue swimming crab production and marketing, cattle fattening, and goat production, will be implemented in Negros Occidental.

“These SLPs are implemented in areas that were damaged by Typhoon Yolanda and the 2013 earthquake,” explained PRDP Deputy Director Arnel De Mesa during the I-REAP Component Coordination Meeting on June 30, 2015 in Calapan, Oriental Mindoro.

He added that these sub-projects were initially exempted from the Provincial Commodity Investment Plan (PCIP) and Value Chain Analysis (VCA) requirements of the PRDP prior to project approval.

The VCA is the basis in identifying public and private investment opportunities, while a PCIP is a three-year strategic plan specifying the interventions needed to support and production and marketing of commodities in the area.

Oriental Mindoro Governor Alfonso Umali Jr. who also graced the activity noted that the DA played a vital role in the recent developments in the province.

Oriental Mindoro is the recipient of sub-projects, aimed at reviving the calamansi industry in the province—including a farm to market road, which is currently on-going implementation.

While the enterprise sub-project has not yet commenced, the DA has already provided initial assistance to calamansi farmers in the province through market matching of their produce with buyers in Manila.

DA Agribusiness and Marketing Assistant Secretary and I-REAP Component Head Leandro Gazmin has enjoined I-REAP personnel to provide additional assistance to LGU partners to help them come up with refined business plans and hasten review process of documents.

Under the I-REAP Component, the PRDP will provide the 80% counterpart of the total project cost, while the LGU will share 20%.

The proponent group (PG) will pitch in an additional equity amounting to 20% of the total project cost.

PGs are farmers’ groups, associations, or cooperatives that are ready to partner with PRDP for the production, processing or marketing of priority commodities of a particular province engaged in the Project.

At present, at least P1.47 M worth of sub-projects including LGU and PG equities has been in the pipeline for PRDP.

PRDP is a six-year national project that aims to establish a modern, inclusive, value-chain oriented, and climate resilient agriculture and fisheries sector. It is implemented through the partnership of the DA, World Bank and LGUs. # Source - (Catherine Nanta, DA-PRDP)