Following the approval from the Department of Agriculture – Philippine Rural Development (DA-PRDP) National Project Coordination Office for the Hog Value Chain Analysis in the North Luzon Cluster (Regions 1, 2, 3, and Cordillera), the Provincial Project Management and Implementation Unit (PPMIU) of Nueva Ecija underwent a workshop on the preparation of the Hog Provincial Commodity Investment Plan (PCIP) led by the Regional Project Coordination Office 3 (RPCO 3) I-PLAN Component on January 29-30, 2023, in Palayan City, Nueva Ecija. 

The RPCO 3’s planning component, headed by Mr. Noli C. Sambo, facilitated the preparation of the Hog PCIP in Nueva Ecija with the Provincial Core Planning Team composed of PRDP’s provincial counterpart and other concerned offices in the provincial local government unit led by the OIC – Provincial Agriculturist Dr. Jovit Agliam.

“The hog PCIP and the proposal for our slaughterhouse subproject are already simultaneously being drafted. Once that the Hog PCIP has been approved and the subproject proposal is completed, we could confidently defend the proposal before the RPAB,” Agliam said.

_{OIC Provincial Agriculturist / PPMIU Head Dr. Jovit Agliam}

One of the proposed subprojects endorsed by the Nueva Ecija PPMIU, through the direction of Nueva Ecija Governor Aurelio Umali, is the construction of an estimated over P300 million slaughterhouse that would cater to the hog growers from all over the province. This facility is seen to improve the quality of meat from the province that is aimed to be supplied all over the country.

_{Executive Assistant to the Governor and Penaranda, Nueva Ecija Former Mayor Ferdinand Abesamis shares the Governor’s plans in strengthening the hog industry in the province through PRDP}

The PCIP serves as the project’s main basis in identifying and developing commodity interventions. The province of Nueva Ecija already has a P1.38-billion worth of approved subprojects from DA-PRDP, the highest amount received among the provinces in Central Luzon.

“It’s already been 10 years. According to PRDP’s latest report, we’ve already reached the one billion mark. With this and the more subprojects that we’ll propose under the PRDP Scale-Up, we can proudly stand and say our undying motto, “for the country”,” Agliam said. 

With the hog CIP, the upgrading strategies and interventions within the various segments of the hog value chain is rationalized, hence, resulting in identifying efficient infrastructures, enterprises, and other interventions that would boost the hog industry in the province.

The hog CIP would be the latest addition to the seven commodities endorsed by the Nueva Ecija PPMIU to be supported by the DA-PRDP which includes ampalaya, onion, goat, mango, aromatic and pigmented rice, tomato, and carabao. // Ram Bautista (RPCO-3 Writer)