The Department of Agriculture – Philippine Rural Development Project (DA-PRDP) assessed its established enterprises in Quezon Province under its enterprise development component or I-REAP. This activity aims to provide recommendations and opportunities to the proponent groups (PGs) handling the enterprises towards the continuous operations of their livelihood endeavors and improvement of their income.

The DA-PRDP assessed three PGs managing seaweed production and marketing enterprises in Calauag and Perez, and one proponent group handling a marine cage culture enterprise in Padre Burgos. To evaluate their findings, the PRDP used its Enterprise Assessment Tool, which measures a PG’s readiness to implement and sustain an enterprise by assessing its performance in the following aspects: financial management, enterprise operation, organization and administration, marketing, sustainability, and inclusivity.

All enterprises scored compliant with the standards set by the tool. The Yakap at Halik Multipurpose Cooperative has expanded its marine cage culture enterprise by increasing its fish cages and establishing fishponds. Meanwhile, the PGs managing the seaweed enterprises are planning to venture into alternative sources of income, such as offering trucking services and adding the “kulapo” seaweed variety to their plantations. According to them, these would be very helpful to keep their businesses afloat, especially when some of their seaweeds melt or catch diseases due to the changes in water temperature.

“Malaking tulong po pala ang mga ganitong assessment dahil mas napapagtuunan po namin ng pansin at napapag-usapan ang pagtugon sa aming mga problema at kakulangan pa sa aming samahan at pagsi-seaweeds. Nagpapasalamat po kami dahil patuloy kaming tinutulungan at ginagabayan ng DA-PRDP sa aming negosyo,” shared Pederasyon ng mga Mangingisda sa Bayan ng Perez General Manager Momoy Regodon.

The DA-PRDP will use the findings of the enterprise assessment to develop a three-year Capacity Development Plan (CDP) to be used by the PGs assessed. Detailed in the CDP are recommended training and non-training interventions to be implemented by the PGs to address the issues and needs identified and continuously develop their enterprises. By July, the DA-PRDP will turn over the CDPs to the PGs. 

Salvador Beltran, president of tghe Pinagsamang Mangingisda at Magsasaka ng Brgy. Pinamaligan shares the state of their production operations to PRDP RPCO Business Development Officer JP Receno.

Salvador Beltran, president of tghe Pinagsamang Mangingisda at Magsasaka ng Brgy. Pinamaligan shares the state of their production operations to PRDP RPCO Business Development Officer JP Receno.

PRDP RPCO CALABARZON Business Development Officer Kristel Vito scores the seaweed production and marketing enterprise in Calauag after interviewing the proponent groups using the PRDP Enterprise Assessment Tool.

PRDP PSO Enterprise Development and Marketing Specialist Gay Banez provides advice to the proponent group of the Calauag seaweed production and marketing enterprise subproject on how to resolve some of the issues they raised during the interview.

The enterprise assessment activities were led by PRDP PSO Enterprise Development Specialist Gay Banez and PRDP RPCO Business Development Officers Kristel Vito and JP Receno.

Members of the Yakap at Halik Multipurpose Cooperative update the PRDP on the status of their lapu-lapu fish cage and coconut sugar processing enterprise