The Department of Agriculture – Philippine Rural Development Project (DA-PRDP) Regional Project Coordination Office (RPCO) CALABARZON conducted a workshop for its Value Chain Analysis (VCA) study from May 18-20 to continue its ongoing pursuit to analyze the value chain of coconut oil in CALABARZON. 

The study was aimed to define the current situation, constraints, and opportunities in the commodity’s production and marketing toward developing and implementing evidence-based, responsive, and sustainable interventions for the coconut oil industry. 

Composed of the DA-PRDP RPCO CALABARZON, Project Support Office (PSO) South Luzon Cluster, Philippine Coconut Authority Region IV, and the DA IV-A CALABARZON Planning, Monitoring, and Evaluation Division, the team processed, discussed, analyzed, and interpreted quantitative and qualitative data on the coconut oil industry and value chain key players. The team targets to finish the study by June 2022.

The VCA is among the science-based approaches used by the DA-PRDP to develop and implement interventions for rural development. LGUs also use VCA studies to craft their three-year commodity investment plans (CIPs), which contain programs and projects to foster growth and sustainability in the value chains of their local commodities. CIP is also among the basic requirements to request assistance from the DA-PRDP to implement such programs and projects.

To gather further information for the study, PRDP-4A Planning Officer Mary Ann Macaraig reviewed the responses of the farmers interviewed previously.

Before diving into the writing workshop, PRDP-4A Planning Officer MJ Rayosa provided the participants a rundown of their progress so far in the VCA on Coconut Oil Study.

The team was led by PRDP-4A IPLAN Unit Head Edna De Jesus with the support of Philippine Coconut Authority Regional Manager Joselito Alcantara.