Albay is the third biggest producer of sweet potatoes in the country, with 47,410.41 metric tons planted in 17,017 hectares. This is according to 2020 data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA). 

To expand the support for Albay’s sweet potato industry, the Department of Agriculture – Philippine Rural Development Project (DA-PRDP) Regional Project Coordination Office (RPCO) Bicol is developing an updated value chain analysis (VCA) for the said commodity.  

The VCA is one of PRDP’s planning tools which focuses on value-creation and rational distribution of benefits among keyindustry players within the value chain.  The Project uses the value chain approach in preparing and updating the Provincial Commodity Investment Plan (PCIP) wherein priority interventions and programs for investment are identified. 

As part of the updated VCA preparation process, the PRDP through its Local and National Levels Planning (I-PLAN) component conducted a stakeholders’ consultation for the sweet potato industry of the province on September 22, 2022 in Camalig, Albay. Sweet potato industry players including input suppliers, farmers, traders, processors, and enablers from concerned government agencies like the Department of Agriculture High Value Crops Development Program (DA HVCDP), Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR), Bicol University, Provincial Agricultural Services (PAS), and Municipal Agriculture Offices (MAOs) gathered to discuss the commodity situationer, strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats as well as the identified constraints and potential solutions.

According to DA-Bicol I-PLAN Head Aloha Gigi Bañaria, the participants’ inputs are beneficial in ensuring that the updated VCA will capture the current situation, challenges and opportunities of the sweet potato industry. She added that firsthand information from the stakeholders will also guarantee needs-based proposed interventions for inclusion in the updated PCIP. 

Meanwhile, Provincial Project Management Implementation Unit (PPMIU) of Albay I-PLAN Focal Person Eve Espinas said that the stakeholders’ consultation will enrich the VCA updating, especially that the province envisions to become the top supplier of sweet potato in Southern Luzon in the next 10 years.

“Mas maganda ang recommendations as well as planning of future interventions sa sweet potato commodity. Very important ito sa investment plans, sa PCIP as well as kung gagamitin ito ng mga iba pang agencies specifically ng DA,” Espinas furthered. 

Sweet potato farmer Josefa Burac expressed her gratitude to the PRDP for engaging the farmers in the planning process. 

“Masaya kami kasi nabibigyan kami ng time na i-share ‘yung experiences namin and nagpapasalamat din kami kasi nare-recognize ‘yung aming grupo bilang mga magsasaka and naipapahayag namin ‘yung saloobin namin. At the same time, nabibigyan kami ng panibagong kaalaman patungkol sa farming,” Burac said. 

Processor Marisa Agripa agreed with Burac saying, “masaya po ako kasi andito po ‘yung lahat ng mga stakeholders na handa palang tumulong sa mga katulad naming processors. Thankful ako kasi nabigyan po ako ng opportunity ng DA.”

Moreover, Eduardo Allorde, Agriculture Consultant on Food Security of the Provincial Government of Albay, underscored the value of science-based planning tools like the VCA saying, “kung ang farmer may eksperiyensya, dadagdagan nin siyensya asin teknolohiya hale sa gobyerno, tapos su farmer, may pasensya, may konsensya, sigurado ang delihensya.”

The I-PLAN team targets to finish the updated VCA for sweet potato by September 30, 2022 for issuance of No Objection Letter 1 by the last week of November 2022. (Annielyn L. Baleza, DA RAFIS V/PRDP RPCO V InfoACE Unit)