Ifugao heirloom rice stakeholders convened at Lagawe, Ifugao to review and validate the province’s Provincial Commodity Investment Plan (PCIP) initially drafted by the Provincial Project Management and Implementing Unit (PPMIU) of Ifugao.

The PCIP is the main reference document for identifying and selecting subprojects that will be assisted under the Philippine Rural Development Project (PRDP). It rationalizes the interventions within the segments of the heirloom rice value chain that will identify infrastructure and enterprise subprojects that both the Department of Agriculture and PLGU supports.

The PCIP  also serves as a document to help LGUs in properly planning initiatives and projects even outside PRDP.

The participants of the consultation were heirloom rice producers and processors from Ifugao, PRDP Regional Project Coordination Office-CAR (RPCO-CAR), PPMIU Ifugao, Provincial Agri-fishery Council (PAFC), and representatives of the heirloom rice producing municipalities of the province.

The participants were able to validate issues and provided suggestions and recommendations for the PCIP. They also identified additional interventions to address identified constraints in the heirloom rice Value Chain Analysis (VCA).

Major constraints that needs to be addressed include: lack of sources of good quality seed, lack of technical skills to manage health of seeds and preserve genetic purity, increasing cost of farm inputs, unstable supply of water and poor irrigation facilities, limited outreach of existing extension services, low adaption to improved science-based farming technologies and Good Agricultural Practices, lack of access to storage facilities and collection centers, and high cost of transaction due to poor farm-to-market roads.

To address these constraints, the PPMIU was tasked to fast track the preparation of the PCIP and other documentary requirements and conduct necessary activities to support the approval of potential infrastructure and enterprise subprojects.

Meanwhile, PPMIU Head Engr. Carmelita Buyuccan encouraged the stakeholders to actively engage in the consultation process to improve and update the PCIP. She also said that Ifugao heirloom rice, collectively known as ‘Tinawon,’ is more than just a staple food but also an important facet of the province’s culture.

‘Tinawon’, meaning ‘yearly,’ is being cultivated in nine municipalities in Ifugao, and is one of the identified priority commodities in the Cordillera Region under PRDP. (Elvy S. Taquio, RPCO-CAR InfoACE)