Sub-projects concerning lowland or “pinakbet” vegies will soon be added to the menu of eligible projects for PRDP funding.

The local and national level planning (I-PLAN) component of the PRDP CALABARZON Regional Project Coordination Office (RPCO) started its preparations for the Value Chain Analyses (VCAs) of lowland vegetables such as bitter gourd, string beans, tomato, squash, eggplant, and okra.

“The I-PLAN team is committed to draft, by the end of the year, the VCAs for pinakbet vegetables as well as for the black pepper, lettuce, and cucumber. As of now, the data gathering for the said commodities are ongoing,” CALABARZON RPCO I-PLAN Component Head Maria Cecilia Ella Obligado said. “The Information gathering for other commodities like rice, yellow corn, chili, and cassava are also being done,” she added.

At present, the CALABARZON Region already have the completed VCAs of coffee, mango, pineapple, banana, and coconut (virgin coconut oil). PRDP proposals, either under the infrastructure development (I-BUILD) component or the enterprise development (I-REAP) component, must be anchored on the VCA and be included in the Provincial Commodity Investment Plan (PCIP).

The succeeding data gathering and preparation activities of the I-PLAN team will help double the number of proposals from the LGUs as more commodities will be qualified for PRDP funding. To date, the data gathering in Rizal is at least 90% complete and that in Quezon is 50% complete. The data gathering in Batangas and Cavite are both 30% complete, while the data gathering in Laguna has just started.

The Value Chain (VC) is defined as the sequence of related business functions from the provision of specific inputs for a product to its production, processing, marketing and final sale to the customers. The VCA aims to help the key actors in the value chain to understand their specific roles for the entire chain to function and to identify business opportunities that will add more value to the final product.

Unlike in the other regions, VCAs in CALABARZON is regionwide. This means that even if the province is not a major player in the production of a particular commodity, it can still propose sub-projects for that commodity as long as it is in the PCIP.

The RPCO I-PLAN team also began mainstreaming the VC approach to the regular programs of the Department of Agriculture (DA) such as the banner programs on rice, corn, and high value crops. The expected outcomes of the activity include mainstreaming of the PRDP approaches and tools.

For its activities, the RPCO I-PLAN sometimes includes some of the DA regular staff. “Before they embark on data gathering and other activities further down the road, we capacitate them through trainings and workshops in partnership with the Project Support Office South Luzon,” Obligado said.

The said activities are expected to contribute updates to the Regional Agricultural and Fisheries Modernization Plan of the DA. ### (Lawrence Albert Bariring, DA-PRDP RPCO 4A InfoACE Unit)