NAGA CITY, CAMARINES SUR – The Philippine Rural Development Project (PRDP) enterprise development (I-REAP) component will conduct an enterprise assessment to completed I-REAP subprojects (SPs) as an exit strategy as it is now approaching to its end.

The activity aims to identify key areas that need technical assistance and support services as the Project disengages from the proponent groups.

A team of PRDP I-REAP consultants nationwide, headed by the PRDP National Project Coordination Office I-REAP Alternate Component Head, Leny Pecson, convened in this city on August 27-30, 2019 for the Training on Enterprise Assessment and Preparation of the Capacity Development Plan for I-REAP subprojects to orient them on the tools to be used for the said assessment prior to its actual roll out.

These tools are templates for enterprise profiling, enterprise assessment or business enterprise process review, training needs analysis, capacity development plan, and implementation and monitoring and evaluation.

The enterprise assessment will evaluate the I-REAP subprojects’ progress in terms of organization and administration, enterprise operation, financial management, marketing, sustainability, and inclusivity.

According to Pecson, the activity’s results will serve as a guide to the consultants on which I-REAP subproject to focus on.
The PRDP will also use the enterprise assessment findings complemented with SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats) Analysis results as the basis in the preparation of a Capacity Development Plan.

The Capacity Development Plan is a three-year strategic plan of an enterprise that identifies necessary capability building (training) and non-training like market expansion, product development, financing, and facilities upgrading.
Results will be translated into a map which will categorize proponent group enterprises based on their capacity or maturity level.

Pecson underscored that it is very important for the I-REAP team to have a common understanding and common procedures in doing things after the subproject approval.

“Through this on-hand information, we can easily determine which enterprise subproject to monitor and which ones need focus and guidance,” Pecson said.

She added that the assessment results can serve as a reference in linking the proponent groups to agencies that offer the interventions and services that they need.

As part of the training, the participants also conducted group field visits and enterprise assessment to the Albay Coco Geonets Manufacturing Enterprise in Libon, Albay and at the Camarines Norte Pineapple Trading and Processing Project in Labo. ### (Annielyn L. Baleza, DA-RAFIS V)

The participants conduct a group field visit and enterprise assessment to the Camarines Norte Pineapple Trading and Processing Project being operated by the Labo Progressive Multi-Purpose Cooperative (LPMPC) in Labo, Camarines Norte.