Farmer cooperatives and associations selected as Proponent Groups (PGs) for pipelined enterprise subprojects in CAR were oriented on Philippine Rural Development Project’s (PRDP) I-REAP (Enterprise Development) Component operations manual.

The orientations to the selected PGs were simultaneously conducted in the provinces of Apayao, Abra and Mountain Province particularly the following farmer groups: Flora Multipurpose Cooperative in Apayao; Baay Farmers Multipurpose Cooperative and Abra Seed Growers Development Cooperative (AVESCO) in Abra; and Sadsadan Association of Vegetable Producers, Inc. (SAVPI) and Barlig Development Cooperative (BDC) in Mt. Province. Members and officers of the said PGs as well as the concerned representatives from the Municipal and Provincial Project Management and Implementing Units (M/PMIUs) participated during the orientations.

Aside from the operations manual of I-REAP, the documentary requirements to prove that the farmer groups are eligible as the PG for the enterprises and the attachments and annexes to the business plan were also discussed.

In turn, the members and officers provided necessary inputs for the finalization of the business models for their enterprise subprojects. It will then serve as the basis in the preparation of their business plan write-up.

As ranked based from the interventions identified in the provinces’ commodity investment plans, the PGs will be venturing mostly on the production, processing and marketing facets in support to the commodities prioritized in their provinces. The commodities that will be supported by the enterprise subprojects are coffee, banana (cardava), carabao mango,  white potato and aromatic and pigmented rice (Heirloom rice).

Meanwhile, DA Regional Executive Director and PRDP Regional Project Coordination Office-CAR (RPCO-CAR) Project Director Lorenzo M. Caranguian encourages more farmer groups to participate in the selection of PGs for the other pipelined enterprise subprojects.

“More cooperatives and associations shall submit their intentions to participate in the PRDP I-REAP so that more farmers will be benefited not only from the farm-to-market road subprojects but also from the enterprise subprojects that PRDP offers,” he said.

Moreover, RPCO-CAR I-REAP Component Head Jocelyn W. Beray said that once the orientation activities to selected PGs for each enterprise subprojects conclude, they will be undertaking a write shop on business plan preparation after which a series of technical and compliance reviews will be conducted until its finalization and approval.

The I-REAP component of the PRDP aims to engage in the production of marketable surplus through investments in strategic segments of priority commodity value chains. It targets existing producer groups with members producing commodities, which are included in the priority value chains and have potential to increase their marketable surplus, among others. (Elvy S. Taquio, DA-PRDP CARPCO InfoACE Unit)