Strawberry production under greenhouse facility is among the interventions implemented under the Philippine Rural Development Project in the Cordilleras. With these interventions, the Project continues to support smallholder farmers and fisher-folks through market information and support services, and increasing the value of producers’ market surplus that will raise incomes, productivity and competitiveness. P115-M enterprise projects to boost CAR champion commodities
Geared towards strengthening and developing viable agri-fishery based enterprises, P115 million enterprise development projects are now being implemented in the Cordillera under the Department of Agriculture’s Philippine Rural Development Project (PRDP).
These projects are in support to the Cordillera champion commodities particularly coffee, banana (cardava), ube, white potato, beef cattle, mango (carabao), and aromatic/ pigmented rice.
From last year’s 38 subprojects with a cost amounting to P51.4M, the region have already 46 approved subprojects. Nine of which are already completed while 13 are under implementation (9 above 50% progress, 5 below than 50% progress), 10 with No Objection Letter 2 (NOL2), and the rest under procurement stage. Most of these are micro enterprises or previously classified as Small Livelihood Projects (SLP) on input provision, farm production, marketing, and farm mechanization.
Recent accomplishments of the I-REAP or Enterprise Development Component of the PRDP includes the turnover of micro enterprise subprojects to four Proponent Groups (PGs) through the municipal LGUs of La Trinidad, Benguet and Bauko, Mountain Province.
The Project handed over goods and materials for the enterprise subprojects on: Farm Mechanization for Sustainable Production of High Value Commercial Crops in La Trinidad proposed by the La Trinidad Japan Agriculture Trainees Association (LATJATA); Rehabilitation of Protected Areas for Organic Vegetable Production proposed by the Bauko Organic Practitioners Association (BOPA); Farm Mechanization Service Provider for Highland Vegetable Production proposed by the Otucan Farmers Multi-purpose Cooperative (OFMPC); and Swine Production and Marketing proposed by the Bagnen-Balintaugan Timpoyog Credit Cooperative (BaBaTiCCo).
“Aside from an additional source of income for the farmer beneficiaries, these enterprises will provide farm equipment services to improve crop production and reduce production cost,” said RPCO-CAR I-REAP Component Head Jocelyn W. Beray.
Ifugao has the highest approved enterprise cost of P27.2M with four subprojects followed by Benguet with a total cost of P24M (19 subprojects).
As recent report show, 62 farmer groups with almost 10,000 farmer-members are expected to directly benefit from these projects. (Elvy S. Taquio, RPCO-CAR InfoACE)
