CORDILLERA ADMINISTRATIVE REGION – The Regional Project Coordination Office (RPCO) here facilitated a series of business planning writeshop for the enterprise subprojects in Mountain Province, Ifugao and Apayao.

The writeshops aimed to come up with individual business plans among the farmer associations/cooperatives selected as Proponent Groups (PGs) for the enterprise subprojects on coffee, Heirloom rice, white potato and cardava banana. These subprojects are proposed under the Department of Agriculture’s Philippine Rural Development Project (PRDP) for funding.

Among the  PGs who underwent writeshop were Flora Multi-purpose Cooperative for the Cardava Banana Production and Trading Enterprise in Apayao; Hojap Multi-purpose Cooperative (Ifugao Robusta Coffee Production and Marketing Enterprise) and Rice Terraces Farmers Cooperative (Processing and Merketing of Export Quality Ifugao Heirloom Rice) in Ifugao; and Sadsadan Association of Vegetable Producers, Inc. (Potato Tuberlet Production and Marketing Enterprise) and Barlig Development Cooperative (Heirloom Rice Production and Marketing Enterprise) in Mt. Province.

As part of the writeshops, the components of a business plan as well as the Social and Environmental Safeguards (SES), geotagging, economic and financial compliances and requirements were discussed.

The PGs were urged to facilitate the processing of the required documents and attachments while their business plans are being formulated.

Having the tedious review and implementation process that the proponents have undergone, they are hopeful for the immediate approval of these subprojects. (Elvy S. Taquio, DA-PRDP CARPCO InfoACE Unit)