Strengthening and developing viable agri-fishery based enterprises is the key goal of the I-REAP (Enterprise Development) Component of the Department of Agriculture’s Philippine Rural Development Project (PRDP).

As recent reports show, 54 farmer groups in the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) with over eight thousand beneficiaries are expected to directly benefit from the Project’s enterprise development subprojects.

To date, 38 subprojects with a cumulative cost of P51.4 million have been approved under the I-REAP Component. Nine of which are ongoing enterprises on Cattle Fattening in Villaviciosa, Abra. Three has a physical progress of 69% as of (May 16, 2017) and the rest are below 50%.

With a total project cost amounting to P42.4 million, 29 enterprise subprojects have been issued with first No Objection Letter (NOL 1) allowing the proponent LGUs to proceed with procurement processes.

I-REAP subprojects are classified as to the amount of implementation – micro (not more than 3M), small (3M-15M) and medium (15M-50M); and as to the nature of business implementation – start-up (new business not to exceed 15M) and upgrading/ expansion (existing business 15M-50M).

Among the 29 enterprise subprojects, most are micro enterprises or previously classified as small livelihood projects which were intended for typhoon affected farmers. Twenty-six (26) of these are for restoration/ rehabilitation, two are for upgrading/ expansion and one is a start-up enterprise.

Further, these subprojects are various enterprises on input provision, farm production, marketing, and farm mechanization in support to the champion commodities in the Cordillera region (coffee, banana, white potato, ubi, mango, Heirloom rice, and cattle).

According to Jocelyn W. Beray, RPCO-CAR I-REAP Component Head, marketing agreements between each of the proponent groups and buyers for these subprojects are being secured to ensure a ready market for their agri products.

As the I-REAP Component of RPCO-CAR fast tracks the implementation procedure for the other pipelined enterprise subprojects, business planning writeshops are continuously conducted in time for the Regional Project Advisory Board’s endorsement for NOL1 issuance.

The RPAB is tasked to review and approve all subprojects at the regional level and provides advisory and guidance to improve the performance. It is chaired by the DA Regional Executive Director with members represented by Department of Trade and Industries (DTI), Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP), Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR), and Regional Agricultural and Fishery Council (RAFC).

The PRDP is a World Bank-funded project designed to establish the government platform for a modern, climate-smart and market-oriented agri-fishery sector.  It partners with the Local Government Units and the private sector in providing key infrastructure, facilities, technology, and information that will raise incomes, productivity, and competitiveness in the countryside.  (Elvy S. Taquio, DA-PRDP RPCO-CAR InfoACE Unit)