August 6, 2014

A total of 43 sub-projects worth over P1 billion under the Enterprise Development (I-REAP) component have been proposed for Department of Agriculture’s (DA) Philippine Rural Development Project (PRDP). The said sub-projects are undergoing review for consequent approval and implementation.

This is based on the reports from the Project Support Offices (PSOs) during the I-REAP midyear assessment on July 31-August 1, 2014 in Laiya, Batangas.

The assessment which brought together PSO and Regional Project Coordination Office (RPCO) heads and I-REAP focal persons, aimed to assess the performance of the component in implementing sub-projects for the past six months.

Assistant Secretary for Agribusiness and Marketing and National Project Coordination Office (NPCO) I-REAP Component Head Leandro Gazmin welcomed the participants and told them that the activity is a venue to present updates, issues, and concerns on the I-REAP component and harmonize schedule of activities at the NPCO, PSO and RPCO levels.

I-REAP Alternate Component Head LenyPecson reported on the revisions and updates on the component’s Operations Manual. She stated that in response to the rehabilitation efforts for Yolanda-affected areas in Visayas, the I-REAP component allows potential proponents which are not duly registered in any government registration agency to undertake sub-projects on the first year of PRDP implementation.

As one of the terms stipulated in the Operations Manual, the private sector can act as service provider for value chain or sub-projects that are highly integrated such that of cacao, coffee, and poultry, among others.

Deputy Project Director Arnel de Mesa reported on the updates of PRDP in general. He cleared that the implementation of Infrastructure Development (I-BUILD) and I-REAP sub-projects is not necessarily simultaneous, but these sub-projects must be based on the Provincial Commodity Investment Plan (PCIP) and anchored on the results of the Value Chain Analysis (VCA).

A PCIP is a three-year rolling plan of a provincial government containing the specific infrastructure and enterprise sub-projects in support to the development of their priority commodities. A VCA, on the other hand, is a breakdown of product flows from the production area to the market which is used as basis for prioritizing commodities under PRDP.

To fast-track PRDP implementation, DA Technical Adviser for Foreign-Assisted Projects Sally Bulatao said that while there are pilot enterprises proposed per region, RPCO should start planning on how to accelerate the approval and implementation of the other target enterprises for the year.

I-REAP is among the four major components of the PRDP along with I-BUILD, I-PLAN and I-SUPPORT. It is tasked to plan and provide interventions that will strengthen and develop viable agri-fishery based enterprises.

Specifically, it aims to increase productivity and marketability of agriculture and fishery products; increase farm and fishery household incomes through value-adding activities; and improve the protection and conservation of the natural resources through alternative livelihoods and support facilities. (Catherine Nanta, InfoACE-NPCO)