As the much-awaited implementation of enterprise subprojects under the Philippine Rural Development Project (PRDP) approaches, rural farmers and residents who will soon benefit from the multi-million ventures are ecstatic for the support that the Department of Agriculture and the PRDP has committed.

Seeking to increase the income of sweet potato farmers, the approved enterprise “Provision of Custom Service and Establishment of Processing Center and Storage Facility for Sweetpotato in the Province of Tarlac” will increase the production of dried sweet potato chips supplied to feedmillers.

In Bulacan, the P12.9M Triple B Charantin aims to increase the income opportunity of about 430 ampalaya growers with 108 hectares of land, through the processing of fresh ampalaya fruits into dried products.

The subproject is an agribusiness endeavour among the three existing cooperatives in the municipality of San Ildefonso, Bulacan namely: Bulusukan Farmers Palay and Vegetables Producers Cooperative, Bukal Farmers Producers Cooperative and Buhol na Mangga Marketing Cooperative.

A similar ampalaya enterprise, the SIKKAP San Jose Ampalaya Enterprise in San Jose, Nueva Ecija is projected to sell ampalaya in a total volume of 834,000 kilograms in a year, as well as other crops produced by the farmers in the area such as tomato, onion, patola, squash, okra and green pepper.

224 farmers are expected to benefit from the project by receiving production support for some items of the needed inputs and marketing assistance of their products.  Likewise, the enterprise will support the pricing of P3.00 per kilo for the ampalaya being sold by the cooperative members to the enterprise.

Also in Nueva Ecija, municipalities Talavera and Sto. Domingo are geared towards addressing the government’s goal of food security and higher rural income. The Nagkakaisang Magsasaka Onion Farm Mechanization Service Facility aims to promote timely and affordable services to onion farmers who do not have agricultural machinery on their own, while the Sto. Domingo Onion Enterprise will consolidate and market of onion in Barangay Hulo, Sto. Domingo, Nueva Ecija – an ideal location because of its proximity to the production area.  It will be run and managed by the Pulong Buli Multi-Purpose Cooperative and its partner, Saint Dominic Farmers’ Cooperative, both of which are agricultural cooperatives that deal with production and marketing of onions in their municipality.

Commodity-based enterprise, commodity-driven living

Mr. Carlos Pascual, a member of Pulong Buli shared that due to their lack of storage for the harvested onions that usually come in huge amounts, the price of onion gets relatively lower every harvest season.

“A good solution that PRDP may help us with is the provision of storage for our onions. Currently, the price of onion is low,” said Pascual.

Another member of the Pulong Buli, Romeo Gallardo recalls the times when the onion industry helps him get through his everyday living. “I have sent all my kids to school because of onion, and also because of the cooperative,” he shared. “Pulong Buli Multi-Purpose Cooperative has provided me not only with the capital, but also scholarship for my kids.”

Pulong Buli PMPC, the lead proponent for the Sto. Domingo Onion Enterprise is has already been engaged in doing business with onion wholesalers in Bacolod City, Cebu City and in some parts of the Bicol Region. Through PRDP, all farmers who will join the enterprise will have additional income and assurance that there is a market for their produce. Participating farmers will also be offered with direct market linkage.

The province of Nueva Ecija had been actively involved throughout PRDP’s rollout, as attested by three approved enterprise subprojects amounting to P35,145,332.00 from the province alone.

“The amount of rice is enough, so we are pushing the progression of the vegetable industry, particularly Ampalaya,” said Nueva Ecija Agriculturist Reynaldo Amarillo.

Region 3 or Central Luzon accounts for about 62% of the total cost of the approved I-REAP subprojects for procurement, including a P2-million mungbean production in Zambales, a small livelihood project intended for the victims of Typhoon Lando. (Kayla Arceo, PSO InfoACE)