City of San Fernando, PAMPANGA – Upon careful analysis of gathered primary and secondary data, the Value Chain (VC) Assessment aims to efficiently formulate commodity investment plans for priority agricultural commodities.

On December 2, 2020, the Department of Agriculture – Philippine Rural Development Project (DA-PRDP) thru the I-PLAN Component in cooperation with the Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) Unit presented the VC Assessment Report to the DA Central Luzon Management held at the DA Conference Room, here.

Regional Project Coordination Office (RPCO 3) Regional Director Dr. Eduardo L. Lapuz Jr. reiterated the importance of the VC which plays a major tool in developing projects by the DA-PRDP.

“The conduct of the value chain should be revisited to discern weak links and changes in the value chain since it was seen we have already established cold storage facilities for onions. But we also need to know what other interventions our farmers need,” Dr. Lapuz added.

During the presentation, Project Support Office (PSO) M&E Specialist Karen Cortado discussed thoroughly the VC Assessment Framework laying emphasis on changes in the value chains of the agri-fishery commodity (industry-wide) in two different scenarios; as situated in the chains expressed in the VCA and at present with the provision of several interventions.

Cortado stressed that the identification of particular priority needs of onion will be the basis to effectively formulate future developments and interventions.

With this, PSO Deputy Director Elma Mananes expressed her optimism for other regions to emulate the conduct of VC Assessment as part of forthcoming strategies for growth and advancement given that the North Luzon Cluster is considered among the top producing onions in the country.

“PRDP started at the grass-root level to identify what our farmers really need. As you can see, our project proposals are not from us but from the local government units,” Mananes said.

She also took the opportunity to thank the participation of the Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation (PMED), Agribusiness Marketing Assistance Services Division (AMAD), High-Crop Development Program (HVCDP) with the support and assistance of the local government units (LGUs) in the conduct of the whole process of the VC Assessment.

Moreover, constraints and recommendations related to the onion industry were likewise tackled during the presentation.

The VC Assessment Team will present the report to the Provincial Government of Nueva Ecija at the Seed Center of Nueva Ecija Central Luzon State University (CLSU) on December 4, 2020. (MA. REINA LEN G. LUNA, RPCO3 InfoACE)