The I-PLAN Component, or the Investment for Agriculture and Fisheries Modernization Plan (AFMP) at the Local and National Levels, of the Philippine Rural Development Project (PRDP) has recently taken initiative to conduct additional agricultural research on specific high value commodities in the MIMAROPA Region.

One of these initiatives is the collaboration with the Western Philippines University (WPU), a known agricultural university in Palawan. After a series of meetings with the PRDP, the WPU is now in the works of drafting a P2.7 million-worth research proposal which would focus on the whole cashew industry of Palawan.

According to the university’s current President, Dr. Julie Hope Evina, WPU is confident and positive that it will have the capacity to conduct a province-wide collection of data from farmers, traders, and other key players in the industry.

The primary objective of the research is to identify the outputs of the studies that were already conducted on cashew to come up with a province-wide agricultural information on cashew propagation, pest and disease control, fertilization, and product development. More importantly, the study will look into appropriate technologies that can be adopted by cashew industry actors with respect to commercialization, capacity building, and trade regulation.

In addition, a geo-mapping activity for the cashew plantations in the entire province is also planned to be conducted. In MIMAROPA, Palawan remains to be the leading producer of cashew. There are many cashew growers and processors particularly in the northern areas, with a large number of farmers depending on it for their livelihood.

The WPU is also aspiring to create a council that will coordinate with various government and non-government entities in implementing future development programs to support cashew farmers, processors, and traders in Palawan.

The goal of the DA is to make cashew a one billion industry. In the end, the projected results of this undertaking is expected to contribute to policy recommendations, expansion programs, and other sustainable development policies for the overall improvement of the cashew industry of Palawan. While it is yet to be finalized, there is also a proposition from the WPU to draft a provincial cashew industry development roadmap.

This is already the PRDP’s second research collaboration. The first one is the P2 million worth research fund granted to the Mindoro State College of Agriculture and Technology for the study of calamansi pest and diseases and plans for a sustainable industry.

This initiative is under I-PLAN’s subcomponent providing planning, programming, budgeting, and coordination of activities to support the implementation of the AFMP.

The overall objective of the PRDP through this directive is to transform the planning process of the DA with the involvement of provinces, cities, and municipalities which can also innovate the crafting of value chain analysis (VCA) and commodity investment plan (CIP) per LGU. This is the rationale of the I-PLAN when it also developed convergence platforms among NGAs, financial institutions, and SUCs in the country. ### (Leira Vic Colongon, DA-PRDP MIMAROPA RPCO InfoACE Unit)

Officials from the Western Philippines University (WPU), located in the Municipality of Aborlan, Palawan, finalizes aspects of their research proposal with the members of the I-PLAN Component from the PRDP’s South Luzon Project Support Office and MIMAROPA Regional Project Coordination Office